Calvin Miller, author, pastor, professor and storyteller, best known for “The Singer Trilogy,” a mythic retelling of the New Testament story in the spirit of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, died in Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 19, 2012, due to complications after heart surgery. He was 75.

Miller’s The Singer, published in 1975 by InterVarsity Press (IVP), sold more than 1 million copies and introduced the trilogy, which includes The Song and The Finale. IVP published 10 of his books in total, including such recent books as Letters to Heaven, The Path of Celtic Prayer and Letters to a Young Pastor.

“IVP was proud to have put Calvin on the map of the publishing world with his surprisingly successful ‘mythic retelling’ of the gospel story,” said Andy Le Peau, associate publisher for IVP and editor of several of Miller’s books. “I enjoyed sitting side by side with him as we worked through his prose, sometimes line by line.”

Bob Fryling, publisher for IVP, spoke of The Singer as “a work of great biblical, spiritual imagination,” and said that “we will miss Calvin, but his writings continue with beauty and wisdom.”

Miller was the author of more than 100 titles, The Book of Jesus (Touchstone Faith), Into the Depths of God (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group), The Empowered Leader (B&H Academic) and Letters to Heaven (Worthy Publishing).

Thomas Nelson published his memoirs, Life Is Mostly Edges, in 2008. Matt Baugher, vice president and publisher at the company, said Miller's “legacy and the God he served so well are an ongoing inspiration to me and untold thousands of others. Several members of the Nelson team admitted that ‘Calvin truly made some dynamic contributions to the development of my heart.’ ”

With sales of more than 4 million copies worldwide, Miller’s books encompassed a variety of genres, including fiction, devotional, leadership, children’s picture books, poetry, specialty Bibles, Bible study guides and books on the deeper life. His final book, tentatively titled The Vanishing Evangelical, is set to release in March from Baker Books/Baker Publishing Group, and at the time of his death, he was working on a book about the kingdom of God.

Miller also garnered respect and praise throughout his career from peers like Luci Shaw, Max Lucado and Philip Yancey.

“As a writer, Calvin Miller offered that rare combination of preacher and artist,” Yancey said. “He looked with the eyes of an artist, sensitive to story, beauty and human empathy; then he wove it all together in a message of deep Christian hope.”

“We are all shocked and heartsick by his sudden passing,” said his longtime literary agent and friend, Greg Johnson of WordServe Literary. “He was a true renaissance man if there ever was one. Few knew that he was also a fabulous painter, a wonderful piano player … he lived to create.

“He was also an insightful and entertaining speaker with a great sense of humor,” Johnson added. “He continued to travel more than 30 weekends a year to speak at churches and seminaries. He will be greatly missed by the kingdom and all of us who had the privilege of knowing him well.”

Born Aug. 28, 1936, in Enid, Okla., Miller was a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1991 to 1998, he was a professor of communication and ministry studies and writer-in-residence at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1999, he became a writer-in-residence and mentor to students through his preaching and pastoral ministry classes at Samford University Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, from where he retired just a few years ago.

Miller's first full-time pastorate was Plattsmouth Baptist Church, Plattsmouth, Neb., from 1961 to 1966. Thereafter, he served Westside Church in Omaha, Neb., as senior pastor for 25 years. During his pastorate, the congregation grew from 10 to more than 2,500 members.

Miller is survived by his wife, Barbara Miller; two children, Melanie Sloger and Timothy Miller; and four sisters.

Despite losses, CBA leader is 'encouraged' with the number of stores opening versus previous years

Despite several Christian retailers recently going out of business, including former CBA Chairman Jim Whitaker closing his longtime store, the head of the Christian booksellers association says he is encouraged with the number of stores opening versus previous years.

Although 54 stores closed in 2011, 32 stores opened last year—more than twice as many opening in 2010, according to CBA. In 2010, 77 stores closed, while 14 stores opened that year.

“We're encouraged by seeing a number of stores opening versus previous years,” CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey told Christian Retailing. “Their model has changed. They're doing things differently. Those are things we're taking a look at. They're approaching the market differently, and that's a good thing.”

However, some veteran retailers decided to shutter their businesses this summer. Citing the tough economy and stiff competition, Whitaker and his wife, Bonnie, closed New Life Christian Stores in Lynchburg, Va., at the end of August.

“After 23-plus years of serving the Lord through Christian retail, we feel God has something else He wants us to do,” the couple wrote on the stores' Facebook page. “With growing competition and a weak economy, we do not believe it is His will for us to struggle to make ends meet.

“We covet your prayers as we make this transition and seek God's plan for each member of our family,” they added. “We do intend to keep New Life Laser Engraving in operation [out of our home].”

The Whitakers closed their 6,000-square-foot location in July 2009, after steadily losing sales to increased local competition—including a LifeWay Christian Store that opened nearby. They moved to two smaller stores farther out of the city a few miles away, but the remaining store closed in August.

Whitaker resigned in October 2009 as CBA chairman, the same day then-CBA President and CEO Bill Anderson stepped down.

“Even though we will not have a brick-and-mortar store, we do plan to keep some vendor accounts open to serve a few customers with some bulk orders,” Whitaker said. “We are keeping the store website open for a while to allow customers to still buy some product through us that way. … One of the hardest parts of closing our bookstore is not being involved in an industry we love.

“We have many good friends that are part of Christian book-selling around the world,” he added. “We will greatly miss seeing these friends, but we intend to keep in touch through Facebook and other media.”

Meanwhile, Becky Hall Brown, owner of Place of Grace Christian Bookstore in Princeton, W.Va., decided to close her business in August. The store, which she opened in 2002, had steadily declined in sales since late 2009.

“We have had plans of moving locations for several months,” said Brown, who also has a photography business since 1997. “However, when we had exhausted all our personal financial efforts into the business, we made a very abrupt, but necessary, decision to finally close our store. Even with our myMEDIA BurnBar system in place, which enabled us on-site creation and delivery of music CDs and soundtracks, customers continue to choose Internet ordering for their soundtrack needs.

“It so annoys me to see the local Christian bookstore struggling these days,” she added. “Having given my heart and life to this ministry and industry for several years, I see the lack of concern for the small, local business most Christians have. ... Those who stand by the local store and truly savor our service and ministry to the community are those I will miss most.”

Elsewhere, Kira Brant, owner of Kira's Cottage Christian Store in Franklin, Ind., closed her store in May after nine years.

“It was time to close, even though I wasn't ready for it,” she said. “It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made, and the closing sale was almost unbearable at times. I was angry, confused, hurt. I wondered why we weren't supposed to make it.

“It wasn't that our store wasn't supposed to make it, it wasn't that we weren't good enough, strong enough or even rich enough,” Brant added. “It's that God had accomplished what He wanted to with Kira's Cottage, and it was now time to move on. That season was over in my life and I had to let it go.”

Brant is now teaching art classes, which she had done after graduating from college.

“Seeing so many other stores closing breaks my heart,” she said. “The money problems, fear of bills, worrying over what to do. It is so hard and I ache for anyone going through it. … I continually pray for all [the people] in the Christian retail industry.”

Another store—Come to the Waters Christian Books and Music in Alabaster, Ala.—was to shut its doors at the end of this month.

“We want to urge you to continue supporting small independent stores like us. Especially small independent Christian stores,” Warren Hamby, who opened Come to the Waters in 2001, wrote on the store's website. “Thousands have had to close during the last decade, and there are only two reasons we have been open this long. The first is that God wanted us to be here. The other reason is you.”

Riskey said “the loss of a Christian store often is like the loss of a friend or relative in the community.”

“It is truly a sad day when any Christian store closes,” said Riskey, who closed his store, BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ) Books and Cafe in Oshkosh, Wis., in 2010 due to difficulties in running the business from a distance. Riskey moved to Colorado in 2007, when he joined CBA as strategic solutions executive.

“As the ways of business change, the role of all brick-and-mortar stores also is being redefined,” he added. “God certainly has a call on our lives as Christian retailers, and the gospel message and ministry will continue to be shared in some fashion through physical stores. As an industry, we are finding new ways to meet needs and provide Bible-based resources and materials to build faith and witness.”

Thomas Nelson pulls David Barton's controversial best-seller, citing historical errors

Despite Thomas Nelson canceling David Barton's controversial best-seller about Thomas Jefferson, the conservative historian has continued to sell the book through WallBuilders. It has now reportedly been picked up by Mercury Ink, the publishing imprint of Mercury Radio Arts, a multimedia production company owned by conservative talker Glenn Beck, who wrote the foreword to the Jefferson book.

"We find it regrettable that Thomas Nelson never contacted us with even one specific area of concern before curtly notifying us they had dropped the work," Barton, named by TIME magazine as one of the 25 most influential American evangelicals in 2005, wrote on his WallBuilders website. “Had they done so, we would have been happy to provide them with the thorough and extensive historical documentation for any question or issue they raised; they never asked. The Jefferson Lies has not been pulled from publication and it will continue to sell nationally.”

Released in April, The Jefferson Lies claims to expose common myths about Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s third president.

“The purpose of the book was to show that the current portrayals of Jefferson as an ardent secularist guy are not accurate,” Barton said in an Aug. 16 podcast on WallBuilders' website. “And so we go through and show how all the things that he did, how that he would never separate, [never subscribe to] today’s version of separation of church and state because we just show, literally, just numbers and numbers and repeated numbers of his actions, including faith in the public arena, that he didn’t want a secular public square, that he wasn’t hostile to Christianity.

“In the last 15 years of his life, he became hostile to specific doctrines, but never to Christianity itself and never worked to expunge Christianity, and so if we take that away from the left, they’ve got nothing left to stand on,” he added.

But after a group of conservative scholars claimed that Barton’s take on Jefferson was factually incorrect, Nelson decided to pull The Jefferson Lies at the end of July.

“The company was contacted by a number of people expressing concerns about the book, which we took very seriously,” said Casey Harrell, director of corporate communications for Thomas Nelson. “The company tried to sort out matters of opinion or interpretation, and in the course of our review learned that there were some historical details included in the book that were not adequately supported. Because of these deficiencies we decided that it was in the best interest of our readers to cease publication and distribution.”

Harrell told Christian Retailing that Nelson would not release “specifically how many people expressed concerns—only that there were several who expressed concerns about the historical accuracy of the book.”

“We are not releasing any additional information other than the publishing relationship has ceased and between Thomas Nelson and Mr. Barton, and we do not expect to publish his works in the future,” she said.

However, Barton has defended The Jefferson Lies, stating that Nelson never mentioned any concerns about the book, which made the New York Times best-seller list after its April release.

“While Thomas Nelson may have 'lost confidence' in the work, others have not and the book has already been picked up by a much larger national publisher and distributor,” wrote Barton, a graduate of Oral Roberts University. “Even at the time Nelson dropped the work, [the company] admitted that it was still selling very well.”

At press time, The Jefferson Lies was still the top-selling book about Jefferson on Amazon.com, the New York Times reported. It also remained for sale on the website of WallBuilders, a pro-family organization founded by Barton that presents America’s history and heroes with an emphasis on its moral, religious and constitutional heritage.

“The tragedy is that right now you have taken a New York Times best-selling book that presents a side of Jefferson most people haven’t seen in 50 years and they are just squelching that debate, which is what they want,” Barton said during the podcast. “They don’t want that side of Jefferson coming out. The good news is they haven’t done it. …

“It’s going to be real clear this was an agenda-driven attack, and as more and more evidence is coming out on who this guy is, people are going to see that this is like an attack from The Huffington Post, this is like an attack from MSNBC, this is a philosophical worldview apart from the rest of us.”

Christian publishers are gearing up to supply fans of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien with movie tie-in titles ahead of the much-anticipated December theatrical release of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Based on Tolkien’s book The Hobbit—a prequel of sorts to his trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings”—the movie will follow the quest of Bilbo Baggins as he finds a mysterious ring and learns a thing or two about good and evil.

“Tolkien fans will be looking … for further insight into the book that inspired the movie,” said Beth Hood-Fromm, owner and chief publicist with OMG Publicity, which is promoting Abingdon Press’ The Christian World of The Hobbit (October).

Julie Backman, associate publicity manager at Abingdon, said the book will be advertised with various marketing groups and will be carried by major bookstore chains.

Abingdon also distributed advance reader copies to booksellers and librarians at Book Expo America in June and the International Christian Retail Show in July.

“Initial pre-orders are healthy,” Backman said.

Barbour Publishing released A Hobbit Devotional in September.

Shalyn Sattler, director of trade marketing at Barbour, said this is the first time the company has released any titles that tie in with films such as Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring or C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

“There is a huge fan base for all things “Lord of the Rings” and J.R.R. Tolkien, and the upcoming movie has helped to build excitement and create interest in Hobbit-related products,” said Sattler, noting that Barbour is seeing “steady” sales, but expects an increase closer to the holidays.

Barbour is tapping into social media, the Web and marketing groups to promote the devotional book.

Barnabas Piper, audience development manager, spiritual growth at Moody Publishers, said On the Shoulders of Hobbits (October) could have been released in the spring, but the company delayed publication because of the late-2012 movie release. It’s a “natural marketing connection” he said.

Written by a professor of English and Scholar in Residence at Houston Baptist University, On the Shoulder of Hobbits is about virtue and reality and good and evil, Piper said, noting he expects the book to have a long shelf life, as the story of The Hobbit will be told in three parts over a few years.

Along with the usual retail channels, Moody is reaching out to Tolkien and Lewis societies as well as the homeschool community and classical Christian education schools and organizations.

Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Mich., plans to sell all of the major Hobbit-related titles this fall.

“What a great time to sell Hobbit books with the movie coming out,” said Sue Smith, the store’s manager, adding that The Hobbit has much to teach “about God and our Christian walk.”

However, not everyone is enthusiastic about some of the forthcoming tie-in books. Rick Lewis, co-owner of Logos of Dallas, said he only plans to carry Matthew Dickerson’s A Hobbit Journey (September, Brazos Press/Baker Publishing Group).

“I am a great believer in reading the primary book,” Lewis said, “Tolkien is pretty straightforward in his tale. When I consider the value of time, I don't see reading these ancillary titles.”

With a pastor at the helm, Kingstone Media Group offers cross-over comics with a Christian worldview

In a world where “gay” characters are becoming more accepted in comic books, companies like Kingstone Media Group continue to stand on biblical principles, offering such titles as The Book of Revelation and The Pilgrim’s Progress.

“I’m really all about outreach and evangelism as a pastor,” said Ayris, CEO of the company and an executive pastor at First Baptist Church in Leesburg, Fla., outside of Orlando. His career experience also includes film and television production.

“We see it as a way to get the conversation going,” he added of the company’s work that often has cross-over potential into the general market.

Offering comic books and graphic novels for the next generation—which, Ayris notes, adults read as well—Kingstone Media offers “pretty test-driven” publications, he said.

Diamond Comic Distributors—the leading comic book and graphic novel distributor in the general market—picked up Kingstone’s titles. Companies in India and the Netherlands are also distributing Kingstone works.

In the last year, Kingstone has released comic books on the story of Jonah, Moses, Exodus and more.

“Comics decrease biblical illiteracy,” Ayris said, pointing out that parents and pastors have told him that their kids are “now more interested in Bible stories and they’re also retaining their knowledge of the Bible.”

The Book of God, a graphic novel for ages 9-13, has been optioned for a movie. In it, Ben Avery, lead writer and editor, shows how the Bible came into existence.

“We have to capture kids’ hearts and imaginations,” Ayris said.

Next January, Kingstone will publish Eternity, the first graphic novel by best-selling author Randy Alcorn (Heaven, Courageous) that will tell the New Testament story of Lazarus and the rich man.

The company is also committed to completing The Kingstone Bible in graphic novel form with high-end artwork within the next two years.

A recent addition to the Kingstone Media team is Gary ?, formerly a vice president with the VeggieTales franchise. Its president, Steve Blount, and director, Gene Mims, are former executives of LifeWay.

“We recognize that today’s audience does much of their reading in the digital format,” Ayris said. “That’s why The Book of God and all of our comics and graphic novels are available via multiple digital channels including iPad apps, Droid, Kindle, iBookstore and others.”

With offices in Leesburg and Tampa, Fla., and Dallas, Kingstone Media Group comprises Kingstone Comics; Bay Forest, with “cinema-quality” novels by best-selling authors such as Ace Collins and Ray Blackston, which are distributed by Atlas Books; and Kingstone Entertainment, the film development, finance and production arm. Kingstone also publishes Spanish-language graphic novels and comics.

In related news, the Christian Comic Arts Society, in partnership with Zondervan, hosted a mixer and two professional panels at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Held in July, the event is billed as the largest pop-culture entertainment event in the world.

Approximately 4,000 samplers of Zondervan’s The Book of Revelation (January 2013) were handed out, and the graphic novel’s artist, Chris Koelle, participated in Comic-Con panel discussions.

“We couldn’t be happier with the final product, or the reaction of graphic novel lovers of every stripe who gave us such positive feedback,” said Chip Brown, senior vice president and Bible publisher at Zondervan.

Additionally, more than 4,000 copies of Passport to Christians in Comics were distributed to attendees. The info-graphic charted the location of Christians who are active in the comics industry and offered a map where they could be found at Comic-Con events and booths.

True Potential Publishing has acquired the business assets and operations of Milestones International Publishers from Milestones Evangelistic Ministries of Shippensburg, Pa. Jim Rill will continue as publisher.

In an open letter to Milestones’ authors, co-founder and one of the company’s leading authors, Dr. James B. Richards, said that from the beginning, Milestones was “driven by content, not mere sales.” Richards noted that Rill has been looking for “someone to come into Milestones with the financial resources to provide incredible services, a specialized marketing team that understands the digital world and who could be trusted to serve the Milestones authors.” That person had been found in Steve Spillman, he said.

Spillman, founder and president of True Potential, said: “With Milestones’ reputation for both quality books and great authors and its deep experience in the traditional Christian publishing industry, we feel like we’ve added a vital component to True Potential’s capabilities that perfectly compliments its strategy of combining 21st-century digital technology with direct-to-consumer engagement to connect authors with their audience on a global scale.”

The purchase includes the transfer of all inventory, business activities, author agreements and distribution relationships. The purchase will augment True Potential’s business in traditional publishing and benefit existing authors and sales, and True Potential’s media and marketing were thought to enhance the digital and consumer visibility of Milestones’ books, a company statement said.

Authors published by Milestones and True Potential—which is based in Traveler’s Rest, S.C., and has offices in Tulsa, Okla.; Huntsville, Ala.; and Jerusalem—also include David Pawson, Roger DeHaan and television personalities Bob and Audrey Meisner. Additionally, late last year True Potential released the One New Man Bible, which examines the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith.

WaterBrook picked up self-published best-seller earlier this year

To Heaven and Back by Dr. Mary C. Neal, a book recently acquired by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group that has become a national word-of-mouth phenomenon since it was self-published in November 2011. At press time, it has spent 12 weeks on the New York Times Advice & Miscellaneous Paperback best-seller list, including nine weeks on the top spot.

The book is a firsthand account of the orthopedic spinal surgeon's death after a kayak accident in South America, visit to heaven and return to life.

On May 29, imprint WaterBrook Press released the e-book and the softcover edition with a first printing of 200,000 copies—based on initial orders from booksellers for more than 185,000 copies. To date, there are 440,000 copies in print.

“We are thrilled to see To Heaven and Back climb up the New York Times best-seller list,” said Steve Cobb, president and publisher of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. “When this book first came on our radar, we were confident that it would find an audience, and we’re happy that within a few weeks of releasing our edition, more than 250,000 copies are in print.”

Consumer demand for the book was spurred by strong national media interest in Dr. Neal’s story. She has appeared on NBC’s Today show, FOX News Channel’s Fox and Friends and America Live with Megyn Kelly. She was also a subject in Jay Leno’s monologue on The Tonight Show, when he made a reference to Neal’s book and the possibility of life after death for NBC.

The book has also received high rankings on the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists.