has signed a new multi-book deal with WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Vujicic is the New York Times best-selling author of Life Without Limits (Doubleday Religion), Unstoppable and Limitless (both WaterBrook Press).

"We are thrilled with our publishing relationship with Nick Vujicic," said Steve Cobb, president and publisher of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, a division of the Crown Publishing Group. "Nick is an inspiration, reaching millions of people in countries that don't often hear a message like his. We see a significant future in his ministry and are happy to be a partner in it with him."

Tentatively titled Love Without Limits, the first book in the agreement is scheduled to publish in 2015. It tells Vujicic's stories of finding his wife and the birth of his son—and the hope his experience offers for all.

Under his current contract with WaterBrook Multnomah, Vujicic's fourth book, A Bully's Dream, will be released April 15, 2014. Drawing from his painful, personal experience as a victim of bullies, he offers advice on how to respond to the negative influence of emotional and physical abuse from peers. Vujicic's books with WaterBrook Press have more than a million copies in print and have been translated into 28 languages.

Born without arms or legs, Vujicic is an Australian evangelist and inspirational speaker who travels the world speaking about living a "ridiculously good life." The founder of Life Without Limbs, Vujicic has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, Oprah's Life Class and 60 Minutes.

Universal Designs has generated interest and sales with the Central Florida-based company’s seasonal yard signs.

“They have just been flying,” said Bobbi Baugh at this summer’s International Christian Retail Show. “We added a third design, and the stores just did so well with them. They were very well-received by consumers.”

That may be in part because of the tendency for stores using the term “holiday” instead of “Christmas” in greeting their customers. Many Christians also will likely want to use a sign as a witnessing tool.

Precious Moments Inc. (PMI) has created an exclusive figurine once again in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a charity that raises funds and awareness for 170 North American children’s hospitals.

The 2013 figurine portrays a teardrop-eyed girl dressed in her best outfit and carries the inspirational message “You’re So Precious.” The bisque porcelain figurine has a suggested retail price of $40, with 5% of each piece sold going to benefit the hospital charity.

Regal Books has appointed author Julie Carobini as senior production coordinator, effective immediately.

The author of five novels, Carobini is a two-time American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Carol Award finalist and a freelance editor for B&H Publishing Group and Salem Communications. Prior to accepting her new position, she served in the national programming and ministry relations department for Salem Communications.

"For years I've been a reader, writer and freelance editor of works that highlight God's grace," she said. "I'm excited to now be a part of the Regal team, learning what it means to shepherd books through the production process. I love Regal Books' commitment to releasing products that reach out to a hurting world with God's Word and His unmatched, abiding love."

Carobini is also a member of ACFW, The Christian PEN (Proofreaders and Editors' Network) and a former board member of the Christian Authors Network.

Stormie Omartian hopes to continue decade-long sales success with new ‘Prayer Warrior’ fall release

Mega-selling author Stormie Omartian was known as a fitness instructor in the early ‘80s. Thirty years later, she seems to have found the fountain of youth, but it’s not exercise she is known for now—it’s the power of prayer.

When Omartian and husband Michael were writing Christian music and producing albums for Sparrow Records, she thought to ask Sparrow’s president about producing an exercise video and a book to offer her many supporters. It was his response that led to her remarkable publishing journey.

Omartian’s exercise albums reached Gold status and the videos sold millions, so by the time her first book, Greater Health God’s Way, came out in 1984, it sold just as well. That’s when Harvest House Publishers asked Omartian if she had other books in mind. She did, of course, with the first, her autobiography, Stormie, released in 1986. Today, her many books, including the wildly popular “The Power of a Praying” series, have sold nearly 26.5 million copies, including foreign editions and ancillary titles.

“In the beginning, wherever I was speaking a Christian bookstore was close at hand,” Omartian said. “I did events in the stores and met the owners, who were so wonderful, sweet and supportive.”

While her heart breaks for those stores forced out of business by the economy and the rise of big-box competitors, she recalls that “they would talk to customers and recommend and promote my books. They were really instrumental in getting my books out there.”

For LifeWay Christian Stores, Omartian is one of their key brands, promoted extensively in their 163 stores in displays and catalogs. In fact, according to Rachel McRae, LifeWay’s book buyer, the chain likes to have an Omartian book in front of customers all the time.

“Stormie Omartian has a huge following and is a great traffic-driver in LifeWay stores,” said McRae. “Stormie’s readers align with our core LifeWay customers. Women 35-55 are the core of who she writes for and our core customers.”

The Power of a Praying Parent was released in 1995 and was the first book in her blockbuster series. 

“At the time, it was kind of risky because parenting books were hit or miss,” said LaRae Weikert, vice president of editorial at Harvest House. “We dove off the deep end, and the rest is history.”

The Power of a Praying Wife was released two years later and became, by far, the best-seller in the mix, with
3.8 million copies sold. When worldwide translations, additional editions and ancillary products are included in the total, sales of that title alone surpass 7 million.

“That book has had such a huge impact on Harvest House and on Christian retail,” said Weikert. “It broke a 21-year publishing record in 2002 for being No. 1 on the CBA best-selling list for 27 consecutive months.”

Omartian remembers calling Harvest House when Wife hit the top of the best-seller list. 

“I thanked Bob Hawkins for the work Harvest House did to get that book to No. 1, but he humbly said that they hadn’t done it,” she recalled. “He said God did that. But I also know Christian retailers recommended that book, and it made such a difference to have that word-of-mouth. A verbal recommendation makes such an impact, and I so appreciate what the retailers did.”

Wife also was named a finalist for the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (ECPA) Charles “Kip” Jordon Christian Book of the Year for three consecutive years, 2001-2003.

Omartian’s “The Power of a Praying” books have consistently been recipients of ECPA’s Gold and Platinum sales awards, and continue to produce sales more than a decade after their releases. In fact, five titles in the series—The Power of a Praying Parent, Husband, Wife, Woman, The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children and ancillary products—will be re-released with new packaging and author updates early next year.

“I’m going through all of them and updating to the present, adding a chapter to each book, plus adding to the prayer/study guides and the books of prayers,” said Omartian. “Certain things hadn’t happened yet when I wrote them. For example, when I wrote Parent, my children hadn’t married yet, but now both of them are married. To look back and see how those prayers were answered has been miraculous.”

She laughs when she talks about the many letters and emails she receives asking for a book titled The Power of a Praying Grandparent.

“I’m waiting with my pen and paper in hand, but I don’t want to write it without the experience,” she said. “I tell them I’m waiting for the experience.”

Barb Sherrill, vice president of marketing at Harvest House, said that “bookstores just want new books. Stormie is still very popular and successful. Every time we offer something new, they are excited about it. Bookstores include it in their promotions, eblasts and catalogs.”

Every major bookstore chain and marketing group—from Mardel to Parable Group to Barnes & Noble and beyond—is eager to promote Omartian’s books to their customers.

“Everyone helps create a great launch,” said Sherrill. “This has been going on for more than a decade, and that’s how long her career has been strong and successful. It’s incredible her footprint is as large as it is.”

Omartian has a host of other books outside of her “The Power of a Praying” series, including September 2012’s Lead Me, Holy Spirit and its accompanying products. 

Prayer Warrior will release this month, along with several additional products.

“Both of these were very difficult to write because they can be touchy topics for people and can be scary,” said Omartian. “Both took a lot of time, careful reading of Scripture and prayer. I wanted Lead Me, Holy Spirit and Prayer Warrior to be user-friendly and encourage people to not be afraid of the Holy Spirit and spiritual warfare, and to understand the Spirit’s work in each of our lives.”

As for forthcoming books, “we’re always talking about future projects with Stormie,” Weikert said. 

Several projects are in the works, though nothing is public yet. 

“Stormie has been a key author for us all these years,” she added. “When you think of Harvest House, you think of Stormie Omartian. We’re so proud to be part of what God has given her.”

For McRae at LifeWay, a new Omartian book is cause for excitement. Her new titles sell well, which fuels sales of backlist titles and ancillary products. McRae is forecasting great sales for the upcoming Prayer Warrior for fall and into the holiday season.

“We love Stormie and we’re glad she loves us,” said McRae. “We’re always glad when there is a new book coming out. We save space in stores and catalogs for Stormie’s books.”

Omartian continues to credit the efforts of Christian retailers with helping to sell her books and continues to urge her readers to pay attention to Christian retail stores.

“I always encourage people to pray for their bookstore,” she said. “If they have a bookstore in their neighborhood, pray that the store would thrive and stay open because we want them to do well. Pray, but go visit and buy when possible.”

Computer giant says there was no conspiracy, plans to file appeal to fight what officials say are ‘false accusations’

A federal judge has ruled that computer giant Apple violated antitrust law by conspiring with publishers to raise e-book prices. In 2012, the Department of Justice brought charges against Apple and five major publishers—Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Holtzbrinck Publishers (Macmillan), Penguin Group (USA) and Simon & Schuster—all of which settled, leaving Apple to have its day in court alone. 

Plaintiffs—the Justice Department and 33 states and U.S. territories—filed suits April 11, 2012, alleging that Apple and the five publishers conspired to “raise, fix and stabilize the retail price for newly released and bestselling trade e-books” in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act and various state laws.

In federal Judge Denise Cote’s 159-page decision issued July 10 from the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, she wrote: “The Plaintiffs have shown that the Publisher Defendants conspired with each other to eliminate retail price competition in order to raise e-book prices, and that Apple played a central role in facilitating and executing that conspiracy.”

Apple has a vested interest in e-book sales, as it sells the iPad tablet and distributes digital books through its iBookstore. The collusion was seen as an effort to compete with Amazon’s $9.99 price on many e-books, including New York Times best-sellers. The court’s opinion explained how and why prices for many e-books “rose significantly” in the U.S. in April 2010.

The opinion also noted that the Plaintiffs “are entitled to injunctive relief” and that “a trial on damages will follow.”

Apple says it plans to appeal the ruling. Company spokesman Tom Neumayr denied that Apple conspired to fix e-book pricing and plans to continue to fight the “false accusations.”

Move made after businesses expressed concern that the federal law’s requirements were too complicated

Businesses with more than 50 employees have a one-year reprieve in implementing the new health care law’s employer mandate. On July 2, the Obama administration announced a delay until 2015 of the implementation of the requirement that businesses provide health insurance to their workers or pay a penalty.

In a separate move, contraceptives will stay covered under provisions of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). Despite resistance from faith-based organizations, the Obama administration said June 28 that it was moving ahead with the rule requiring most employers to provide free “morning-after” and “week-after” pill coverage in their employee health insurance plans. 

The postponement announcement was made by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after numerous complaints from businesses arguing that the requirements of the new health care law were too complicated and difficult to implement in time.

Other key parts of the law, including the health exchanges where individuals can buy insurance, are on schedule to open Oct. 1, wrote Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Obama, in a White House blog. 

The delay does not change the individual mandate, which requires most Americans to buy insurance. Some consumers may receive subsidies to help them pay for the insurance depending on their incomes.

Jarrett said the move shows the Obama administration is paying attention to the concerns of business.

“As we make these changes, we believe we need to give employers more time to comply with the new rules,” Jarrett wrote. “Since employer responsibility payments can only be assessed based on this new reporting, payments won’t be collected for 2014.”

The delay provides the IRS more time to simplify reporting requirements, as well as for businesses to understand reporting systems. The government still wants businesses to voluntarily begin reporting in 2014, so they will be ready for 2015.

Business groups had complained that the law created an administrative burden as businesses attempted to update technology and plan to provide health coverage to their employees, despite not knowing how much the insurance would cost.

Businesses with more than 50 employees would have paid a fee of $2,000 per uninsured employees after the first 30 employees. The Congressional Budget Office anticipated those penalties to generate $4 billion in 2014, USA Today reported. 

The final contraceptive rule adopts a simplified version of an approach proposed by the government in February to balance the interests of women with the concerns of employers with religious objections, the New York Times reported.