NY TIMES BEST SELLERS - WK OF 2/2

•THE DANIEL PLAN by Rick Warren, Daniel Amen, Mark Hyman and others (Zondervan) is #5 in Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous. •HEAVEN IS FOR REAL by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent (Thomas Nelson) is #7 in Paperback Nonfiction; #17 in E-Book Nonfiction; and #16 in Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction. •THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES by Gary Chapman (Northfield) is #9 in Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous. •HANDS FREE MAMA by Rachel Macy Stafford (Zondervan) is #13 in Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous. •THE HARBINGER by Jonathan Cahn (FrontLine) is #17 in Paperback Trade Fiction. •HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY by Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach (Howard Books) is #21 in Hardcover Nonfiction. •FLIGHT TO HEAVEN by Dale Black and Ken Gire (Bethany House) is #25 in E-Book Nonfiction.

AMAZON LAUNCHES NEW CHRISTIAN IMPRINT

Amazon Publishing today announced the launch of Waterfall Press, a new Christian imprint that will specialize in faith-based non-fiction and fiction. Waterfall Press non-fiction will aim to provide spiritual refreshment and inspiration to today’s Christian reader, while fiction will include stories in the romance, mystery, and suspense genres. Waterfall Press titles will be published by Brilliance Publishing, part of the Amazon.com group of companies, which currently offers readers self-help and personal growth books under the Grand Harbor Press imprint. “Brilliance has over 12 years of experience serving the Christian market as audiobook publisher of some of the most successful Christian authors writing today,” said Mark Pereira, President and Publisher of Brilliance Publishing. “We are excited to expand our offering to readers of faith-based material by publishing original Christian content with enduring appeal.” Waterfall Press debuts with a selection of fiction and non-fiction in 2014 including: •Mark Buchanan’s The Four Best Places to Live (February 2014), which reveals the surprising truth about how the best places to live are not based on climate, employment opportunities, or cost of living, but rather on places to experience joy, peace, and belonging according to Scripture. •Best-selling, self-published author Cherie Hill’s When You Need a Miracle (April 2014), which discusses the critical steps of faith you need when you find yourself at life’s most challenging crossroads. •The Quiet Revolution by Jay Hein (June 2014). Hein, Director of the White House Office of Faith- Based and Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush, provides an insider’s perspective on how presidents have rallied Americans to serve their nation by volunteering in their individual communities and speaks to the importance of service in improving lives around the world. Waterfall Press will also publish shorter content, including upcoming works by Pastor Bryan Wilkerson (Living Deep, March 2014); Pastor Dan Meyer (Discovering God, April 2014); and the editors of global media ministry Christianity Today (Billy Graham; Leading With Love, April 2014). Editorial oversight for Waterfall Press will be led by Tammy Faxel, who brings 30 years of experience in the Christian publishing industry through prior posts at Tyndale House Publishers and Oasis Audio. Several of the books on the launch list—including The Four Best Places to Live and The Quiet Revolution, will be published in collaboration with Christianity Today. “The breadth of Amazon’s opportunities creates a dynamic bridge between the author and reader that can move the content conversation to a growing global audience,” said Harold Smith, President and CEO of Christianity Today. Brilliance Publishing, part of the Amazon.com group of companies, is a Michigan-based, full-service book publisher, publishing Christian fiction and non-fiction and personal growth and self-help books in print, eBook and audiobook formats under its two imprints. With a growing catalog of titles from over 500 authors (including Tom Clancy, Stephen Covey, Nora Roberts, Rick Riordan, and others), Brilliance Audio provides audiobooks in the popular categories of inspiration/self-help, romance, mystery, suspense and thrillers, science fiction and fantasy, business, and biography; and for children and young adults. Brilliance Audio recordings are available for the retail and library markets on compact disc, MP3- formatted compact discs, and files for download. Waterfall Press joins sister imprints 47North, AmazonCrossing, AmazonEncore, Amazon Publishing, Grand Harbor Press, Jet City Comics, Kindle Worlds, Lake Union, Little A, Montlake Romance, Skyscape, StoryFront, Thomas & Mercer, and Two Lions in the Amazon Publishing family. For more information about all imprints of Amazon Publishing, visit www.apub.com. For more information on Waterfall Press and upcoming titles, visit www.brilliancepublishing.com/waterfall

WRITING FOR RELIGIOUS & INSPIRATIONAL MARKETS

As a writer, don't you dream of touching the lives of children, of offering them hope for a better future? As author Barbara Steiner once said, "Writing for children is the toughest of all writing because children's books change lives. . . . Kids take stories to heart, believe them, and reread them if they have touched their spirits." You, too, can touch a child's spirit through your writing. You can use your writing talent to inspire and help and encourage. One of the best things writers can give children through their writing is a sense of hope. This spring, the Highlights Foundation will repeat the successful workshop "Sharing Our Hope: Writing for Religious and Inspirational Markets." Workshop presenters Kristi Holl and Paula Morrow will help you determine where your own writing fits into the spectrum of religious, spiritual, Christian, inspirational, and crossover writing; learn how to write strong characters who are believable and multifaceted, yet flawed enough for kids to identify with; learn how to infuse tension into your characters, plot, settings, and dialogue; explore inspirational market guides, plus discuss books especially for inspirational writers; participate in discussions on surviving the writing life — and thriving — plus self-care for writers; and understand and learn to deal with "gatekeepers": parents, gift-givers, librarians, editors, and agents. The workshop is a perfect Christmas gift for a writer you know—or for yourself! We hope you will join Paula Morrow and Kristi Holl for "Sharing Our Hope: Writing for Christian and Inspirational Markets." This Highlights Foundation workshop will be held at The Barn, outside of Honesdale, PA, March 27-30, 2014. Paula, long-time editor of children's books and magazines at Cricket Magazine Group and Cricket Books, currently has an independent editing service. She has served as a book reviewer for the national Church and Synagogue Library Association, advisory board member for The Little Christian magazine, and a voting member on a number of awards committees, including the Newbery. Kristi is a Children's Choice Award-winning author, and has written 42 books for children, and much more. She taught writing for children and teens for the Institute of Children's Literature for twenty-five years. She is the author of two books for writers: Writer’s First Aid and More Writer’s First Aid. To register now or for more information, call Jo Lloyd at 570-253-1192 or e-mail her at jo.lloyd@highlightsfoundation.org.

CLOSE-OUT ON 2013 CHRISTIAN WRITERS' MARKET GUIDES

I have a few copies left of the "2013 Christian Writers' Market Guide," that I'll sell for $13.00--including the postage. This is not yet listed on my Website, but you can order and pay by credit card by phone, e-mail, or through PayPal (to stuartcwmg@aol.com.) This special is good as long as I have copies, but I do have a limited number. Phone number is 503-642-9844. You can also order by mail to: Sally Stuart, 15935 SW Greens Way, Tigard OR 97224.

AUTHOR SEEKS STORIES FOR NEW BOOK

An author is looking for stories for a book to be called, "The Orphaned Generation," which will tackle the sensitive issue of older parents who are estranged from their adult children. The stories will need to written in the words of the estranged parents themselves. If interested in sharing your story anonymously, call June at 561-281-9703.

WINEPRESS GOES OUT OF BUSINESS

Hi All--In case you haven't gotten the word. WinePress Publishing is going out of business. If you still have business with them, the only e-mail that works is: wpfulfillment@gmail.com. Apparently they are bogged down with e-mails from their authors, and indicate it may take up to two weeks to get a response--but they do promise to respond. Don't wait too long to contact them. Sally

2014 CHRISTIAN WRITERS' MARKET GUIDE

Hi All--Just wanted to let you know that I now have copies of the 2014 Christian Writers' Market Guide for sale. I'm still waiting for my Webmaster to update the Website, but you can still order the 2014 guide. Go ahead and order the 2013 (price is still the same), and you will automatically get the 2014 edition. Price is $19.99, and I pay the postage. This new edition has 100 extra pages of resources and information for writers. Go to www.stuartmarket.com.

COOK: ALEX FIELD NEW PUBLISHER OF TRADE BOOKS

David C Cook's Chief Publishing Officer, Dan Rich, announced today that Alex Field has been promoted to Publisher of Trade Books and Multi Media. Rich says, "Alex has the talent, skill, and creativity to be one of our next generation of leaders who will take the Christian publishing industry into the future." Field has been the Deputy Publisher at David C Cook for nearly five years, leading in the area of acquisition strategy and development. In that time, he has acquired and edited trade books with a variety of authors and ministry partners including Francis Chan, Kyle Idleman, Tullian Tchividjian, Matt Chandler, Louie Giglio, Matt & Beth Redman, Erwin McManus, Gary Thomas, R.C. Sproul, Glenn Packiam, Frank Viola, and many others.

BARBOUR LAUNCHES SHILOH RUN PRESS

Barbour Publishing launched its new imprint Shiloh Run Press. In addition to providing a new category umbrella for Barbour’s fiction line, acquisitions for the Shiloh Run Press imprint will focus heavily in the Christian Living category and on uniquely qualified new and experienced authors with fresh messages for today’s Christians. Shiloh Run Press titles will begin releasing this spring, ramping up to approximately 35–40 titles by 2015. Among the first titles to release under the new imprint will be Thank You, Billy Graham, compiled by his grandchildren Jerushah Armfield, Aram Tchividjian, and Basyle Tchividjian. Shiloh Run Press will release audio editions of most of its new titles in both download and CD formats. Shiloh Run Studios, a Shiloh Run Press subsidiary, will produce original direct-to-digital serialized fiction. Its first 13-part digital short series, Hidden Falls by Olivia Newport, releases weekly January through April. Shiloh Run Studios will release at least one new digital short every week for the balance of the year. The company’s Barbour Books imprint will continue to aggressively market Christian promotional and bargain books with sustained focus on novella collections, illustrated Bible reference, devotional and inspirational collections, and a substantially increased Bible line-up. Casa Promesa, Barbour’s Spanish language imprint, with more than 100 titles, issues approximately 18–24 new titles annually. Barbour CEO Timothy H. Martins sees Shiloh Run as part of a long-term opportunity to better adapt to a changing marketplace. “I believe this new approach will add some publishing clarity for our staff, authors & agents, trading partners, and ultimately our readers as we navigate the waters of change.”

NY TIMES BEST SELLERS - WK OF 1/12

•MISS KAY'S DUCK COMMANDER KITCHEN by Kay Robertson with Chrys Howard (Howard Books) is #3 in Top Ten Dining books of the month; #8 in Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous. •BREAK OUT! by Joel Osteen (FaithWords) is #5 in Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous. •THE DANIEL PLAN by Rick Warren, Daniel Amen, Mark Hyman and others (Zondervan) is #6 in Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous. •HEAVEN IS FOR REAL by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent (Thomas Nelson) is #8 in Paperback Nonfiction; #12 in E-Book Nonfiction; and #20 in Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction.. •THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES by Gary Chapman (Northfield) is #10 in Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous. •SI-COLOGY 1 by Si Robertson with Mark Schlabach (Howard Books) is #11 in Hardcover Nonfiction; and #21 in Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction. •HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY by Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach (Howard Books) is #13 in Hardcover Nonfiction; #14 in E-Book Nonfiction; and #15 in Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction. •THE HARBINGER by Jonathan Cahn (FrontLine) is #21 in Paperback Trade Fiction. •AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL by Ben Carson with Candy Carson (Zondervan) is #22 in Paperback Nonfiction.

KREGEL MOVES TO NEW LOCATION

Kregel, Inc. has moved its publishing and warehouse operations from its home of thirty-one years on Wealthy Street in southeast Grand Rapids to 2450 Oak Industrial Drive NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505. Beginning as a used book business in Grand Rapids in 1909, Kregel Publications entered the field of publishing with its first release in 1949: a reprint of a one-volume Bible commentary. Now in its third generation of family ownership, the publishing house has over 900 titles in print under various Kregel imprints, and also has 500 titles published by Editorial Portavoz, its Spanish language division. Kregel also distributes more than 700 titles for Lion Hudson, a UK publisher based in Oxford, England.

STEVE LAUBE BUYS MARCHER LORD PRESS

Contact: Steve Laube Phone: 602-336-8910 e-mail: krichards@stevelaube.com (Phoenix, AZ) Steve Laube, president of The Steve Laube Agency, has agreed to purchase Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy for the Christian market. The sale was finalized on January 1, 2014. Laube has long been a champion of the genre, going back to his days as an acquisition editor at Bethany House Publishers. Jeff Gerke, the founder of Marcher Lord Press, said “I could not have found a better person to buy the company I started in 2008.” Marcher Lord Press has a backlist of about 40 titles with many of them nominated or winning both Christy and Carol awards for being the best in their genre. The new Marcher Lord Press will be run as a separate company from Steve Laube’s literary agency. The agency, founded in 2004, has four agents and over 150 active authors (www.stevelaube.com) with contracts for nearly 1,000 new books. Gerke will focus his efforts on his freelance editorial and publishing service business and his own writing. “The plan is to continue with what Jeff started and release between 4-8 new titles in 2014,” Laube said. “I have long believed that this genre has been underserved in our industry despite its inherent ability to tell ‘Fantastic’ stories of philosophical and theological depth.”

YOUR ROOM TO CREATE AT JUST $99 A DAY

Your Room to Create At Just $99 a Day Didn’t get that gift you wanted for Christmas? Have the holidays been too hectic to write a page? Or maybe you’ve just been neglecting your writing lately. You think, "But life got in the way." Ever so many responsibilities crop up and put us behind in doing what we really want to do. A number of writers and illustrators who have come here for workshops have suggested that our facility is the perfect place to get away and create. I don't know if it's because people aren’t distracted by Facebook on their phones, or if it's because the food is spectacular. Our chef, Joseph, can meet most special dietary needs. In addition to The Barn, where you can gather to meet, eat, and write, we have private homey cabins and a first-rate, rustic lodge with plenty of space for quiet writing time or discussion with fellow authors. There are shaded nature trails to walk that wind along a babbling creek in the beautiful countryside of Boyds Mills, and we’ve even started offering yoga sessions. What we will do: Give you a comfortable place to stay with a writing table and other amenities (refrigerator, coffeepot, tea bags, heat and air) right in your private cabin or lodge room. Offer three squares a day, where you can eat with like-minded people (or take the food back to your room on a tray if you are in the middle of a landslide of writing inspiration). Ignore you when you are in your cabin (unless you need something). Provide a place for group meals, chats and socialization all you want. Around the clock. With beverages, snacks, and at least five flavors of ice cream. You can hold critiques with other writers. YOU set the program. Have printers and a couple extra computers on hand for your use. Perhaps we will have an editor or so happening by for dinner most nights. And likely you will bond with some like-minded creative folks. But the focus is on your creating. Would have been simpler to say we will pamper you while respecting the sanctity of your writing space? Come relish the treasured time of your own. Get back in touch with your writing self. Let us provide the setting, and you come relax, revitalize, and write. We have weeklong dates to choose from, beginning in January and through to December. Arrive any time after lunch, and leave before dinner on the departure day of your choosing. Stay for a day or a week, as long as you need to write. See what works for you. At just $99 a day, this retreat is an affordable writer’s oasis. For more information about this workshop, contact Jo Lloyd at 570-253-1192, e-mail jo.lloyd@highlightsfoundation.org, or visit www.highlightsfoundation.org to request an application. Please feel free to share this e-mail with others who might have an interest or to include the information in blog posts or through other social networking forums.