New York Times best-selling author Melissa Michaels' new book, The Inspired Room (Harvest House Publishers), is receiving national attention with coverage in the November issue of O (Oprah) magazine, the December issue of Family Circle and the Proverbs 31 Ministries website Nov. 17. 

Essential Records band Red received a RIAA Gold certification for its single “Breathe Into Me” from the End of Silence album. The honor follows their sixth GMA Dove Award win for Rock Album of the Year for the 2015 release, Of Beauty and Rage.

Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, announced Wednesday that it has signed a multi-book contract with best-selling author Kyle Idleman. Idleman’s first book with Baker will focus on the grace of God.

Idleman is a national speaker and teaching pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, the fifth-largest church in America. He is the author of Not a Fan and Gods at War (both Zondervan) and Aha and The End of Me (David C Cook). In addition, he is the presenter of the award-winning video curriculum series H2O: A Journey of Faith.

Abingdon Press author and longtime ministry partner J. Ellsworth Kalas died Nov. 12 at age 92.

Kalas was the author of over 35 books and nearly 30 studies, including A Faith of Her Own: Women of the Old Testament; Strong Was Her Faith: Women of the New Testament; I Bought a House on Gratitude Street; Christian Believer and the popular "Back Side" series, which looked at biblical topics from a different perspective (all titles through Abingdon). Kalas was also a presenter on the Disciple Bible study videos. In 1993, he was on the faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary, where he served as president and then as senior professor of homiletics. He was a United Methodist pastor for 38 years and also served five years in evangelism with the World Methodist Council.

InterVarsity Press announced Thursday the publication of three new series in its IVP Academic line. The series—"Missiological Engagements" (ME), "New Explorations in Theology" (NET) and "Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture" (SCDS)—expand IVP Academic’s reach into a broad range of scholarship.

Published in October, the first book of the three series is The Gospel and Pluralism Today, edited by Scott W. Sunquist and Amos Yong.

National Retail Federation (NRF) reports in its Consumer Holiday Spending Survey that 56.6 percent of consumers celebrating the holidays had already started shopping by early November, up from 54.4 percent last year and 49 percent in 2008, the first time NRF asked the question. 

DaySpring Inc. announced today the hiring of Jason Rovenstine as the company’s new vice president of product development for gifts and specialty, and the promotion of Bob Perryman to the position of vice president of product development for greetings.

Rovenstine has developed successful product lines and brands at Barbour Publishing, Summerside Press and, most recently, the Guideposts Foundation. He was one of the founders of Ellie Claire Gift and Paper and worked with the creative team that developed that brand. As owner of Roverhaus Creative, he provided creative strategy, communication and publishing services for large manufacturing and creative service companies. Rovenstine earned bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Communications and an associate’s degree in Construction Management from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.