Short Takes: Religion Publishing News Briefs, December 2012

New books from bestselling authors; a new progressive Christian imprint; awards for scholarship and book cover design; apps for Catholics; 20 years of Random Acts; healing words in Newtown.

January 2013 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers

A Jewish Publisher and a University Press Make Their Marriage Work

The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), the nation’s oldest nonprofit Jewish press, nearly shuttered in 2011, but has found new life through a unique partnership with the University of Nebraska Press.

The Souls of Hobbits: New Books Unearth Tolkien’s Christian Themes

Millions of fans flocked to Peter Jackson’s movie of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved novel, The Hobbit. Just in time for the movie, a number of books explore the relationship between Christianity and Tolkien’s masterpiece.

Lion Hudson Launches Christian Fiction Imprint

U.K. publisher Lion Hudson has announced the launch of a new imprint, Lion Fiction. Inaugural titles--in the thriller, fantasy, mystery, and women's fiction genres--will release in spring 2013. Publisher Nick Jones said the imprint would provide “a platform for Christian novelists from all traditions.”

Fifty Years After: How Vatican II Changed the Church

The Second Vatican Council was a watershed event for the Catholic Church, and fifty years later many of its conclusions are still being analyzed and hotly debated. The 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Council brings books that explore the myriad layers of Vatican II.

Religion Editor’s Note, November 2012

In the last issue we noted the demise of one chain’s bricks-and-mortar stores, but this time we can report another has received a cash infusion and is going forward. For those of us who love bookstores, this is good news.

Short Takes: Religion Publishing News Briefs, November 2012

B2B Web site from Barbour; Guideposts launches e-book shorts; Whitaker hires new sales director; literary festival for Christian writers in Baltimore; Hoort moves to Abingdon; new associate publisher for Novalis; Our Sunday Visitor has first mobile app.

It Is Written: News in Bibles and Sacred Texts, November 2012

New children’s Bible from Lion; next-gen software from Logos; new HCSB spokesman for B&H; ESV apps from Crossway; RSV, NRSV up on BibleGateway.com.

Christmas Past: Books for the Season Conjure Days of Yore

This year’s grab bag of books for the Christmas season contains more than the usual hefty helping of nostalgia. Novelists take readers as far afield as Victorian Scotland; an essayist remembers Christmas on the plains of South Dakota; a historian uncovers the real St. Nicholas.

Purpose Driven Life Gets a 10th Anniversary Makeover: PW Talks with Rick Warren

Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, has created a 10th anniversary edition, with two new chapters, QR codes, and video and audio links. The original book, published in 2002, has sold 32 million copies in 50 languages.

Reviews of New and Forthcoming Religion and Spirituality Books, November 2012

Books encourage learning not to fear death; explore both internal and external abundance; and more.

December 2012 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers

Your guide to the mega-sellers in Christian books.

Religion Scholars Gather in Chicago for Well-Attended Conference

Against a background of labor strife, the country’s religion scholars met in Chicago to talk shop and view religion publishers’ newest offerings for potential classroom adoption. The Nov. 17-20 Society of Biblical Literature and American Academy of Religion conference drew a larger number than last year’s conference in San Francisco, nearly 11,000 teachers and students.

Karen Kingsbury: Building a Bridge

Karen Kingsbury’s first novel for a major New York house is set in a fictional bookstore where a young couple finds love and purpose. The prolific Christian fiction author has signed a 10-book deal with Simon & Shuster imprint Howard Books, so there’s much more to come, and S&S plans to take her deep into the general market.

Family Christian Stores in Management, Investors Buyout

Family Christian Stores, the largest Christian retail chain, with 280 stores in 36 states, has been acquired from its private equity owners by the chain’s management team and three investors.

Sarah Young: Amid Suffering, Devotion

Despite a massive bestseller, many invitations to speak, and such advance interest for her latest releases that initial print runs had to be upped, the author of the Jesus Calling devotional has remained in Perth, Western Australia—where she and her husband, Steve, are missionaries.

Crown Launching New Religion Imprint

Random House’s Crown Publishing Group is launching a new religion imprint, Convergent Books. “Convergent will explore the contemporary faith experience for a broad range of Christians who are drawn to an open, inclusive, and culturally engaged exploration of faith,” the publisher states.

Religion Editor's Note, October 2012

This issue of RBL comes to you a week late, courtesy of Hurricane Sandy. That means it’s fatter then ever, and you can find even more of our features, profiles, and Q&As on the religion page on PW’s Web site, where new content is being posted all the time.

Cokesbury Stores to Close, Sales Will Move to Other Channels

The United Methodist Publishing House announced Monday it would begin closing its 38 full-line stores and 19 seminary bookstores, in order to sell books exclusively through its Web site, Cokesbury.com, its Cokesbury Call Center, at conferences and meetings, and through church events.