Bestselling gift books God’s Promises for Graduates and God’s Answers for the Graduate together have surpassed one million copies sold worldwide, Thomas Nelson has announced.

Year after year, these books continue to be inspirational bestsellers during the graduation season, helping high school and college graduates stay in step with God. Each book covers major touchstones that graduates will encounter throughout their lives, including character, integrity, loyalty, focus, respect, and perseverance.

“It is a great privilege to watch these books bless graduates at such a pivotal time in their lives,” said Laura Minchew, senior vice president and publisher of gift books, Tommy Nelson, and new media at Thomas Nelson. “God’s Promises for Graduates and God’s Answers for the Graduate continue to provide God’s guidance and encouragement to more than 100,000 students each year. Having a strong foundation in Scripture will serve graduates well throughout their lives.”

For over 30 years, the God’s Promisesbook line—with more than 15 million copies sold—has been guiding and comforting people through topically arranged Scriptures addressing many facets of life. God’s Promises for Graduates originally released in 2008 and God’s Answers for the Graduate released in 2012.

CrossBooks, a Christian self-publishing company, has announced it will close its doors, effective April 30. Since its beginnings in 2009, CrossBooks has published over 1,000 books through B&H Publishing Group, the publishing division of LifeWay Christian Resources.

CrossBooks was unique to vet its books with help from a theological review team to make sure books were consistent with LifeWay’s values.

“CrossBooks was created to respond to the needs of authors with biblical-centered editorial and promotional expertise,” says Dave Schroeder, vice president of publicity for B&H Publishing. “B&H simply decided to use resources to pursue other opportunities.”

Schroeder said authors with publishing deals or whose books have not yet been published have received refunds for services not yet completed.

The Christy Awards Advisory Board has announced the following finalists for the 2015 awards honoring excellence in Christian fiction. The awards will be presented at a dinner to be held Monday, June 29 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

“The finalists this year represent the widest group of publishers in the history of the awards and also include an independently published novel,” says Donna Kehoe, executive director of the Christy Awards. “Several of the judges commented on the growing diversity and overall excellence of the novels submitted.”

The 2015 Christy Awards finalists are:

Contemporary

Farewell, Four Waters by Kate McCord (RiverNorth, an imprint of Moody Publishing)

Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good by Jan Karon (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate (Tyndale House Publishers)

 Contemporary Romance

A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert (WaterBrook Multnomah)

Firewall by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale House Publishers)

Undetected by Dee Henderson (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Contemporary Series

The Amish Blacksmith by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner (Harvest House Publishers)

Home to Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney (Abingdon Press)

When I Fall in Love by Susan May Warren (Tyndale House Publishers)

First Novel

Feast for Thieves by Marcus Brotherton (RiverNorth, an imprint of Moody Publishing)

For Such a Time by Kate Breslin (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

House of Living Stones by Kate Schuermann (Concordia Publishing House)

 Historical

The Advocate by Randy Singer (Tyndale House Publishers)

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (Viking)

The Sentinels of Andersonville by Tracy Groot (Tyndale House Publishers)

Historical Romance

A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer (WaterBrook Multnomah)

With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Suspense

The Color of Justice by Ace Collins (Abingdon Press)

A Cry from the Dust by Carrie Stuart Parks (Thomas Nelson, a division of Harper Collins Christian Publishing)

Sky Zone by Creston Mapes (David C Cook)

Visionary

Once Beyond a Time by Ann Tatlock (Heritage Beacon Fiction)

Shadow Hand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes (Enclave Publishing)

Young Adult

Failstate: Nemesis by John W. Otte (Enclave Publishing)  

This Quiet Sky by Joanne Bischof (Independently Published)

Storm Siren by Mary Weber (Thomas Nelson, a division of Harper Collins Christian Publishing)

The Christy Awards are online at christyawards.com.

Christian Small Publishers Association has announced the winning titles for its 2015 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Awards. The Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award honors books produced by small publishers each year for outstanding contribution to Christian life.

Book lovers and retailers selling Christian products voted on the nominated titles in each of 13 categories. A total of 126 titles were nominated this year.

“The voting was very competitive again this year,” says CSPA Director Sarah Bolme. “For the second year in a row, two categories have ties for first place.”

The winners in each of the 13 categories are:

1. Fiction—The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman, Carole Brown, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.

2. Historical Fiction—Rebekah’s Treasure, Sylvia Bambola, Heritage Publishing House; and Chasing the Butterfly, Jayme H. Mansfield, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.

3. Romance—Shenandoah Dreams, Lisa Belcastro, OakTara.

4. Christian Living—The Gospel in Twenty Questions, Paul Ellis, KingsPress.

5. Bible Study / Theology—The Praying Church Handbook—Volume II: Personal and Family Prayer, P. Douglas Small, Editor, Alive Publications; and Paul’s Letters to the Early Church, Trina Bresser Matous, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.

6. Devotional—My Resurrected Heart: A Codependent's Journey to Healing, Diane M. Jellen.

7. Biography / Memoir—Bury Me with My Pearls, Jane Jenkins Herlong, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.

8. Relationships / Family—My Beloved and My Friend: How to Be Married to Your Best Friend Without Changing Spouses, Hal and Melanie Young, Great Waters Press.

9. Children’s (age 4 to 8)—Nutshell Prayers for Kids, Sue Riger, Brush and Quill Productions.

10. Children’s (age 8 to 12)—Corrie ten Boom, Kaylena Radcliff, Christian History Institute.

11. Young Adult (age 12+)—Four Years, Two Roads: Finding Eternal Significance in High School, Derek Kim, Concerning Life Publishing.

12. Gift Book—The Prayer Shawl: Wrapped in God's Love, Susan Fitzsimonds–author, Mary Gregg Byrne—illustrator, Nelson Publishing and Marketing.

13. Christian Education—Their Name is Today, Johann Christoph Arnold, Plough Publishing House.

All of the winning titles can be viewed at bookoftheyear.net.

This week, on the third anniversary of the death of Charles W. “Chuck” Colson, one of the most eloquent and influential evangelical Christian leaders of our time, Zondervan announced the upcoming release of Colson’s last published work.

Colson’s book, My Final Word: Holding Tight to the Issues that Matter Most, is set to release in early August.

“Chuck Colson was ahead of his time—he understood the crucial issues facing our culture and how they might influence the world as we know it," says Zondervan Senior Vice President and Publisher Stan Gundry. “We are honored to have worked with Colson and The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview on My Final Word, a fitting end to Colson's distinguished publishing career.”

Composed during the last years of his ministry, My Final Word issues a clarion call for Christians to think critically about today’s most pressing issues. Longtime Colson co-author Anne Morse has selected and arranged pieces written mostly during the last decade of Colson's life, spotlighting what he saw as key topics of ongoing importance for Christian cultural engagement.

Some of these issues include:

• The rise of Islam
• Same-sex marriage
• The persecution of Christians
• Crime and punishment
• Natural law

“We are excited for Chuck’s wisdom, vision and insight to once again reach readers through his own words in this last book,” says David Carlson, Vice President of Communications for The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. My Final Word is a behind-the-scenes encounter with an influential thinker, and a needed call to an ongoing and relevant Christian public witness.”

The infamous convicted Nixon adviser who became famous for his ministry to prisoners through Prison Fellowship, evangelical-Catholic dialogue, and his Christian worldview, Colson spent the final years of his life and ministry leading The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, a research and training center focused on Christian worldview teaching.

Colson was a popular and widely known author, speaker and radio commentator. He wrote several books that have shaped Christian thinking on a variety of subjects, including Born Again, Loving God, How Now Shall We Live?, The Good Life and The Faith. Colson founded Prison Fellowship and The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and donated all of his royalties, awards and speaking fees to these ministries.

In recognition of their impact upon Christian publishing, Lane and Ebeth Dennis have been chosen as recipients of this year’s Jordon Lifetime Achievement Award, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association President/CEO Mark Kuyper announced recently.

The award will be presented May 5 at the ECPA Awards Banquet in Nashville. The prestigious Jordon Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual each year for their exceptional contributions to the Christian publishing industry.

The award is named in honor of Charles "Kip” Jordon (1945-1997), beloved Christian publishing veteran of more than 25 years, and former publisher of Word Publishing.

Past recipients of the award include Charles Colson, R.C. Sproul, Joni Eareckson Tada, Dr. William R. “Bill” Bright, Charles Swindoll, Dr. James Dobson, Billy Graham, Robert L. Kregel and Pat Zondervan. Jack Country and Brennan Manning were co-recipients of the award in 2014.

Firebrand Technologies, a worldwide provider of publishing systems and technologies, and NetGalley, which provides digital galleys to professional readers, have announced two events that will significantly strengthen their presence in new markets.

First, Firebrand is pleased to announce the appointment of Satvinder Virdi as Senior U.K. Relationship Manager, based in London, with responsibility for sales, projects and support of U.K. and European-based publishing clients. Virdi joins Firebrand from Random House, where he was a key member of the project management and technology operations team, responsible for the implementation and management of large-scale systems projects.

“There’s no doubt that Sat will contribute enormously and immediately to our projects in the U.K.,” says Doug Lessing, President of Firebrand Technologies. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen an increasing shift toward international technology coordination and expansion within publishing organizations, and we’re pleased to have a key resource based in the U.K. to support these efforts.”

NetGalley also announced an expansion into a new market with the beta launch of NetGalley France, in a joint venture with Feedbooks, a leading international ebook retailer. The site is expected to launch officially in Spring 2015 and the beta version is accessible at netgalley.fr.

“NetGalley’s been successfully operating in multiple English-language markets for some time,” says NetGalley President Susan Ruszala. “We’re so pleased to be working with Feedbooks, who is based in Paris but operates in many languages, to launch the service in French and to introduce NetGalley to a new community of professional readers.”

Over 225,000 influencers worldwide use the NetGalley service to read digital galleys and provide reviews of new books from 350 publishers in North America, the U.K. and Australia.