Zondervan will bring Guideposts’ best-selling annual devotionals to the retail market through a new deal between the two companies. During the next three years, Zondervan will publish and distribute multiple editions of Daily Guideposts and Mornings With Jesus. Guideposts will continue to compile the devotionals and its direct-to-consumer marketing.

“We are honored to partner with one of the country's most trusted brands,” said David Morris, vice president and publisher for Zondervan. “For over 70 years, Guideposts has inspired readers and brought God’s presence into their everyday lives with powerful story-driven content. We welcome Guideposts into the Zondervan publishing family and look forward to helping them reach new readers with this insightful content.”

Singer-songwriter and InterVarsity Press author Garth Hewitt is touring the United States from April 29 through May 17. During his tour, he will be performing and speaking in Tennessee, North Carolina and New Mexico. Hewitt is the author of Occupied Territories: The Revolution of Love From Bethlehem to the Ends of the Earth.

Hewitt has spent his entire adult life singing about justice and working to bring justice to the world. A troubadour, gospel singer and protest singer, he has released nearly 40 albums in his 40-year music career. The author of 10 books on spirituality, social justice and the arts, Hewitt believes that it is time for people of all faiths to speak up and call for justice, especially for communities in developing or volatile nations.

Dr. Alton Gansky, director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference (BRMCWC), and Eva Marie Everson, BRMCWC contest director, announce the finalists in the 2015 Selah Awards, awarded to published authors each year during the Blue Ridge conference.

The Selah Awards are open industry-wide and internationally to authors published by traditional and nontraditional publishing houses during the previous year. The awards will be given during the Wednesday evening banquet, held May 20, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time in the Azalea Auditorium at Ridgecrest Conference Center east of Asheville, North Carolina.

Performance analytics company SOASTA released the results of its “Mother’s Me Week” study which discovered that 40% of US moms have been disappointed on Mother’s Day.  The research discovered that half of American moms would buy themselves a gift if they were disappointed on Mother’s Day, with nearly 1 in 5 doing so on Mother’s Day (16%), 14% the Monday after, and 14% the week after.

SOASTA commissioned the online research, conducted on their behalf by Harris Poll among nearly 700 US moms, to alert retailers about the need for continuous testing and performance analytics for their online stores to ensure a quality user experience – whether it’s for key shopping events like Mother’s Day or new emerging shopping trends like Mother’s Me Week.

Three best-selling titles received ECPA's coveted Diamond Award at the ECPA Awards banquet held the evening of May 5. Sarah Young's runaway success Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson), Gary Chapman's seminal The Five Love Languages (Moody Publishing), and Todd Burpo's hit Heaven is for Real (Thomas Nelson) were honored for selling in excess of 10 million copies each.

Another key honor from the evening was the Jordon Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to Dr. Lane T. and Mrs. Ebeth Dennis. ECPA President/CEO Mark Kuyper honored the couple for "their remarkable contributions to Christian publishing" and "in recognition of a lifetime of service to Christ and excellence in gospel ministry."

The GMA (Gospel Music Association) held their 2nd Annual GMA Honors celebration at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena on Tuesday evening with special tributes, reunions and praise to the honorees and inductees. The event was in celebration of the individuals and organizations that impact the culture through gospel music both past and present.

The 2nd Annual GMA Honors recipients included Bishop Paul S. Morton, Founding Bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, The Bridge Ministry (founded by Candy Christmas), Passion (founded by Louie and Shelley Giglio) and Porter’s Call (founded by Al Andrews). In conjunction with the Honors, the GMA inducted BeBe and CeCe Winans, Mark Lowry, Roland Lundy and Twila Paris into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Because CBA, the association for Christian retail, strongly believes it is important for everyone to be informed on several hot-button issues affecting Christian retailers, vendors, and publishers, it is opening its general sessions to everyone at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS), June 28-July 1 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. General session attendees do not need an exhibit floor badge.

Religious liberty, culture wars and the future of Christian retail are among the critical topics that will be addressed, each of which have the potential to affect everyone involved in creating, producing and distributing Christian books, media and lifestyle products.