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The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (@ChristianBkExpo) has selected 36 finalists in 7 categories for the 2013 Christian Book Awards, honoring Christian publishing’s best books and Bible releases of the year. Each category is comprised of 5 finalists except for Inspiration, which has 6 due to a tie.

One title from each category will be honored as the year’s Christian Book Award winner. ECPA’s highest honor, the 2013 Christian Book of the Year, will be bestowed upon one title from all nominees. 2013 Christian Book Award winners will be named at ECPA’s 2013 Awards Banquet at 6 pm, Mon., Apr. 29, 2013, during the ECPA Leadership Summit at World Outreach Church (WOC) in Nashville, Tenn.

The Christian Book Awards, established in 1978 as the Gold Medallion Book Awards by ECPA, recognize the highest quality in Christian books. Based on excellence in content, literary quality, design, and impact, the Christian Book Awards are the oldest and among the most prestigious in the religious publishing industry. Christian Book Award finalists and winners receive recognition and support throughout multiple retail and media outlets.

See the full list of finalists.

Also see our previous blogpost “Christian Publishing’s 2012 Best Book Covers.”

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Leadership Journal (@Leadership_Jnl) has selected 10 books as the best of 2012 to nurture ministry leaders’ souls while equipping them for more effective ministry.

The Leader’s Inner Life category:

·         Pastoral Graces: Reflections on the Care of Souls by Lee Eclov (Moody)

·         Sifted: Pursuing Growth through Trials, Challenges, and Disappointments by Wayne Cordeiro (@waynecordeiro) (Zondervan)

·         The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg (@cduhigg) (Random House)

·         Adventures in Churchland: Finding Jesus in the Mess of Organized Religion by Dan Kimball (@DanKimball) (Zondervan)

·         Dangerous Calling: The Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry by Paul Tripp (@PaulTripp) (Crossway)

The Leader's Outer Life category:

·         Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Tim Keller (Zondervan)

·         Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend by Andy Stanley (@AndyStanley) (Zondervan)

·         Pursuing God's Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups by Ruth Haley Barton (@TransformingCnt) (IVP)

·         Your Church Is Too Safe: Why Following Christ Turns the World Upside-Down by Mark Buchanan (Zondervan)

·         Vision: Lost & Found: The Story of a Church That Got Stuck but Didn't Stay There by Tim Stevens (@timastevens) (Exponential)

Read this in full.

Also see our previous blogpost: “The 2013 Christianity Today Book Awards.”

Download our white paper, “Tech, Trends, & Retail Success: See the Future and Act Now,” in which we detail the elements of creating extreme retail in-store experiences.

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you strategically publish and market pbooks, ebooks, and audiobooks.

Learn about SomersaultSocial, our Web-based author online marketing education modules.

Add our Facebook page (http://facebook.com/SomersaultGroup) & Twitter stream (http://twitter.com/smrsault) to your Flipboard account on your iPad, iPhone, or Android. 

Get our blogposts delivered into your email inbox.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

From an initial crop of 455 titles submitted by 68 publishers, Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) magazine selected for its 2013 Book Awards 10 winners and 9 notables that offer insights into the people, events, and ideas that shape evangelical life, thought, and mission.

·         Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism by Alvin Plantinga (Oxford University Press)

·         A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New by G. K. Beale (Baker Academic)

·         Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics by Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) (Free Press)

·         Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good by Amy L. Sherman (InterVarsity Press)

·         Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller (Zondervan)

·         Evangellyfish: A Novel by Douglas Wilson (Canon Press)

·         Summoned from the Margin: Homecoming of an African by Lamin Sanneh (Eerdmans)

·         Just and Unjust Peace: An Ethic of Political Reconciliation by Daniel Philpott (Oxford University Press)

·         Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren F. Winner (HarperOne)

·         The Theology of Jonathan Edwards by Michael J. McClymond and Gerald R. McDermott (Oxford University Press)

Read this in full.

Also see our previous blogpost, "Christian Publishing's 2012 Best Book Covers."

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you strategically publish and market pbooks, ebooks, and audiobooks.

Learn about SomersaultSocial, our Web-based author online marketing education modules.

Add our Facebook page (http://facebook.com/SomersaultGroup) & Twitter stream (http://twitter.com/smrsault) to your Flipboard account on your iPad, iPhone, or Android. 

Get our blogposts delivered into your email inbox.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (@ecpa), in conjunction with Dickinson Press as the sponsor, has announced the winners of the ECPA | dp Book Cover Awards. A total of 101 covers were submitted from 19 publishers for the 6th annual program.

Launched in 2007, the awards aim to educate, promote, and recognize superior cover design in Christian publishing. This year, the program presented two awards: one for design and one for research-based marketability.

Highlighting the art aspect of book covers, the ECPA Book Cover Design Award focuses on the design merits of a book cover, including the level of conceptual thinking, the quality of the execution, and appropriateness for the market. Design winners are:

·         The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung; designed by Josh Dennis (Crossway); in the Small Publisher category

·         Daddy, Is That Story True or Were You Just Preaching? by James W. Moore; designed by David Carlson (Abingdon Press); in the Mid-Sized Publisher category

·         Love Does by Bob Goff; designed by Connie Gabbert (Thomas Nelson); in the Large Publisher category.

Highlighting the science aspect of covers, the Research award is based on the consumer-buying research of the Research Institute for Social Change, which measures consumer motivations as it relates to cover design and book sales. Covers were judged and analyzed on how well their design elements match characteristics of their intended audience. Research winners are:

·         Spark by Jason Jaggard; designed by Kristopher Orr (WaterBrook Press); in the Small Publisher category.

·         What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him by Byron Forrest Yawn; designed by Koechel Peterson & Associates (Harvest House Publishers); in the Mid-Sized Publisher category

·         Soul Detox by Craig Groeschel; designed by Curt Diepenhorst (Zondervan); in the Large Publisher category.

Also see our previous blogposts:

·         “The 2013 Christianity Today Book Awards”

·         “The 2012 Leadership Book Awards”

·         “ECPA Announces 2012 Christian Book Award Finalists”

·         “Christian Book Award Winners for 2012”

·         “2012 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award Winners Announced”

·         “ECPA Announces 2011’s Best Book Covers.”

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you strategically design your book covers.

Learn about SomersaultSocial, our Web-based author online marketing education modules.

Add our Facebook page (http://facebook.com/SomersaultGroup) & Twitter stream (http://twitter.com/smrsault) to your Flipboard account on your iPad, iPhone, or Android. 

Get our blogposts delivered into your email inbox.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard, especially the Innovation tab.

Recognizing “the absolute highest quality in Christian books based on excellence in content, literary quality, design, and impact,” the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (@ecpa) has announced the winners for the 2012 Christian Book Awards (@CBAwards & @ChristianBkExpo). Presented annually since 1978, the Christian Book Awards honor titles in 7 categories: Bibles, Bible Reference, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Children, Inspiration, and New Author.

Five finalists are selected in each category following a stringent judging process by judging panels specially selected for each category. The top scoring book in each category is named the Christian Book Award winner. The Christian Book of the Year is chosen among the finalists to represent Christian publishing's highest quality and greatest impact for 2012.

The Christian Book Award winners and Christian Book of the Year were announced at the ECPA Awards Banquet in Chicago, IL, April 30th.

ECPA also announced the winners of the Jordon Lifetime Achievement Award: Gary & Carol Johnson and John R. W. Stott.

The 2012 Christian Book of the Year
Nearing Home by Billy Graham (@BGEA) (Thomas Nelson (@ThomasNelson))

Bibles
ESV Student Study Bible (Crossway (@CrosswayBooks))

Bible Reference
Dictionary of Christian Spirituality by Glen G. Scorgie (Zondervan (@Zondervan))

Children
The Story for Children, A Storybook Bible by Max Lucado (@MaxLucado), Randy Frazee (@RandyFrazee), and Karen Davis Hill (Zonderkidz (@Zonderkidz))

Fiction
The Queen by Steven James (@sjamesauthor) (Revell (@RevellBooks) / Baker Publishing Group (@ReadBakerBooks))

New Author
Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews (@MesuAndrews) (Revell (@RevellBooks) / Baker Publishing Group (@ReadBakerBooks))

Non-Fiction
Close Enough to Hear God Breathe by Greg Paul (Thomas Nelson (@ThomasNelson))

Inspiration
The Law of Happiness by Dr. Henry Cloud (@DrHenryCloud) (Howard Books (@Howard_Books))

Also see our previous blogposts, “ECPA Announces 2012 Christian Book Award Finalists” and “2012 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award Winners Announced.”

And be sure to bookmark and use daily SomersaultNOW, the online dashboard for publishing and marketing professionals.

The winners of the 2012 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award have been announced by the Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA) (@SarahBolme).

Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award honors books produced by small publishers each year for outstanding contribution to Christian life. Book lovers and retailers selling Christian products voted on the nominated titles in each of 12 categories.

The winners in each category are:

Fiction
Yahshua’s Bridge by Sandi Rog (DeWard Publishing Company (@dewardbooks))

Romance
Hearts Communion by Marianne Evans (@Marmo212) (White Rose Publishing/Pelican Book Group (@PelicanBookGrp))

Christian Living
Walking in Broken Shoes by Susan Magnuson Walsh (Grace Acres Press (@GraceAcresPress))

Bible Study / Theology
The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved by J. Phillips

Devotional
Just Honor God by Dr. Rick Metrick (ShadeTree Publishing)

Biography
Mr. Awana by Art Rorheim (Grace Acres Press (@GraceAcresPress))

Relationships / Family
Deliver Me: Help, Hope, & Healing through True Stories of Unplanned Pregnancy by Dianne E. Butts (@DianneEButts) (Connections Press)

Children (age 4 to 8)
Today I Found God by Greg Long (@LaughALongBooks); Nathan Wondrak, illustrator (Halo Publishing International (@HaloPublishing))

Children (age 8 to 12)
What Do Heroes Wear? by Gary Bower; Jan Bower, illustrator (Storybook Meadow Publishing)

Young Adult (age 12+)
Purity’s Big Payoff / Premarital Sex is a Big Rip-Off, Donna Lee Schillinger, editor (The Quilldriver (@OnMyOwnNowMin))

Gift Book
A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider, N. J. Lindquist (@NJ_Lindquist) & Wendy E. Nelles, editors (That's Life! Communications (@ThatsLifeComm))

eBook Exclusive
Keyboarding for the Christian School, Elementary Edition by Leanne Beitel (@lbeitel) (Christian Keyboarding)

See the awards site.

Also see our previous blogpost, “ECPA Announces 2012 Christian Book Award Finalists.”

And be sure to bookmark and use daily SomersaultNOW, the online dashboard for publishing and marketing professionals.

Recognizing the absolute highest quality in Christian books based on excellence in content, literary quality, design, and impact, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (@ecpa) has announced 40 finalists in 7 categories (Bibles, Bible Reference, Children, Fiction, Inspiration, New Author, Non-Fiction) for the 2012 Christian Book Awards (@ChristianBkExpo).

The debut of the “New Author” category resulted in 6 finalists from both fiction and nonfiction, and represents a new opportunity of exposure for new voices in Christian publishing. One new author title, Kisses from Katie, also appeared on The New York Times bestseller list in the past year.

Judging results in the Non-Fiction category yielded a 3-way tie for a total of 7 finalists in that category. Other ties are in Inspiration, New Author, and Bible Reference. “This year’s 40 finalists and 5 ties represent the strength and quality of content our industry continues to produce, in both seasoned and new voices and from small, mid-sized, and large publishing houses,” says ECPA President Mark Kuyper. “We congratulate each author and the 16 publishers represented on this list!”

One title from each category will be announced April 30 as the Christian Book Award winner. And one title will be chosen among all the finalists to receive the highest honor of 2012 Christian Book of the Year.

Read this in full.

See previous winners.

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you navigate 21st century Christian publishing.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard, designed especially for publishing and marketing professionals.

Christian Retailing (@ChristianRetail) reports that Christian publishers are getting better at targeting the covers of their books to the audiences for whom the content is intended.

“We have seen improvements from previous years” said Rick Hamm, announcing the above 3 winners of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (@ecpa) Book Cover Awards, sponsored by Dickinson Press. Director of consumer research group Marshall Marketing and judging manager for the program, Hamm said this year's entries—the best in the competition’s 5-year history—had a clearer focus and better descriptions.

Read this in full.

The ECPA | dp Book Cover Award is meant “to recognize the industry’s most effective book covers; i.e. those that best connect design components to their intended consumer.”

The judging criteria are based on research results drawn by Marshall Marketing to help Christian publishers “develop and design more on-target products” aiming at 4 book buyer “quadrants”:

·         Loyalists – favor community, and status quo. They value rules, authority figures, routine, and stability. They prefer subdued images, simple designs with natural colors, and a straight forward message.

·         Inclusives – favor community, but also change and progress. They are interested in diversity, health and well-being, ecology, cultural experiences and style. Inclusives favor bright colors, bold fonts, optimistic images, and prefer a sense of order.

·         Pioneers – favor individualism, achievement and progress. They are the early adopters of just virtually everything. They love to test, experiment, and to take risks. Pioneers prefer intense images, highly stylized designs, innuendo, the exotic, the unique and symbolism.

·         Individualists – are motivated by self-expression, fun, rewards, status and the status quo. They prefer easily digestible entertainment, mockery, and non-conformity. Individualists enjoy images of people having fun, images that are free-form or unique and images of materialism and/or consumption.

Read this in full.

Do you agree the above covers are the most effective covers of 2011?