Image Books, the Catholic imprint of Crown Publishing Group/Penguin Random House, is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Founded in 1954 by the Doubleday family and purchased in 1986 by Bertelsmann, Image has published many classics of the faith, including The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Wounded Healer, and The Lamb’s Supper. In 2013, Image published On Heaven and Earth, a collection of thoughts from Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis. Stephen W. Cobb is chief publishing executive of Image Books, as well as WaterBrook Press, Multnomah Books, and Convergent Books. To mark the anniversary, Image is repackaging its Image Classics line—with books by such authors as G.K. Chesterton and Francis de Sales—adding discussion guides.
Moody Theological Seminary (MTS) has appointed John Trent to the newly created Gary D. Chapman Chair of Marriage and Family Ministry. The announcement was made by Moody at its May 17 commencement ceremonies. The chair--the first in Moody’s 128-year history—was endowed by Gary D. and Karolyn Chapman. Gary Chapman is the author of The 5 Love Languages (Moody Publishers), which has spent 57 weeks on the New York Times Advice, How-To Miscellaneous bestsellers list. Trent—himself a writer who co-authored The Blessing, an ECPA Gold Medallion Award winner --will teach courses in counseling and marriage and family at MTS and guest lecture in Moody's undergraduate school. He will also serve as a regular voice on Moody Radio and publish with Moody Publishers on marriage- and family-related topics.
Cambridge University Press’s Bible distribution and sales have moved back to Cambridge University Press after being handled in North America by Baker Publishing Group since 1990. In a statement, Dwight Baker, president of the Baker Publishing Group, said, “We plan to focus exclusively on our mission, which is to publish original works.” Baker Publishing Group’s final shipments of Cambridge Bibles went out May 23; Cambridge University Press begins accepting orders on June 2.
The Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) held its 24th Annual Midwest Book Awards Gala in St. Paul, Minn. Winners were announced in 43 categories. Wisdom Tales Press, a children’s book publisher based in Bloomington, Ind., won 12 awards, including four Gold Medals: for Angels by Alexis York-Lumbard, illustrated by Flavia Weedn in the Children’s Picture Books category; The Otter, the Spotted Frog and the Great Flood by Gerald Hausman, illustrated by Ramon Shiloh in the Illustration: Graphic category; Children of the Tipi by Michael Oren Fitzgerald for Interior Layout ; and The Compassionate Warrior by Elsa Marston, foreword by Barbara Petzen, in the Young Adult Non-Fiction category. Other Gold Medal winners included Lutheran University Press for Tillich by Daniel J. Peterson, in the Religion/Philosophy category. Silver Medals in Religion went to Falling into Place by Hattie Kauffman (Baker Books) and The Catholic Children’s Bible by Sister Mary Kathleen Glavich and Brian Singer-Towns (St. Mary’s Press). See a complete list of winners and finalists.
The Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference announced the winners of the 3rd annual Selah Awards on May 21 at the conference. Children’s author Michelle Medlock Adams’ God Knows You (Candy Cane Press), illustrated by Pauline Siewert, was named Book of the Year. Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People's Choices by Cynthia Ruchti (Abingdon Press) took top honors in the Christian Life category. Ruchti’s When the Morning Glory Blooms (Abingdon) won in the Fiction: Contemporary Women category. Conference director Alton Gansky also presented two Director’s Choice Awards for fiction and nonfiction published within the last year. Marianne Jordan received the fiction award for The First Christmas Carol (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas). Jo Ann Fore picked up the win in the nonfiction category for When a Woman Finds Her Voice (Leafwood Press). For a complete list of 2014 BRMCWC award winners, visit the BRMCWC Facebook page. The 2015 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference will be held May 17-21, 2015, at the Ridgecrest Conference Center.
