WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group has acquired publishing rights to To Heaven and Back by Dr. Mary C. Neal, a book that has become a national word-of-mouth phenomenon since it was self-published in November 2011.

Last week, imprint WaterBrook Press released the e-book and this week the softcover edition with a first printing of 200,000 copies—based on initial orders from booksellers for more than 185,000 copies. The book is a first-hand account of the orthopedic spinal surgeon's accidental death by drowning in South America, visit to heaven and return to life.

Consumer demand for the book was spurred by strong national media interest in Dr. Neal's story. In recent weeks, she has appeared on FOX News Channel's Fox and Friends and America Live with Megyn Kelly. She has also shared her story during a two-hour interview on the nationally syndicated radio show "Coast to Coast AM," and was 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.

Michael Palgon, executive vice president and deputy publisher at Crown Publishing Group—of which WaterBrook Multnomah is part—said: "We are thrilled to partner with Dr. Neal to bring the story of her extraordinary journey to readers who want to know more about her personal experience of heaven, her encounters with angels and her miraculous return to life."

For more on the growth of this market, look for our self-publishing feature in the forthcoming July issue of Christian Retailing.

The Advanced Writers & Speakers Association (AWSA) has announced the 2012 finalists for the Golden Scroll Awards, which recognizes the editors and publishing houses that best demonstrate outstanding ministry partnerships with their authors.

Publisher of the Year Award finalists are Baker Publishing Group, Harvest House Publishers and New Hope Publishers.

Editor of the Year finalists are Kim Bangs (Regal Books), Carolyn McCready (Zondervan) and Rod Morris (Harvest House).

Fiction Editor of the Year finalists are Beth Adams (Howard Books), Stephanie Broene (Tyndale House Publishers) and Julee Schwarzburg (Schwarzburg Editorial).

Other awards to be presented at the Golden Scrolls Award Banquet are the AWSA Nonfiction and Novel Book of the Year Awards, the AWSA Member of the Year, the Beyond Me Award, and the 2012 Golden Scroll Lifetime Achievement Award.

The winners will be announced during the 12th Annual Golden Scroll Awards Banquet, which is set for 1-4 p.m. at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Fla., prior to the opening of the International Christian Retail Show. Best-selling author and radio personality June Hunt will be the keynote speaker, with Linda Evans Shepherd as emcee.

An outreach of Right to the Heart, AWSA consists of more than 350 Christian women authors and speakers. Click here for more information about the Golden Scroll Awards.

Megachurch pastor and best-selling author Joel Osteen will produce his first movie, considered the biblical prequel to the story of The Passion of The Christ.

Israeli actress Odeya Rush will play the role of Mary in Mary, Mother of Christ, which Lionsgate will distribute in North America next year, Variety reported.

"Mary is portrayed as a brave, faithful young woman who readily embraces her divine destiny regardless of the sacrifices and hardships she must endure," said Osteen, whose best-selling books include Your Best Life Now and Every Day a Friday (both FaithWords).

Rush joins actors Julia Ormond and Peter O'Toole in the movie, to be directed by Alister Grierson. The original screenplay for Mary, Mother of Christ was written by Benedict Fitzgerald (The Passion of The Christ) and Barbara Nicolosi, Variety said. Mary, Mother of Christ is produced by Mary Aloe of Aloe Entertainment and Shawn Williamson of Bright Light Pictures.

Besides Osteen, Mike Dolan and Ben Barton of Smithfield Street Productions, Alan Weinberger of the ASCII Group, the Samaritan Group and philanthropists Frank Carlucci (former U.S. Secretary of Defense), Mike Connell, Robert Gottlieb, Mike Nead and Herb Lande will also serve as executive producers, Variety reported.

Filming is scheduled to begin this summer in the Middle East.

Singer-songwriter Laura Story's What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? (Worthy Publishing) has landed at No. 20 on the Top 20 General list from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). Story's No. 1 hit "Blessings" (Fair Trade Services/Provident) was named Top Christian Song during last week's 2012 Billboard Music Awards. The list from ECPA tracks sales for the week ending May 19, according to Pubtrack Christian data.

Ingram Content Group’s David “Skip” Prichard has resigned as CEO and will leave the company on June 8. Ingram Chairman John R. Ingram will take the helm in Prichard’s place.

On his blog, www.skipprichard.com, Prichard said he was stepping down and would consult before taking on a new position.

William P. Young's follow-up to his Christian publishing sensation, The Shack (Windblown Media/Hachette Book Group USA), will be released in the fall. Meanwhile, Gary Chapman's best-selling The 5 Love Languages (Northfield Publishing/Moody Publishers) has reached another milestone.

Young's Cross Roads will be published in hardcover by Hachette's FaithWords imprint Nov. 13. Audio, e-book and foreign editions are also planned.

"In the tradition of The Shack, Paul Young has written a wonderfully creative and provocative story that will certainly stir imaginations and hearts," said Rolf Zettersten, Hachette's senior vice president and publisher. "It entrenches Paul's reputation as a major novelist of our time."

In Cross Roads, Young tells the story of a driven man who falls into a coma and experiences relational entanglements, which causes him to revisit choices he made during his life.

Windblown Media originally published The Shack in 2007 with a first printing of 10,000 copies. Sales grew steadily by word-of-mouth that year, and by spring 2008, Windblown had sold more than a million copies on just $200 of marketing. In May 2008, Windblown entered into an arrangement with Hachette to distribute The Shack to meet the demand.

The novel has more than 18 million copies in print. This fall, FaithWords will also publish a devotional, The Shack: Reflections for Every Day of the Year, based on the book.

Chapman's The 5 Love Languages has sold more than 7 million copies since its 1997 publication, according to Moody Publishers. More than 2 million people have gone online to take The 5 Love Languages free assessment to help them discover their own love language in order to strengthen their relationships.

"I'm thrilled that millions of people are willing to do what takes to stay together," said Chapman, a New York Times best-selling author. "So many times we hear of people giving up. Something seems broken, but they don't know where to start to fix it. They say things like, 'We just grew apart.' But this gives me tremendous hope. If given the tools, millions of people are able to discover their own as well as their loved one's primary love language and then act on it. This is truly an answered prayer."

Several Christian publishers, including David C Cook, R.H Boyd Publishing, Our Sunday Visitor, Abingdon Press and Worthy Publishing, have selected Ingram Content Group's (ICG) CoreSource products for the distribution, sales and management of e-books.

"The audience for digital books continues to grow," said Byron Williamson, CEO, president and publisher of Worthy Publishing. "With Ingram's proven CoreSource platform driving the distribution of our digital content, we have a comprehensive solution to reach more readers worldwide and make the most of our Christian and mainstream best-selling content in the formats that are in demand today."

David C Cook Director of Digital Content Michael Covington added: "Ingram's extensive network of retailers is a hand-in-glove fit for our distribution strategy, allowing us to expand both our domestic and global reach as we work to fulfill our mission of equipping the church with Christ-centered resources around the world."

"Distribution via CoreSource allows us to serve an expanding network of e-book retailers domestically, many of whom have been valued print book partners for many years, as well as international markets that truly allow us to go to 'the ends of the earth' with our content."

The latest publishers to select CoreSource join Thomas Nelson, Scripture Union and others, which are already using the Ingram platform for digital asset management and fulfillment from the companies' own websites.

"We are pleased to expand our work with Ingram, adding an important e-book distribution component alongside our use of Lightning Source print-on-demand," said Tammy Gaines, vice president of Abingdon Press. "Through our collaboration with Ingram, we leave the complexity of on-demand and digital distribution to the expert, while we focus our time and resources on creating the finest content for our readers."

CoreSource is touted as "an easy-to-use, online solution for the storage, management and distribution of digital content." ICG's Lightning Source is the leading provider of comprehensive print-on-demand and distribution services to publishers worldwide.

"Ingram continues to invest in the newest digital distribution solutions to support our customers and make their entry into the digital marketplace easier," said Marcus Woodburn, vice president of digital products for ICG.