Sexy religion: In a curious case of a historian and a scholar of the occult drawn to the same obscure subject at the same time, there are two new books on 19th-century spiritualist and sexologist Ida Craddock: Heaven’s Bride by Leigh Schmidt (Basic, Dec.; starred review in Nov. PW); and Sexual Outlaw, Erotic Mystic by Vere Chappell (Weiser, Dec.). And there are other new and forthcoming books dealing with sex and religion: Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire by Jennifer Wright Knust (HarperOne, Feb.; reviewed in Dec. PW: and Michael Coogan’s God and Sex; What the Bible Really Says (Twelve, Oct.; covered in the Oct. 11 PW Religion Update).
Russell Crowe, Will Smith, and Joe Jonas will be happy. All have cited Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist as a favorite read, and this month HarperOne has published a hardcover graphic novel version of its evergreen bestseller and celebrity touchstone. In a statement Coelho said , "It was an old dream of mine to have The Alchemist as a graphic novel. This version exceeds my expectations and is a beautiful manifestation of what I originally imagined while crafting this story." Coelho’s books—including The Alchemist, The Pilgrimage, The Valkyries, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, The Fifth Mountain, and The Witch of Portobello—have sold more than 100 million copies in 140 countries and been translated into 55 languages.
God bless those bloggers: Two Baker titles have received 2010INSPY Awards--She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell (Bethany House, April) in the Historical Fiction category and The Knight by Steven James (Revell, Aug.) in the Thriller/Suspense/Crime Fiction category (Revell). Zondervan’s Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans (June ) won the INSPY in the Creative Nonfiction category. The INSPYs were created by bloggers to recognize the best Christian books. For more information go to http://inspys.com .
Marketsquare International 2011 and the Inspirational Value Book Show takes place January 11-13 at the Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport Hotel. With 300 domestic and international Christian product buyers expected to attend the exhibition floor is open the 12th and 13th. Prior to the exhibition each day there will be an author’s forum and workshops for Christian retailers and suppliers. The Professional Retail Institute will be held Jan. 13-15. Marketsquare International and the Inspirational Value Book Show end just before AmericasMart Gift Show to make it easy for buyers to attend both. For more information about Marketsquare International, visit www.ChristianTrade.com .
FaithWords author and Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton has won American League Most Valuable Player award. The outfielder is the author of the bestselling autobiography Beyond Belief (April) and leads the league in batting average and slugging percentage and helped lead the Rangers to their first-ever World Series appearance. This season Hamilton had 32 homeruns and 100 RBI’s, even though he missed most of September due to two broken ribs. Beyond Belief tells the story of his addiction to drugs and alcohol, his suspension from baseball, and his recovery and return to the game.
Tyndale has its own athlete on the roster: Drew Brees, author of Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity (July) has been named by Sports Illustrated’s 2010 Sportsman of the Year. Brees guided the New Orleans Saints to the Super Bowl title following the 2009 season, earning Most Valuable Player honors. Written with Chris Fabry, Coming Back Stronger reached number 1 on the Wall Street Journal bestsellers list, number 2 on the Publishers Weekly list, and number 3 on the New York Times list for hardcover nonfiction. More than 200,000 copies of the book are in print. Past recipient’s of the Sportsman of the Year award include Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus, the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, Mary Lou Retton, Michael Jordan, and Lance Armstrong. Brees appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, FOX News’s Hannity and On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno topromote the book.
Two Tyndale House novels, Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers (Mar.) and Fatal Convictions by Randy Singer (Aug.), have been selected for Booklist’sTop 10 Inspirational Fiction list for 2010. Zondervan’s Deceit by Brandilyn Collins (June) was also honored. The winning novels were selected by the magazine’s editors from their inspirational fiction reviews. Booklist www.booklistonline.com editor Bill Ott noted the titles “handle their religious themes with great skill while also offering engrossing plots.”
A new book proposal contest has been launched by the Swedenborg Foundation/General Church of the New Jerusalem, publisher of the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg, the Bridge Book Awards. Authors of winning book proposals will receive cash awards of $1,500, be honored at an awards ceremony, and be guaranteed a review by the Swedenborg Foundation Press editorial board to be considered for publication. Three runners-up in each category will receive cash awards of $500 each and the possibility of review for publication. The deadline for proposal submission is February 1, 2011. The Bridge Book Awards seeks book proposals in the following four categories this year—the afterlife; living a spiritual life; biblical commentary from a Swedenborgian/New Church perspective; and “Swedenborg for dummies”(explaining theological concepts in an accessible way). Genres and formats can include inspirational gift books, guidebooks, scholarly research, illustrated books, and both fiction and nonfiction. For further information about the awards and to download forms for submitting proposals, go to www.swedenborg.com or www.newchurch.org.
Christian Store Day, a first-ever promotional event spearheaded by the Christian Booksellers Association, raised more than $60,000 for Haiti relief efforts by international ministries. About 500 chain and independent Christian retailers participated in the Oct. 23 event, which was a cooperative effort by Christian publishers, music companies, and stores. Industry trade associations also participated, including CBA, the association for Christian Retail; Christian Music Trade Assoc.; and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Assoc. Events took place simultaneously across the country and included unique product specials and in-store appearances by Christian authors and recording artists.
Recipients of relief funds for Haiti included Compassion International, Operation Christmas Child, and World Vision. Musicians and authors donated all music and e-book royalties, and retailers donated all margins and profits from sales. Go to www.ChristianStoreDay.com for more information.
Crazy Love by Francis Chan Book has been named Book of the Year by Family Christian Stores. The David C. Cook book has sold more than one million copies since its release in 2008. Beginning in January, the bestselling book will be featured in all Family Christian Store catalogs throughout 2011 and will receive front placement in stores all year long. There are also Crazy Love study guides and DVDs. In other news, Jim Daly, Focus on the Family president and David C. Cook author (Finding Home: An Imperfect Path to Faith and Family; and Stronger: Trading Brokenness for Unbreakable Strength) has been named one of Newsweek’s Top 10 New Faces of the Christian Right. Newsweek described Daly as “a surprisingly different leader from his firebrand predecessor” James Dobson, who Daly replaced in 2005. In staffing news, Cook has added Mike Salisbury as senior marketing manager of trade books and multimedia. Salisbury was most recently assistant director of marketing Zondervan.
Max Lucado will be interviewed on Christmas Day on ABC’s Good Morning America. The pastor/author’s new book is the Publishers Weekly and New York Times bestseller Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference (Thomas Nelson, Sept.) PW’s review said, "Lucado shows fans both longtime and new that he remains, after all these years, a powerful voice in the call to authentic Christianity."
Baker Publishing Group has selected SPCK to handle sales and marketing of its academic titles in the U.K., effective April 1, 2011. Until then, Baker’s academic titles will continue to be sold and marketed by Lion Hudson. Alban Books will continue to sell and market the Hendrickson Publishers titles Baker recently purchased. The full line of other Hendrickson books and Bibles will continue to be sold and marketed by Alban now and into the future. Beginning next month (Jan.), SPCK will pre-sell Baker Academic and Brazos Press titles that release after March. After April 1, SPCK will be selling and shipping all of the Baker Academic, Brazos Press, and newly acquired Hendrickson titles through Marston Book Services into markets in the U.K. and Europe. Lion Hudson will continue to sell and market the books of other divisions of Baker Publishing Group, including Bethany House, Revell, Baker Books, Chosen, and GOD’S WORD® Translation (GW) products.
Paulist Press has announced the appointment of Donna Crilly as managing editor, effective immediately. In a statement Paulist said, “Donna’s extensive background and knowledge of the book and electronic publishing industry provide Paulist Press with numerous valuable skills that will position the company to respond to the challenges of an ever changing marketplace.”
Kregel Publications has been name Vendor of the Year by the Revelation Marketing Group (RMG), for the second year in a row. The award, according to RMG, is in recognition of “outstanding customer service, products, sales materials, and communication.”
At a recent awards ceremony RMG president David George pointed to Kregel's commitment to Christian stores. Kregel itself owns two Christian retail stores in the Grand Rapids, Mich., area.
