Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group) won the Inspirational Romance category of the 2013 Romance Writers of America's RITA Awards.

Winners were announced July 20 during the Romance Writers of America's (RWA) 33rd annual conference in Atlanta. Regarded as the highest award of excellence in the genre of romance fiction, the RITA Award is named after the association's first president, Rita Clay Estrada.

Camden also won the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award in the Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense category by a chapter of RWA called Kiss of Death.

The winners of the Faith, Hope and Love's annual Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards were also announced during the RWA's conference.

The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck (Thomas Nelson) won the Long Contemporary category, while To Whisper Her Name by Tamera Alexander (Zondervan) was honored in Long Historical.

The Women's Fiction category went to The Amish Bride by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould (Harvest House Publishers), while Romantic Suspense honored Trinity by Ronie Kendig (Barbour Publishing).

Wisdom Tree by Mary Manners (White Rose) won the Short Contemporary category, while A Merry Little Christmas by Anita Higman (Summerside Press) was honored in Short Historical. A Recipe for Hope by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson) won the Novella category.

Faith, Hope and Love "promotes excellence in romantic and women's fiction that glorifies God and promotes biblical principles," the organization said.

For a complete list of RITA Award winners, visit www.rwa.org.

Warner Press has announced plans to rebrand and expand its line of ministry resources under the name "Tree 1:3." New products in the line include Care & Share books, which are now available.

The Tree 1:3 brand, featuring Bible studies and books for pastors, ministry leaders and laypersons, is derived from Ps. 1:3—"He shall be like a tree? planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither;? and whatever he does shall prosper."

"We are looking forward to making these new resources available that will help churches reach, teach and train," said Regina Jackson, Warner Press' vice president of product development and marketing. "Our goal is to intentionally develop products that will encourage people to seek a closer relationship with God and to make His kingdom known in the world."

Topics for the Care & Share books include hope for daily life, encouragement during difficult times, support for caregivers and comfort for those battling serious illnesses. The small books, 4 by 6 inches in size, retail for $3.99 each.

"We wanted to put together books that would use scripture and uplifting content to help give some support and reassurance to people facing difficult situations, or who just need some encouragement for the day," Jackson said. "We are glad we can offer them at a price point that is similar to many greeting cards because we think that makes them a great option for churches with visitation, encouragement or card ministries. They also make nice gifts for friends and family members."

Based in Anderson, Ind., Warner Press publishes church resources, children's products and boxed greeting cards. For more information, visit www.warnerpress.org.

Worthy Publishing has signed New York Times best-selling novelist Ted Dekker to release the trade editions of his self-published Young Adult series as part of a multi-book deal.

Dekker's first novel with Worthy, Eyes Wide Open, will be published in January, followed by Water Walker and Hacker next spring.

"This new series of thrillers target the enormous category that includes the Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games," Worthy officials said.

Dekker independently published the digital edition of Eyes Wide Open last Christmas as an episodic novel released in four e-book installments.

The first installment, Identity, was released for free and downloaded more than 530,000 times, reaching the top of the Amazon, iTunes and Barnes & Noble e-book best-seller charts. The series has since sold an additional 107,000 e-books. Trade editions will expand the series beyond the reach of digital-only readers.

"Worthy is thrilled to be publishing Ted Dekker's startling new fiction series," said Byron Williamson, president of Worthy Publishing. "The first book is a raw adrenaline rush from first page to last. The series will not only excite Dekker fans, but all readers of mystery and suspense."

Dekker's novels have sold more than 9 million copies—with 10 of his titles appearing on the New York Times best-sellers list. Dekker's most recent novel, Sovereign, in the "Books of Mortals " series  written with Tosca Lee, was published by FaithWords.

Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh's dramatic story, Captive in Iran: A Remarkable True Story of Hope Amid the Horror of Tehran's Brutal Evin Prison (Tyndale House Publishers), was ranked No. 4 on the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) General best-sellers list for the week ending July 13, according to Pubtrack Christian data. Written with John Perry, the book was released April 2.

The top 20 ECPA General best-sellers were: 1. Jesus Calling, Sarah Young, hardcover (Thomas Nelson); 2. Jesus Calling, Young, large print deluxe (Thomas Nelson); 3. KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2013-2014, softcover (Standard Publishing); 4. Captive in Iran; 5. The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman (Northfield Publishing/Moody Publishers); 6. Jesus Calling, Young, deluxe (Thomas Nelson); 7. Happy, Happy, Happy, Phil Robertson (Howard Books); 8. The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson (Zondervan); 9. Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask, Mark Mittelberg (Tyndale); 10. Heaven Is for Real, Todd Burpo (Thomas Nelson); 11. Jesus Calling, Young, women's edition (Thomas Nelson); 12. The Harbinger, Jonathan Cahn (FrontLine/Charisma House Book Group); 13. Kingdom Man, Tony Evans (Tyndale); 14. Jesus Today, Young, hardcover (Thomas Nelson); 15. Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman (Zondervan); 16. Running With the Giants, John C. Maxwell (FaithWords); 17. Trusting God, Jerry Bridges (NavPress); 18. Gods at War, Kyle Idleman (Zondervan); 19. Unglued, Lysa TerKeurst (Zondervan);and 20. 7 Men, Eric Metaxas (Thomas Nelson).

The Top 10 Fiction best-sellers were: 1. The Harbinger; 2. Rosemary Cottage, "Hope Beach" No. 2, Colleen Coble (Thomas Nelson); 3. The Guardian, "Home to Hickory Hollow" No. 3, Beverly Lewis (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); 4. Home Run, Travis Thrasher (David C Cook); 5. The Chance, Karen Kingsbury (Howard Books); 6. Band of Sisters, Cathy Gohlke (Tyndale House Publishers); 7. The Living Room, Robert Whitlow (Thomas Nelson); 8. Borders of the Heart, Chris Fabry (Tyndale); 9. The Letters, "Inn at Eagle Hill" No. 1, Suzanne Woods Fisher (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); and 10. Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers (Multnomah Books).

The top five Bibles were: 1. The Story, NIV, deluxe, hardcover, New International Version (Zondervan); 2. NKJV Compact Ultraslim Bible, leathersoft, smoke, New King James Version (Thomas Nelson); 3. Armor of God Bible, Italian Duo-Tone, bold blue/silver (Zondervan); 4. NKJV Personal Size Giant Print Reference Bible, hardcover, black (Thomas Nelson); and 5. NIV Adventure Bible, hardcover (Zonderkidz).

After parents increased their spending in 2012, back-to-school purchasing will decrease this year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Based on the group's 2013 Back-to-School Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, the average person with children in grades K-12 will spend $634.78, down from $688.62 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $26.7 billion, a drop from last year's $30.3 billion projection.

Combined K-12 and college spending will reach $72.5 billion, compared to nearly $84 billion in 2012, with back-to-school spending as the second-biggest consumer spending event for retailers behind the winter holidays.

"The good news is that consumers are spending, but they are doing so with cost and practicality in mind," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. "Having splurged on their growing children's needs last year, parents will ask their kids to reuse what they can for the upcoming school season.

"As they continue to grapple with the impact of increased payroll taxes, Americans will look to cut corners where they can, but will buy what their kids need," he added. "It's important to note, however, that spending levels are still well above where they were a few years ago."

Parents will spend the most on clothing, accessories and electronics this summer. Parents estimate they will spend an average of $230.85 on clothes ($246.10 in 2012) and $199.05 on electronics ($217.88 in 2012). More than half (55.7%) will invest in some sort of electronic device, a decrease from the 59.6% who planned to do so last year. More parents than ever before plan to shop earlier and look for online deals, NRF said.

Steve Laube, president of The Steve Laube Agency, has announced the hiring of Dan Balow as director of publishing development and literary agent.

“I’ve been looking for ways to increase the services our agency provides to current and potential clients,” Laube said. “By adding Dan to our agency, we can expand our role in helping to maximize our client’s sales, work with ministries to develop their publishing efforts and expand our reach internationally. Dan’s strengths are his understanding of book marketing, what it takes to be successful in the current publishing environment and how all the pieces of the publishing ‘puzzle’ fit together. All in all, it helps us to fulfill our mission to help change the world, word by word.”

Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s “The Bible” miniseries has received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The 10-episode History Channel miniseries is up for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie category, competing with FX Networks’ American Horror Story: Asylum, HBO's Behind the Candelabra, HBO's Phil Spector, USA's Political Animals and Sundance Channel's Top of the Lake.