HarperCollins Publishers today announced it is to take over Thomas Nelson.

A subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., HarperCollins said in a surprise statement that it had “entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Thomas Nelson Inc. for an undisclosed sum.” The acquisition, which is expected to close by the end of the calendar year, is “subject to regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions,” the company said.

Retailers have returned from Christian Retailing’s Retailing ReBoot West event eager to implement some of the things they learned during the magazine’s training and trade event in Los Alamitos, Calif.

Store representatives and suppliers were appreciative of the first industry event to be held on the West Coast for several years, following the success of Retailing ReBoot in Orlando, Fla., in April.

Billy Graham’s Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well debuts at No. 3 on the general weekly best-sellers list for sales ending Oct. 22, according to Pubtrack Christian data from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

Published by Thomas Nelson and in stores this month, Nearing Home shares Graham’s experience of growing older and aims to help readers look at their latter years from God’s point of view.

Parable Franchising has been honored by market research firm Franchise Business Review for the fourth consecutive year.

Parable Franchising was recognized again this year as a “Franchise 50” company by the research group. The FBR50 Franchisee Satisfaction Awards are based on a franchisee satisfaction survey of more than 300 franchise systems representing more than 65,000 franchisees.

Tyndale House Publishers Corporate Publicist Mavis Sanders is retiring at the end of October after 40 years in publishing.

“With gratitude to God for His faithfulness, I have chosen to retire from Tyndale House Publishers at the end of October,” she said in announcing her retirement. “What a privilege I have had in a career that has spanned four decades—as an editor for 10 years, followed by 30 years in public relations. I am grateful for the opportunities I was given to work with numerous organizations, authors, retailers and media. In 1997, the door opened for me to serve at Tyndale House. I am grateful to our president, Mark Taylor, and other Tyndale associates, including our PR team led by Todd Starowitz, senior public relations manager.”

In her retirement, Sanders said she expects to spend time with her seven siblings and extended family, travel, engage in local ministry opportunities and “read a few more books!”

Zondervan and creative partner Extra Credit Projects have received two 2011 awards: the Communication Arts Design Annual 52 for the Chunky Bible design and the 32nd Annual Telly Award for the New International Version (NIV) Bible’s “Come Closer” television commercial.

The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, Christian music’s largest annual tour and Pollstar’s No. 1 tour in attendance for the first quarter of this year, has announced its 2012 tour stops and artist lineup.

Founded and hosted by GRAMMY-nominated group NewSong and produced by Premier Productions, the Winter Jam 2012 Tour Spectacular will be headlined by GRAMMY-nominated alternative rockers Skillet. The 47-city tour will also feature Sanctus Real, former Newsboys frontman Peter Furler, Kari Jobe, Building 429, Group 1 Crew, illusionist Brock Gill and national speaker Nick Hall.