Nashville played host to the Nov. 18-22 Spanish Evangelical Publishers Association (SEPA) Summit. HarperCollins Christian Publishing and B&H Publishing Group sponsored the annual networking and training event, held at LifeWay Christian Resources’ headquarters.

“This industry is healthy and growing, and some of this growth is due to some very strategic alliances and relationships that have been formed at the summit,” said Peter Cerra, senior director of sales and marketing for Kregel Publications’ Editorial Portavoz. 

Describing the industry as “very unique in the way we work,” he said: “Booksellers, distributors and publishers working together with a common goal has been the biggest outcome of the summits.”

The summit offered workshops and presentations geared toward current trends and industry hurdles. The 19 participating publishing houses also presented their new release list and/or strategic goals to buyers and retailers. Overall, participants “left the summit with some very realistic things that can be implemented in their businesses,” Cerra observed.

Redeemed ‘musician’s musician’ Bryn Haworth focuses on those often forgotten

Guitar hero Bryn Haworth feels free in prison. But the well-known British singer-songwriter isn’t serving time. He’s sharing his faith—and giving away copies of an album made for inmates.

Called Inside Out, the CD is a unique compilation of 16 tracks from Haworth’s long and successful career in gospel and blues. More than 2,000 copies have been distributed to prisoners. 

Haworth also is planning a new prison CD, Time Out, along with “a mostly acoustic, blues-style album for general release,” he said.

Haworth’s ministry commands respect among Christian store managers.

“He’s been a real mainstay of Christian music through its formation,”  said Melanie Carroll, manager at Unicorn Tree Books & Crafts in Lincoln.

Indeed, Haworth is celebrated as a “musician’s musician” who has played for mainstream acts like The Velvet Undergound’s John Cale and Gerry Rafferty of “Baker Street” fame. His career saw him rubbing shoulders with Jimi Hendrix, The Moody Blues and Isaac Hayes.

Supported by Music in Ministry Trust, Haworth has been visiting prisons for more than 20 years. Taking time for prayer, he has seen physical healings. 

As for the future, Haworth said he wants “to be as effective and as useful as possible in kingdom terms, because there’s nothing else.”

Dutch Christian trade organization hosts Silver Dove Awards

Dutch Christian trade organization BCB presented its second annual Silver Dove Awards (Zilveren Duif Awards) in November. The organization hosted a gala dinner during its Christian Music Week to honor the winning artists.

In 2012, BCB organized a gala concert, but this year held a dinner for 300 guests, during which the awards were presented. Awards were given in the following categories: Best Album, Best Album Devotional Music, Best Instrumental Album, Best Children’s Album, Best Song, Silver Dove Incentive Prize and Oeuvre Prize, a lifetime achievement award. Wim Pols won the Oeuvre Prize because of his honors in Christian music for more than 40 years.

Nominated artists performed at the event, which was broadcast live by commercial radio station Groot Nieuws Radio (Great News Radio). 

“The night concluded with an after-party that had a great atmosphere and the chance to meet one another, to network and to listen to some more live music,” the BCB said.

The awards are operated through Christian bookstores. Every customer who spends a sum of at least 12,50 euros (the equivalent of $17.16 at press time) on CDs in one of the shops received a free promotional CD.

In May and June, a nominations committee judged the CDs that have been submitted, and selected a certain number of them for nomination. Toward the end of August, nominees were announced and voting began. Voting was conducted by jury, a select group of music experts and the general public. 

In preparing for the week, BCB offered retailers the opportunity to attend a free workshop. This year a music critic discussed the history of Christian music, and a company called Small Stone Media offered instruction on music rights. 

BCB said the primary goal of Christian Music Week is to increase interest in the gospel. A secondary goal is to draw people to the Christian bookshops. 

For a complete list of nominees and winners, visit www.zilverenduif.nl.

Christian Resources Exhibition took on indigenous flavor

National independence, the Commonwealth Games and a new TV series based on Scripture were just some of the significant issues highlighted at the Christian Resources Exhibition (CRE) Scotland.

Around 1,600 visitors and exhibitors converged on Scotland’s biggest outdoor- indoor venue—the Royal Highland Center, Edinburgh—for the two-day event.

CRE Scotland ran the Nov. 27-28 event as a stand-alone exhibition in Scotland for the first time in six years. It was also its first time under the ownership of Bible Society (England and Wales).

As visitors entered the venue, they were offered free church resources from Damaris Trust to make the most of Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s The Bible.The epic 10-hour series of scriptural stories started its U.K. screening later that week on Channel 5. 

Many CRE visitors packed out a seminar on “Scotland’s Future.” It was standing room only for the  lunchtime discussion, which examined biblical values in the context of a forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence. Scottish Bible Society Chief Executive Elaine Duncan led a panel of experts from the world of politics, business and the public sector to provide their viewpoint.

With the Commonwealth Games also coming to Scotland next summer, CRE hosted a major zone dedicated to the work of outreach agency More than Gold, supported by the Scottish Bible Society. 

Scotland’s ecumenical movement ACTS (Action of Churches Together in Scotland) also ran a major exhibition space, reflecting the cross-denominational flavor of the event. 

CRE also was strongly indigenous with “quite a few exhibitors who were Scottish-based,” Allen said.

Among them was Cambron Software of East Kilbride, which introduced its product Power Music, through which songs can be accessed instantly by church organists on their iPads—with hands-free page-turning.

Celebrating an “alternative Advent” was another theme at the exhibition. Gifts ranged from Indian spices to Christmas crackers, and from fair trade advent calendars to holy socks. Singing their praises was a puppet choirboy, courtesy of children’s ministry One Way UK.

Most visitors said the event was “exceptional” and “better than expected.” 

Allen was pleased that “all the exhibitors are asking us to come back again.”

Christian recording artists Scott Stapp, Jars of Clay offer aid to storm victims in the Central Philippines

The Tacloban City location of the Philippines Christian Book Store chain was seriously damaged in the wake of super typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 8. 

The store, on the island of Leyte in the Central Philippines, “was badly hit by the typhoon,” a representative of the retail chain told Christian Retailing.

The death toll from the typhoon—called Yolanda in the Philippines—had risen to 5,759 at press time, according to a report Dec. 5 from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in the Philippines. More than 26,000 people were injured, and nearly 1,800 were still missing. Entire towns and cities, including Tacloban City, were left in ruins.

Some Christian recording artists have stepped up to help. Scott Stapp is donating 10% of all online merchandise sales through his store to Music for Relief, an organization founded by the band Linkin Park after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck South Asia. 

GRAMMY-winning band Jars of Clay is giving away “Fall Asleep,” a song from the album Inland (Gray Matters) through a special NoiseTrade offering to raise money for Philippine relief efforts. All of the proceeds from the single will be donated through the Red Cross, and the group hopes to raise $50,000.

The official music video for “Fall Asleep” was created in Manila, the Philippines’ capital. Directed by Filipino Luis Tabuena, it stars Filipina supermodel-actress Rhian Ramos.

“The video was done for us entirely for free, as a gift,” said Jars of Clay lead vocalist Dan Haseltine. “We are so grateful for the gift of such a stunningly beautiful music video. By using the video and the song as a means to raise funds to help in the cleanup and restoration efforts currently taking place in the Philippines, we felt it would be a wonderful way to respond in kind.”

Viewers are encouraged to watch the video, then download the song at NoiseTrade, leaving a tip for relief efforts.

“We are hoping to raise $50,000 to help serve the amazing people of the Philippines and will be working with the Red Cross to insure the funds are used properly and efficiently,” he said.

GRAMMY-nominated pop/rock group Superchick has said farewell to fans, releasing the band’s final project, Recollection (Inpop Records/Capitol Christian Distribution), in October. 

The CD/DVD combines five new songs with 11 of the band’s hits. One of the singles, “This Is The Time,” is to be featured in the Pure Flix film God’s Not Dead.

“The fans made us real,” Superchick’s founder and band member Max Hsu wrote on Facebook. “We stage-dived into the dark unknown and they caught us and carried us on their shoulders, record after record. Without them, we would have been gone years ago. These final songs are our love letter to everyone who carried us. They are some of our best songs, and I know as a band we’d all be crushed if no one got to hear them.”

Superchick has had a difficult year, suffering the loss of the band’s drummer, Chase Lovelace, who died of cancer. While many of the lyrics were written in hospital waiting rooms, the songs are still a celebration of life and hope.

“When he first started chemo, Chase called me to say, ‘Don’t finish the record without me; I’m coming back in the fall,’” Hsu recalled. “Some of Chase’s rhythmic creativity lives on in these songs. These new songs are dedicated to his fighting optimism and I hope they honor his memory.”

Recollection also takes listeners on a journey from the first Superchick song through to the present day. Having begun in the Chicago area, the band has been together for a decade.

Paul Brandt, The City Harmonic also have strong showings at the 35th annual event

Love & the Outcome took home four awards as GMA Canada presented its 35th Annual Covenant Awards in Burlington, Ontario on Nov. 6. The Canadian duo, whose self-titled debut album (Word Records/Word Distribution) was released in August, won New Artist of the Year and were presented with three awards for the group’s hit single “He Is With Us”—Song of the Year, Recorded Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year.

“We are blown away by the love and support of the Canadian Christian music industry and all of our friends and family who have walked this road with us,” said Love & The Outcome’s Jodi King. “We toured this beautiful country living out of our Jetta for two years, which is where the song ‘He Is With Us’ came from. We are so amazed by how God is using our story!”

Paul Brandt and The City Harmonic also received multiple awards in key categories. Brandt won Album of the Year and Country/Bluegrass Album of the Year for his Just As I Am (Brand-T Records/Universal) as well as Artist of the Year. The City Harmonic won for Group of the Year, while the group’s “Holy (Wedding Day)” was awarded Praise and Worship Song of the Year.

The Covenant Awards are presented annually as a part of GMA Canada Week. For a full list of this year’s winners, visit www.gmacanada.ca.

Capitol CMG label commends artist’s ‘unwavering commitment to always make the best possible music’

Matthew West was awarded the American Music Award (AMA) for Best Contemporary Inspirational Artist on Nov. 25 at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre, the American Music Awards are determined by the fans through online voting.

“What an honor to receive the AMA award this year!” West said. “The fact that this is a fan-voted award makes it even more meaningful, and I’m grateful for all of the people who have made my songs part of their lives.”

When the nominations were announced, Capitol CMG artists swept the category as West was nominated for the category along with labelmates TobyMac and Chris Tomlin. This was West’s first AMA nomination.

“Capitol CMG is extremely proud of Matthew on receiving his first American Music Award,” said Peter York, president of Capitol CMG Label Group. “We could not be more excited for Matthew, along with his fellow nominees Chris Tomlin and TobyMac, as they each represent such a vital part of the Christian music community.”

“We are grateful for Matthew’s hard work, unwavering commitment to always make the best possible music and for his relentless dedication to his fans, we send our thanks and congratulations to Matthew and to those who supported him with their votes,” York added.

Matthew West just wrapped his Into The Light fall tour and will appear on The Story tour throughout December. He is also set to join TobyMac’s Hits Deep Tour this spring.

Appearances by dozens of authors boost sales fourfold

Gospel Book Store in Berlin, Ohio, knows how to draw a crowd. For the fourth year running, this retailer in tourist-bound Holmes County hosted a slew of Christian authors at its “Largest Book Signing” event, drawing customers from miles away.

“In the beginning, it was local authors only,” said Eli “Small” Hochstetler, owner of the Gospel Book Store and mastermind of the event. “It started out with 20-plus authors and has grown to 40-plus authors,” including “some national authors” such as Sue Thomas and Serena B. Miller.

Like many retailers, the Gospel Book Store had hosted a few book signings here and there, but in 2010, Hochstetler decided to take things to the next level.

“The holiday season was approaching, and we wanted to promote some of our local authors,” Hochstetler said. “We decided to do a book-signing party and call it ‘Berlin’s Largest Book Signing Ever.’ ”

As the event grew in subsequent years, Hochstetler changed the event’s name to “Holmes County’s Largest Book Signing” and added more participating authors. Ever since its inception, the signing has been held the second week of November because it was after election season and consumers were starting to think about the holidays.

“We want to provide an easy and unique shopping experience for our customers,” Hochstetler said. “And we wanted to be the first to start the serious Christmas shopping season.”

This year’s guests included local and national authors alike, and spanned across a number of genres, from fiction to children’s books, devotionals, biographies and cookbooks.

Despite the fact that Berlin Township is a rural community of less than 4,000 (according to 2000 U.S. Census figures) in the heart of Amish Country, the “Largest Book Signing” still manages to draw increasing numbers of fans and customers.

“We have people coming from out of our area and even out of state,” Hochstetler said. “It has gone from a way to promote authors to include a great way to provide unique customer service.”

“This was our best year ever!” Hochstetler added. “It is a four-hour event, and most of the authors were busy the entire time. Our sales for this event are four times [those of] an average day.”

Though it was not officially part of the event, award-winning Southern gospel outfit the Booth Brothers performed a sold-out concert at the local amphitheater after the event. The Gospel Book Store sponsors several such concerts each year.

Rounding up 40 authors to a single event is no small task, but Hochstetler’s approach continues to work.

“We let the authors know that it is a great opportunity to connect with the customers and their fans,” he said. “They are able to talk face-to-face about themselves and their books. Customers love to ask questions and it’s a perfect opportunity for that.”

“Authors also find it a great venue to visit and connect with fellow authors. This year we actually had authors who requested to sit by other authors because they became friends at last year’s event,” he added. “And unfortunately we now have to turn authors down because of limited space.”

As for getting the word out to the store’s customer base and community at large, Hochstetler and his employees take out radio and newspaper advertisements, as well as using company websites, email blasts, social media and flyers to help spread the word. 

“A book from our local tourist area that is personalized to a friend by the author makes a great gift,” Hochstetler said. “It has a personal touch and shows that you took some time to pick out something especially for them.”

Publicity was ‘great for the store,’ says owner

Christ Centered Life Store collaborated with Fort Myers (Fla.) Cash Mob to host a cash mob for the store Nov. 19. The cash mob is a fairly recent phenomenon, having grown from the desire to show support for small, independent businesses.

“Our goal is to bring the community together to support these great local businesses”, said Kathy Kalvan, co-founder of the Fort Myers Cash Mob.

The idea is simple: Gather a large group of people to descend on a business in a short time span and have each person spend $10-$20 in cash at that business.

“It’s like a cash injection for a small, independent business,” said Karyn Brooks, the organization’s other co-founder.

“There will be a festive environment with a high school ensemble singing carols,” said Danny Vera, owner of Christ Centered Life Store, before the event. “We are billing it as an early Christmas shopping event.”

“I saw the cash mob going on locally, and I contacted them and told them we would be a great spot for this,” Vera added. “They came and saw the store and agreed even though their network is not Christian.”

In addition to the singing ensemble, a local cupcake maker joined the festivities with her products, offering free cupcakes to patrons of the event as well as providing a platform for spreading the word about her business.

“It was a great event,” Vera said afterward. “The publicity and buzz was great for the store.”

“I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he added. “Keeping our name top of mind is so crucial, and taking the lead in cool, social-type events also brands us as a store that is keeping up to date with the times. Win, win, win.”