Canadian marketing and publicity agency Graf-Martin Communications has launched Spark, a new digital street team platform, and re-launched two of its consumer outreach programs, Nuts About Books and Resourcing Leaders. Graf-Martin offers all three services to new and current clients to augment and support public relations and marketing campaigns.

“We’ve developed, refined and rebranded all of these programs because we know that as times change, we need to connect with consumers in new, strategic and creative ways,” said Ellen Graf-Martin, Graf-Martin Communications’ founder and president. “Our clients want to expand their reach across Canada, and we’ve created simple ways to do just that.”

The overall trade publishing sector continues showing growth in 2014 over 2013 with a 6.5% increase for first quarter 2014 over the same quarter last year, according to the March 2014 Association of American Publishers’ (AAP) StatShot report of publishers’ net revenue.

Children’s/Young Adults (C/YA) continued double-digit growth in publishers’ total net revenue versus the previous period, increasing 31.5% for January-March 2014 over 2013. Additionally, each of the four C/YA formats (hardcover, board book, paperback and e-book) showed double-digit growth over the previous quarter.

The Commerce Department announced its monthly sales numbers Tuesday, signaling a slow start for the summer months.

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for June were $439.9 billion, an increase of 0.2% from the previous month and 4.3% above June 2013.

BroadStreet Publishing has announced its partnership with U.K.-based Authentic Media, a division of Koorong, a Christian retailing and distribution company based in Australia. 

The newly formed BroadStreet Publishing Group is led by Carlton Garborg, former president of Summerside Press and Ellie Claire, along with Jerry Bloom of Publisher’s Factory Outlet and Paul Bootes of Authentic Media. The company’s focus is to create meaningful, inspirational products that share God’s truth with quality, beauty and creativity. BroadStreet will publish nonfiction, fiction, a new Bible translation as well as a line of content-driven journals under its Belle City Gifts imprint.

International Christian Visual Media (ICVM) presented Crown Awards to outstanding films and television programs at ICVM’s annual conference, June 25-28, in Atlanta. At the conference, filmmakers from around the world gathered to worship, network, encourage one another and honor the excellent work of their colleagues.

The 2014 Gold, Silver and Bronze Crown Awards were presented, with Donald Leow, co-founder of Stone Table Films, receiving the President’s Award. Leow is producer and director of award-winning films The Source of Love, For the Glory and The Senior Prank. 

Driven by increased demand for electronic items and parents’ need to restock their children’s school supplies, families this summer will spend slightly more on back-to-school items than last year, according to National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2014 Back-to-School Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

The average family with children in grades K-12 will spend $669.28 on apparel, shoes, supplies and electronics, up 5% from $634.78 last year. Total spending on back to school will drop slightly to $26.5 billion as the survey found there are slightly fewer students in households this summer.

Colorado-based greeting card and journal publisher Gracefully Yours has surpassed 100 million consumers sending and receiving the company’s fine art products.

“We have been blessed by God with 50 great artists and some of our industry's best card writers,” said Carla Tocquigny, co-founder of Gracefully Yours (Gracefully-yours.com), now in its fifth year.