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Reviews of New and Forthcoming Religion/Spirituality Books
Reviews of books for adults and children; Online Exclusives; and PW religion reviews, including stars.
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Short Takes: Religion Publishing News Briefs, May 2012
A contest for fans of The Vow; honors, accolades and sales milestones; digital deals and staff shifts; notable events.
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Charles Dickens, Christian Writer: PW Talks With Gary Colledge
Charles Dickens filled his works with Christian references to encourage devotion to Jesus Christ. But scholars and critics have ignored or downplayed this aspect of his work.
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Lani Leary: Teaching Compassionate Caregiving
Working with the chronically ill and dying would seem a daunting task, but Lani Leary sees it as a sacred opportunity.
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Rami and Aaron Shapiro: Dynamic and Disagreeing Duo
For father and son Rami and son Aaron Shapiro, working together on Writing---the Sacred Art allowed them to share their passion for the written word. But like any good Jewish family, “We argue about texts and the nature of reality all the time.”
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Books Highlight Bonds Between Fathers and Children
From the daughter of Zig Ziglar to the son of a pastor, exploring the impact of fathers on their children.
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New Name, Same Mission
With a steady erosion of traditional audiences and the rise of new markets, as well as the growth in electronic publishing and self-publishing, some religion publishers have decided to refresh or reimagine their brands. In some cases, that means a more up-to-date name, in others a return to a historic identity.
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Religion Update Spring 2012: Serving the Littlest Patrons
A few years ago, Joanna Sussman attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of a library in a small community in northern Minnesota. She was there to support her husband, an architect, who had designed the building. But as publisher of Kar-Ben Publishing, Sussman couldn’t help taking note of what was inside the walls as well. On one table, a copy of Ten Good Rules: A Ten Commandments Counting Book (Kar-Ben, 2007) by Susan Remick Topek, was displayed beside a sign saying “New and of Interest.” Sussman was “pleased and surprised” to see the book prominently featured in a town with few Jewish residents, and she silently praised “thoughtful librarians everywhere who believe in curating broad collections for their patrons and encouraging them to read outside their comfort zones.”
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Religion Update Spring 2012: Helping Librarians Crack the Cover
Librarians are the usually overworked gatekeepers between publishers and patrons, arbiters of shelf space and reading habits. That makes them obvious targets for publishers eager to tap into a market that buys often and in big numbers. With more than 9,000 public libraries/systems—totaling nearly 17,000 individual buildings—in the United States, publishers are looking for innovative and successful ways to reach them.
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Religion Update Spring 2012: Libraries Offer Publishers a Fertile Field for Sales
Religion publishers are finding a deep and ready market thanks to public libraries that stock their shelves with everything from inspirational fiction to Judaica, numerology to Christian living. The Library Bill of Rights states, “Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.”
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Lit Agency Launches E-Publishing Company
Bondfire Books, a new e-publishing company, has been launched by Alive Communications, a Colorado Springs-based literary agency representing Christian and inspirational authors.
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Max Lucado Signs New Three-Book Contract with Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson and bestselling author Max Lucado have a signed a new three-book, nonexclusive contract. The first title will release in fall 2013; others will follow over the next five years. Thomas Nelson also will publish ancillary products for the children’s, gift, and curriculum markets.
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Zondervan Signs Tutu for New Children's Book
Zondervan has signed Nobel Peace Prize-winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu to collaborate with bestselling author and illustrator Nancy Tillman to produce a picture book telling the creation story from Tutu’s Children of God Storybook Bible, which he published with Zondervan in 2010. Tillman will illustrate Tutu’s narrative. Zondervan holds world rights and plans to release the book in spring 2014.
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'Nearing Home' Named Christian Book of the Year
Nearing Home by Billy Graham (Thomas Nelson) has been named 2012 Christian Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).
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Faith and Writing Fest Blooms Again in Michigan
As tulips and redbuds blossomed, close to 2,000 people--publishers, authors, students, editors, book lovers--came together April 19-21 for the biannual Festival of Faith and Writing on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., the festival’s permanent home. Marilynne Robinson (pictured), Jonathan Safran Foer, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie closed each of the festival days with evening plenary addresses, and 120 daytime sessions featured more than 100 writers discussing themes, techniques, and business.
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Editor’s Note
Last week people who care about books and portrayals of faith in them gathered in Michigan to listen to some of today’s top authors, whose books wouldn’t be labeled “religion,” but who nonetheless treat its timeless themes in their writing. This bounty is only offered every other year, and fans of the Festival of Faith and Writing, held at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, look forward to it eagerly, not only for the chance to hear authors speak, but also for the opportunity to gather with others who share their passion for books and expressions of faith in them. The scaffold of beliefs—whether religious or antireligious--that underlies the human experience yields richness to which authors will always return, no matter how attitudes toward religion may evolve.
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Catholic Publishers Celebrate a Century of Service
Two Catholic publishers are marking their 100th birthdays in 2012. Our Sunday Visitor, the Indiana-based publisher of Catholic books, Bibles, a weekly newspaper, and church resources celebrates its anniversary with a slate of events beginning next month. Chicago-based Loyola Press also turns 100 this year. Though Loyola is not planning any events, it has marked the milestone by commissioning an original portrait of St. Ignatius Loyola, who founded the Society of Jesus in 1540, and by publishing a book that seeks to make the saint more accessible for contemporary Catholics.
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May 2012 Christian Bestsellers: Adult, Children’s, Young Adult, Bibles
Peretti’s Illusion cracks the top ten; another winner from Joyce Meyer; a new Kingsbury tops the paperback list; Not a Fan charts in paper now; reappearances for Brunstetter and Lewis. For kids, an Easter Bible from Thomas Nelson does well; Melody Carlson’s 2008 Easter book makes the list. In Bibles, The Story holds on to #1; American Bible Society’s value Bible debuts at #5.
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Religion in Review: April 2012
Reimagining Christian symbols for the postmodern age; the neuropsychology of enlightenment; critiquing partisan politics in the church; limning the difference between Islam and Islamism; celebrating Why Catholicism Matters; spiritual lessons from 44 shamans. For children, the inspiring story of Martín de Porres; in YA fiction, a tale of two sisters; a boy makes a friend who sees demons. Sneak Peeks from the May 14 PW: a moving account of a beloved man; predicting the Implosion of America; stars for a lively commentary on the Book of Ruth and for a sharp examination of morality in an antimoral world; plus a Web Exclusive review of a look at Buddhism’s influence in the post-war era.
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