Escape artist Anthony Martin recently went to new heights to promote his first book, Escape or Die: An Escape Artist Unlocks the Secret to Cheating Death (Genesis Publishing Group).

On Aug. 6, Martin plummeted out of an airplane at 14,500 feet, handcuffed and chained in a locked box with less than a minute to escape and deploy his parachute. The successful aerial escape, featured live on FOX News, garnered worldwide attention and was the most downloaded Associated Press story of the day.

Martin, 47, said he took the death-defying stunt for a second time on the 25th anniversary of his first escape to bring attention to his evangelistic book. In Escape or Die, available to Christian retailers through Send The Light Distribution, Martin recounts his numerous escape exploits—all used as metaphors for escaping eternal death through faith in Jesus.

Performing escapes since age 10, Martin has used his stunts to evangelize for the past 15 years through his Ambassador In Chains ministry.

In June, Nik Wallenda, high-wire artist and author of Balance: A Story of Faith, Family, and Life on the Line (FaithWords), succeeded in becoming the first person to walk on a wire across the Grand Canyon during Discovery Channel's Skywire Live special.

For more information on Martin's ministry, visit www.anthony-escapes.com. Order Escape or Die through Send The Light Distribution at www.stl-distribution.com.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing has placed Thomas Nelson's 277,000-square-foot distribution center in Nashville up for sale. The distribution center is due to close by next spring, resulting in 102 employees being laid off, according to The Tennessean.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing Director of Corporate Communications Casey Harrell told Christian Retailing that no date had been set for the closing of the warehouse.

"As part of the announced strategic plan in November 2012, the company has begun marketing the availability of its distribution center," Harrell said. "Last year, it was released that in order to better align with HarperCollins Publishers' global print platform and supply chain agreement, we would be closing the facility during the winter of 2013.

"This does not apply to the corporate offices as they will remain the headquarters for HarperCollins Christian Publishing, which includes Thomas Nelson," Harrell added. "We remain committed to our plan of a winter closure. Currently, we have 102 employees that work in the warehouse."

Last fall, HarperCollins Christian signed an agreement with R.R. Donnelley—the longtime printer for the majority of HarperCollins books—to handle warehousing and distribution services for all of its titles nationwide, The Tennessean reported.

Zondervan, Thomas Nelson's sister company under the umbrella of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, recently sold its former warehouse and distribution center in Grand Rapids, Mich., but kept its headquarters there. Zondervan had vacated the warehouse and distribution center, laying off 75 employees last summer.

LifeWay Christian Stores has acquired Living Word Christian Bookstore in Sarasota, Fla., the third independent store the chain has purchased this year. Terms of the agreement were not released.

"God's plans are the best plans," Chuck Broderick, owner of Living Word, wrote in a recent Facebook post. "I can't wait to see how LifeWay takes the Living Word legacy and builds on it. Great things are ahead. God bless you all for your support and your prayers."

Living Word, which was in business for 13 years, closed July 5—re-opening as a LifeWay store July 15. The chain will hold a grand opening celebration Aug. 24-Sept. 21 for the nearly 11,000-square-foot store with door-prize drawings and giveaways.

"Our goal is to be a one-source location with Christian resources for churches and individuals as we strive to fulfill our vision of providing biblical solutions for life," said LifeWay Christian Stores President Tim Vineyard. "It is a pleasure to be a part of the Sarasota community."

This summer, LifeWay acquired the 5,000-square-foot Johnsen & Taylor Bookstore in Wheaton, Ill., which was founded as a joint venture between Tyndale House Publishers and South Africa-based Christian Publishing.

Earlier this year, the chain also acquired The Salt Shaker Bookstore and Cafe in Wilmington, N.C. The owner, Claire Efird, sold her 14-year-old store in February.

The Sarasota store is one of 10 LifeWay stores in the state, and the chain operates more than 160 locations in 26 states.

Christian music industry veteran Bob Thompson has been named executive director of the Christian Festival Association (CFA). Thompson, who will lead the association's organizational and advocacy efforts, will report to the CFA executive board.

"We are absolutely delighted to welcome Bob Thompson back to the CFA in this new role," said CFA President Kevin Newton, who also serves as festival director for two annual CFA events in Michigan. "Bob is an accomplished leader who has unparalleled experience in both business and ministry operations. Having been a festival director himself, Bob is thoroughly familiar with the skills and resources necessary to run an effective Christian music festival. 

“CFA events continue to be one of the most effective forums for new artists to both build their fan base and make a genuine connection with the Christian music market,” Newton added.

Thompson retired from Sprint in 2001 as president of the company's long distance division, and he began a second career in the Christian music industry. He and his wife, Nancy, founded Micah Music Ministries in 2001, a small company dedicated to using the arts to translate the gospel to young people in a way that is relevant to them. Thompson was a co-owner and festival director of AtlantaFest, a long-running Christian music festival held annually at Stone Mountain Park.

"I am looking forward to helping the association continue to capitalize on its incredible opportunity to make a positive impact on young lives in America," Thompson said. "But we also know that to whom much has been given, much is expected."

Williamsburg, Va.-based CFA, which was formed in 2006, is comprised of 24 of the nation's largest Christian music festivals. Thompson is the group's first full-time executive director.

Kingstone Media Group, a company that publishes faith-based comics and graphic novels, will soon release all of its titles in Spanish worldwide.

Kingstone's seven-year agreement with the Assemblies of God's (AG) denominational and trade publishing arm was announced recently during the AG General Council gathering in Orlando, Fla.

"Comic books are universal, catnip to teen boys, quickly absorbed and repeatedly read," Kingstone Media Group CEO Art Ayris said. "Now 400 million-plus native Spanish speakers can encounter real heroics in their own words—and watch what happens. People who won't go near a Bible can't put down a graphic novel. And another thing: It's not just teen boys reading."

The AG's experience in Spanish publishing dates back to the 1950s' formation of Editorial Vida, which is now the Spanish division of Zondervan. The 215,000 AG churches in Latin America have nearly 30 million members.

"After Mandarin, the second-most spoken language on the planet is Spanish," said Steve Blount, AG's vice president for publishing and production. "Assemblies of God churches are excluding across Latin America, and we're committed to all kinds of growth."

The AG will translate into Spanish Kingstone's 20 comics, 10 graphic novels and the 12-volume Kingstone Bible through its Influence Resources imprint with distribution through Mi Iglesia Saludable—the Hispanic counterpart to the My Healthy Church publisher and distributor.

The agreement will put "the highest-quality comic books in the hands of Spanish speakers globally spans seven years, licensing current and future Kingstone titles to translate and distribute both in print and digitally," company officials said.

Learn more about Kingstone's work at www.kingstonemedia.com.

The U.S. market for juvenile products comprises approximately $2.8 billion in manufacturer sales for 2011, up from $2.7 billion the previous year, according to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), a trade organization of more than 250 companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“The juvenile business is impacted greatly by birth rates and growth continues to be slow, but steady,” said Michael Dwyer CAE, JPMA executive director. “However, parents prioritize value over prestige and are, for the most part, more focused on safety than fashion. Despite these economically challenging times, the purchasing of juvenile products is an area where people continue to place safety first and will make purchases in order to remain current with industry advancements and changing safety requirements.”

Highlights of the study include:

• The majority of total dollar sales of juvenile products continue to be transacted through mass merchandisers, discounters and specialists.
• Eleven percent of the total dollar sales of the juvenile products transacted in 2011 were sold through e-tailers; and 6% by Independent Juvenile Retailers.
• More than half of the total dollar sales of the small companies were through mass merchandisers, up 10% from 2010.
• High chairs and feeding products produced the largest number of units sold.

Lighthouse Christian Products has responded to retailer requests for more large-format sculptures in its “Moments of Faith” collection.

“We’ve had the large eagle for a couple of years, and retailer demand motivated us to release four more new titles: Humble Servant, Praying Man, Word of God and our award-winning Ark of the Covenant,” said Ed Nizynski, the company’s vice president of sales.