140+ AUTHORS COMMITTED TO BOOK EXPO 2009

First-Ever Book Fair Anticipates Thousands in Attendance

Phoenix, Arizona—The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has now confirmed the participation of more than 140 authors for its first-ever Christian Book Expo (CBE), a new consumer-oriented book event slated for Dallas, Texas, during March 2009. Christian Book Expo is a first for ECPA and the first Christian book fair of its type, which will bring together publishers, authors and consumers for a three-day book event. Bestselling authors including Max Lucado, Donald Miller, Philip Yancey, Karen Kingsbury, Lee Strobel, Gary Chapman, Stephen Arterburn, J.I. Packer, Don Piper, Andy Stanley, Mary Manz Simon, Bill Bennett, Henry Blackaby, Ruth Haley Barton, Stormie Omartian, Colleen Coble, Sheila Walsh and Elizabeth George, will be speaking, signing books, conducting workshops and meeting consumers during Christian Book Expo 2009.

Bob Hawkins, President of Harvest House Publishers, believes Christian Book Expo “presents an ideal venue for evangelical book enthusiasts (professional and end users, alike) to connect with one another and a great many authors.” More than twenty Harvest House authors will attend Christian Book Expo.

The inaugural Christian Book Expo will be held in Dallas, Texas, on March 19-22, 2009, at the Dallas Convention Center. ECPA is inviting publishers, ministries, authors and booksellers to exhibit in this open-to-the-public event. Activities at the three-day Expo will include workshops, seminars, mini-events and evening programming—all led by authors—and more than 125 author events are registered to date. Many author groups will be represented at CBE, including Chi Libris, American Christian Fiction Writers, Advance Writers and Speakers Association, the Christian Writers Guild, and scores of self-published authors as well as agents.

“We’re delighted to have passed the milestone of 100 authors committed to attend Christian Book Expo 2009,” states ECPA President Mark Kuyper. “We’re currently at 142 confirmed authors, with at least 30 more authors invited but not yet confirmed. The breadth of genres represented by these authors—from fiction to theology to children’s books and business titles—hints at the variety of experiences book lovers will enjoy at CBE.”

For more information on the 2009 Christian Book Expo, contact Mark Kuyper, 480-966-3998, or visit www.ChristianBookExpo.com. A list of current authors confirmed as of October 17, 2008 is available at www.ecpa.org/pr/pr_authorlist.html.