The steady-selling subcategory of parallel Bibles is being given a fresh emphasis by two of its leading publishers.

A new weekly best-sellers report to help stores stay on top of trends is being introduced by Christian Retailing magazine in association with the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

From Sept. 26, the latest timely data on general sales, fiction and Bibles will be made available through Christian Retailing’s Monday Christian Retailing Update. Drawing from the ECPA’s national Pubtrack Christian store data, the lists track sales through Sept. 17.

Tyndale House Publishers populates half the fiction Top 10 list, with Randy Alcorn’s novelization of Courageous—the Sherwood Pictures movie to premiere later this week—at No. 3.

The rest of the fiction Top 10 is: 1. The Mercy (“Rose Trilogy,” No. 3) by Beverly Lewis (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group), 2. The Healing (“Kentucky Brothers,” No. 2) by Wanda E. Brunstetter (Barbour Publishing), 4. The Crossing by Serita Ann Jakes (WaterBrook Press), 5. Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee (FaithWords), 6. Learning (“Bailey Flanigan,” No. 2) by Karen Kingsbury (Zondervan), 7. Fatal Convictions by Randy Singer (Tyndale House Publishers), 8. Code Triage (“Mercy Hospital,” No. 3) by Candace Calvert (Tyndale House Publishers), 9. Still House Pond (“Copper Brown,” No. 2) by Jan Watson (Tyndale House Publishers), 10. The Brotherhood (“Precinct 11,” No. 1) by Jerry B. Jenkins (Tyndale House Publishers).

General Top 20: 1. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent (Thomas Nelson), 2. Jesus Calling (hardcover) by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson), 3. Crazy Love by Francis Chan (David C. Cook), 4. The Mercy, 5. Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman (Zondervan), 6. Radical by David Platt (Multnomah Publishers), 7. The Promise of God's Name by A.L. Gill and Joyce Gill (Whitaker House), 8. The Well by Mark Hall with Tim Luke (Zondervan), 9. KJV Standard Lesson Commentary 2011-2012 (Standard Publishing), 10. Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen (FaithWords), 11. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp (Zondervan), 12. Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst (Zondervan), 13. Boundaries (softcover) by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (Zondervan), 14. Living Beyond Your Feelings by Joyce Meyer (FaithWords), 15. One Call Away by Brenda Warner with Jennifer Schuchmann (Thomas Nelson), 16. The Healing 17. Jesus Calling (deluxe edition), 18. The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman (Northfield Publishing), 19. Courageous, 20. Weird by Craig Groeschel (Zondervan).

Top Five Bibles: NIV Adventure Bible, hardcover (Zondervan), 2. The Story, NIV, hardcover (Zondervan), 3. NIV Church Bible, navy, hardcover (Zondervan), 4. NIV Teen Study Bible, hardcover (Zondervan), 5. The Story: Teen Edition, NIV, softcover (Zondervan).

Summerside Press led the way when the Christian fiction community gathered to celebrate the best of the year and look to the future, during the weekend.

The Guideposts imprint took three of the main prizes in the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) annual Carol Awards, named in honor of longtime Bethany House Publishers Editor Carol Johnson, who helped pioneer the modern Christian fiction genre.

She was among almost 700 published and would-be authors, editors, agents and other industry professionals at the ACFW prize-giving banquet Saturday in St. Louis, at the end of the group’s three-day conference.

Summerside took awards for Romantic Suspense (The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson), Long Historical (Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren) and Long Historical Romance (Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa, also by Dobson).

Tyndale House Publishers earned two Carols—for Women’s Fiction (Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett) and Debut Author (Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes)—as did Barbour Publishing for Mystery (The Camera Never Lies by Elizabeth Goddard) and Novella (A Trusting Heart by Carrie Turansky, published in Christmas Mail-Order Brides).

Celebrating its 10th anniversary with a record attendance reflecting what organizers said was the continued growth of Christian fiction, the ACFW conference featured educational sessions for prospective and seasoned authors alike. There were also discussions on industry trends, including how the rise of e-book sales might impact the fiction category.

Other Carol winners were: Long Contemporary—Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); Long Contemporary Romance—Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson); Suspense/Thriller—Predator by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan); Speculative Fiction—König’s Fire by Marc Schooley (Marcher Lord Press).

Short Contemporary—A Father for Zach by Irene Hannon (Love Inspired); Short Contemporary Suspense—Night Prey by Sharon Dunn (Love Inspired Suspense); Short Historical—Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote (Love Inspired Historical); Young Adult: Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson (Revell/Baker Publishing Group).  

Rob Bell—whose Love Wins book stirred up a controversy on universalism and hell that led to national media appearances—has resigned from his pastorate at Mars Hill Church in Grandville, Mich.

In a posting on the church’s website, the elder team, ministry leadership team and church staff announced Bell’s soon departure, though he is preaching this Sunday.

PublishAmerica is soliciting its authors to submit their books for publication in a promotional catalog for Christian retail stores. Authors will pay a fee for placement in the catalog, which Christian stores should receive ahead of CBA’s Christian Store Week, Oct. 1-10.