Long’s Christian Book and Music Store will reopen July 31 as Long’s Bookstore First Orlando. The store will continue to operate on the campus of First Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida, where recent renovations have made it possible for the retail operation to upgrade to a larger space.

Rodger Long will remain the store’s sole owner and manager, even with its location at the church.

A Bible publisher that challenged the Obama administration’s abortion-pill mandate in court has achieved final victory in its lawsuit. A federal district court issued a permanent injunction July 15 in favor of Tyndale House Publishers and its owners, who were represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorneys. The injunction means the government cannot enforce the mandate against Tyndale House.

The mandate forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraception under threat of heavy financial penalties through the Internal Revenue Service.

LifeWay Christian Resources has announced the hiring of two firms to help in the construction of its new headquarters.

Architectural firm Gresham Smith and Partners will design the 216,000-square-foot facility, with Bell and Associates doing the actual construction, according to Baptist Press.

Religious presses saw sales slow in the first quarter of 2015 versus the same period in 2014, according to the Association of American Publishers (AAP). Publishers’ book sales for the first quarter of the year (January–March) were down 6.6 percent for the year to date at $2.22 billion compared to $2.38 billion for the first quarter in 2014.

Sales from religious presses, took a 5.5 percent dip over the same period the year before, down to $124.4 million on the quarter versus $131.6 million in 2014. For the month of March, sales from religious publishers were down 12.9 percent.

After spending more on school supplies and electronics in 2014, parents this year will head into the back-to-school season evaluating what their children really need before spending on new items, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

The average family with children in grades K-12 plans to spend $630.36 on electronics, apparel and other school needs, down from $669.28 last year, according to the NRF's Back-to-School Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Total spending is expected to reach $24.9 billion.

Tyndale House Publishers has announced the creation of a new position—director of author development and strategic partnerships—aimed at developing new and creative ways to maximize author exposure and book sales for the long term, beyond the normal launch period and in addition to normal retail channels.

Andrea Martin has been tapped to fill this role. Martin has worked in various publishing roles, across all genres, during her nine years at Tyndale.

Rose Publishing/Aspire Press has announced the hiring of Jean Christen as publisher for children’s products, including for the newly acquired Rainbow Publishers/Legacy Press line of children’s devotions, Bible lessons and fiction titles. She started in this position July 14.