Father’s Day spending is expected to dip slightly this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2014 Father’s Day Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The average person will spend $113.80 on neckties, tools, electronics and other special gifts for dad, slightly down from $119.84 last year. Total spending for the holiday is expected to reach $12.5 billion.

“Knowing both cost and sentiment are important to their shoppers, retailers this Father’s Day will make sure to offer promotions on a variety of gift options, including home improvement items, tools and even apparel,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “As more people look for ‘experience gifts’ with tickets to baseball games or a day on the golf course, retailers will also make sure to promote their gift cards for families hoping to create the perfect gift package.”

Father’s Day spending is expected to dip slightly this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2014 Father’s Day Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The average person will spend $113.80 on neckties, tools, electronics and other special gifts for dad, slightly down from $119.84 last year. Total spending for the holiday is expected to reach $12.5 billion.

“Knowing both cost and sentiment are important to their shoppers, retailers this Father’s Day will make sure to offer promotions on a variety of gift options, including home improvement items, tools and even apparel,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “As more people look for ‘experience gifts’ with tickets to baseball games or a day on the golf course, retailers will also make sure to promote their gift cards for families hoping to create the perfect gift package.”

Best-selling fiction author Davis Bunn—a four-time Christy winner—will emcee the presentation of the 15th annual Christy Awards for excellence in Christian fiction June 23. Marcia Z. Nelson, associate religion editor in charge of religion reviews at Publishers Weekly, will keynote the 7 p.m. event at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta.

A professional novelist for 24 years, Bunn has sales in excess of 7 million copies in 20 languages. His novels have appeared on numerous national best-seller lists, and his titles have been main or featured selections with Doubleday Book Club, Literary Guild, Mystery Guild, Word Book Club, Guideposts and Crossings Book Club. Bunn is writer-in-residence at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University, and has recently been named lecturer in Oxford’s new creative writing program. In recognition of Bunn’s Christy Awards, he will be inducted into the Christy Award Hall of Fame during this year’s ceremony.

Dwight Baker of Baker Publishing Group to head ECPA board

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) voted four industry leaders onto its board during the group’s annual meeting held at April’s ECPA Leadership Summit in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Dwight Baker, a second-term ECPA board candidate and president of Baker Publishing Group, will serve as ECPA chair for the next term.

“I am thrilled to have Dwight continue the Baker family legacy of distinguished board service as both his father (Richard) and grandfather (Herman) served on the ECPA board in the past,” said ECPA President and CEO Mark Kuyper. “The first in his family to serve as Chairman, Dwight’s lifelong experience in publishing, appreciation for quality content, and love of God’s Word, make him exceptionally well suited to lead our board.”

Another second-term candidate, Bob Fryling, publisher of InterVarsity Press, will serve as board secretary. Byron Williamson, CEO and publisher of Worthy Publishing Group, and Joe Wikert, director of strategy and business development at Olive Software, join the board as first-term candidates.

Cris Doornbos, David C Cook president/CEO, is outgoing board chair, and Gretchen Goldsmith, Rose Publishing/Aspire Press president/CEO, is outgoing vice chair.

Remaining on the board are Vice Chair David Moberg, senior vice president at HarperCollins Christian Publishing; Treasurer Jerry Kregel, vice president and chief financial officer of Kregel Publications; Member at Large Jeffrey Wright, CEO of Urban Ministries International; Stephen Cobb, president of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group; Tammy Gaines, vice president at Abingdon Press; Jeff Johnson, COO at Tyndale House Publishers; Cory Verner, president and publisher of eChristian; and Selma Wilson, president of B&H Publishing Group.  —Johnson

Marcher Lord Press has rebranded as Enclave Publishing following the speculative fiction and fantasy house’s recent acquisition by Steve Laube of The Steve Laube Agency.

At the recent Realm Makers conference in Philadelphia, Laube announced that Marcher Lord was being rebranded.

Eric Blehm’s New York Times best-selling book Fearless will be adapted for the big screen. Relativity Media announced May 30 that it had acquired the book and life rights to finance, produce and distribute the film currently titled Fearless, based on Blehm’s WaterBrook Press book about SEAL Team Six operator Adam Brown.

“Navy SEAL Adam Brown’s story is one of incredible determination, strength and heroism, and Relativity is proud to work on a film that honors him,” said Tucker Tooley, president of Relativity and executive producer of the film.

Based on the 2012 book Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown, the movie tells the story of Brown, a man who battled personal demons, including drug addiction and jail time, to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a Navy SEAL. With the support of his wife and family, and drawing on his faith in God, he persevered through relapses and injuries that could have been career-ending, ultimately earning him a spot on the elite SEAL Team Six. In a final act of selflessness, Brown volunteered for an exceptionally dangerous mission during which he was killed protecting his teammates. 

Ryan Kavanaugh and Christy Fletcher of Fletcher and Co. will produce the film. Brett Dahl is overseeing the project on behalf of the studio.

Fearless spent 17 weeks as a New York Times best-seller, and also appeared on Publishers Weekly, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and USA Today best-seller lists, with over 300,000 copies sold. The book had significant media coverage, including Huckabee, The 700 Club, “In the Market With Janet Parshall,” TIME.com and The Huffington Post.

Blehm is an award-winning author whose books include The Last Season (HarperCollins) and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller The Only Thing Worth Dying For (HarperCollins).

Winners were announced Sunday evening at the 2nd Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. The event was hosted by Dancing With the Stars finalist Candace Cameron Bure and award-winning artist Matthew West.

Broadcast live on the K-LOVE radio network, the fan-voted show “celebrated and promoted artists, athletes, authors and entertainers who, with excellence, engage and impact popular culture for Jesus Christ.”