The 2018 Christian Book Awards, which recognize excellence in Christian book and Bible publishing, were presented by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) in Washington, D.C. on May 1. The ECPA’s top award— the Book of the Year—went to Sarah Young’s 365-day devotional, Jesus Always (Thomas Nelson). The book, which features personal reflections and words from scripture, broke records at HarperCollins Christian Publishing with an initial print run of one million copies, and it sold over one million copies within a year of its 2016 release, according to the publisher.
Frequently ranked among PW’s Religion Nonfiction Bestsellers, Jesus Always is a follow-up to Young’s previous 365-day devotional, Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson). The 2004 title has sold over 25 million copies worldwide since its publication, according to the publisher. Young has written a handful of other titles since then, but during an interview with PW in 2016, the reclusive author said Jesus Always was written in response to her readers. “My books tend to speak to different people in different ways,” said Young. “My other books have been well received, but people have been clamoring for another 365-day devotional. Finally I can offer them that.”
Other 2018 Christian Book Award winners include the Kenneth N. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, John and Elizabeth Sherrill, authors of over 30 books on Christianity and the founders of Chosen Books Publishing, now a division of the Baker Publishing Group. Following a tie, the award in the Christian Living category went to both Brett McCracken, author of Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community (Crossway), and Mark Batterson, author of Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (Multnomah). For a complete list of the winners, click here.
