Month: July 2018

From Palm Pilot to iPhone X, Olive Tree Bible Software has come a long way!

(Spokane, WA) July 30, 2018—With more than 6,500,000 user installs, the Olive Tree Bible App has experienced a phenomenal decade. Since the beginning, Olive Tree has been dedicated to its mission: inspiring people to connect with God and the Bible through technology. The past ten years are a testimony to Olive Tree’s dedication for creating a missional solution via mobile Bible study with their unique app development. When the company began just eight years, previous to the launch of its iOS app, the primary connecting point was desktop computers and Palm Pilots.

In 2008, Olive Tree released BibleReader for iPhones, an app made available through Apple’s latest iOS development, the App Store. Apple, allowing third-parties to develop and distribute apps for consumers within the iPhone platform, created a paradigm shift in communications. Olive Tree jumped on the opportunity, being one of the very first Bible apps.  Now, ten years later, Olive Tree Bible App users can read and study God’s Word anytime, anywhere.

“We are extremely excited, thankful, and humbled to have been given the opportunity to serve millions through our apps over these last ten years. We hope and pray for another ten years and beyond to continue inspiring people to read and study the Bible in digital form,” commented Steven Cummings, v-p of operations at Olive Tree Bible Software.

(Nashville, TN) July 26, 2018—Today, HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) announced Cristopher Garrido has joined the company as v-p and publisher for its Spanish publishing program.  HCCP’s Spanish publishing program includes product under the Grupo Nelson, Editorial Vida and CLIE imprints.

Cris Garrido comes to HCCP after developing and directing a successful Spanish publishing program at Lifeway Christian Resources.  In this role, Garrido led both B&H Espan͂ol and the Lifeway International publishing initiatives for the company. During this time, he expanded the company’s Spanish Bible business, as well as taking on the curation of the Spanish point of sale in all Lifeway’s storefronts.   He joined Lifeway as the company’s Spanish acquisitions editor with the task to launch the Spanish trade book program, B&H Libros.  Garrido also has theological training, earning his Masters of Arts in Christian Education from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelors of Business Administration from the Universidad Central del Este in San Pedro, Dominican Republic.

HCCP continues to focus on expanding its reach in the global Spanish-speaking market.   The company will combine Garrido’s successful Spanish book publishing track record, as well as his professional business experience working in Latin America, with its longstanding history of being a leader in the region’s Christian market, to drive its international growth initiatives.

“The foreign-language market, specifically our Spanish business, continues to be one of our primary focus areas and we see great opportunities from both a business and mission perspective,” says Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.  “Our Spanish publishing program will benefit from Cris’ passion and enthusiasm for God’s Word as well as his global perspective and experience in Latin America.  We are excited to welcome him to HarperCollins Christian Publishing.”

As v-p and Spanish publisher for HCCP, Garrido will be charged with overseeing all aspects of the Spanish publishing business, including long-term strategic planning, product and marketing development oversight as well as editorial oversight.  He will also be responsible for identifying, pursuing, presenting and acquiring both domestic and international projects.  Garrido’s first day will be August 6 and he will be based in Nashville, TN at the HarperCollins Christian Publishing main office. Garrido will also be attending at Expolit 2018 from August 9^th through 12^th in Miami.

About HarperCollins Christian Publishing: The world’s leading Christian publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc., comprises both Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing groups in addition to Olive Tree Bible Software.  The Company produces bestselling Bibles, inspirational books, academic resources, curriculum, audio and digital content for the Christian market space.  Also home to BibleGateway.com, the world’s largest Christian website, and FaithGateway.com, an online community dedicated to helping people grow in their faith. HarperCollins Christian Publishing is headquartered in Nashville, TN with additional offices in the U.S. and Mexico.  For more information visit www.HarperCollinsChristian.com.

From US Navy Pilot to American hero

(Nashville, Tenn.) July 18, 2018 – W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, has acquired rights to a memoir by Captain Tammie Jo Shults, the airline pilot of Southwest Flight 1380 who made an emergency landing of her Boeing 737 after an engine exploded in midair, shattering a passenger window.

The North American rights were acquired by Daisy Blackwell Hutton, vice president and publisher in a pre-empt from Mel Berger at William Morris Endeavor, along with CMG Worldwide. This book is scheduled for release in October 2019 and will be Tammie Jo’s first book.

With nerves of steel, Captain Shults safely landed Southwest 1380 with only one engine in Philadelphia earlier this year. She will tell the story of how a young girl growing up on a ranch in New Mexico went on to become one of the first female F-18 Hornet pilots in the US Navy, braving rejection and discrimination with the strength she found in her faith.

Captain Shults is one of a small percentage of female pilots in the commercial airline industry. According to 2016 data from the Federal Aviation Administration, just 6.33% of commercial pilots are women. The passengers of Southwest 1380 applauded Shults for her “guidance and bravery in a traumatic situation” and called her a “true American hero.”

“We believe that Tammie Jo’s inspiring story has powerful reach far beyond the headlines heralding her calm and courage during the Southwest Airlines incident,” said Hutton. “It is a deeply human story that touches broadly on questions about how the choices we make and the things we value coalesce into the people we become. Tammie Jo’s story also dovetails powerfully with the cultural conversation around women’s strength and tenacity as we pursue our dreams.”

Contact:                Becky Melvin

Telephone:           615.902.1211

Email:            [email protected]

About Thomas Nelson: Thomas Nelson is a world leading publisher and provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. As part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the publishing group provides multiple formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, cookbooks, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson is headquartered in Nashville, TN. For additional information visit www.thomasnelson.com.

Grand Rapids, Mich., July 12, 2018 — After 34 years at Zondervan, Bob Hudson, senior editor-at-large, has announced his plan to retire, effective September 28, 2018.

Hudson has been a key figure at Zondervan, personally editing hundreds of books by authors including Philip Yancey, Walter Wangerin Jr., Lee Strobel, Terri Blackstock, Luci Shaw, Joni Eareckson Tada, Brock and Bodie Thoene, Tim LaHaye, Ann Spangler, Charles Colson, Gregory Boyd, Brandilyn Collins, Calvin Miller, Eugene Peterson, and many others.

Hudson is renowned for writing The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, now in its fourth edition. Hudson has written six other books, including The Monk’s Record Player: Thomas Merton, Bob Dylan, and the Perilous Summer of 1966 (Eerdmans 2018) and Kiss the Earth When You Pray: The Father Zosima Poems (Apocryphile 2016). His next book, The Art of the Almost Said: A Christian Writer’s Guide to Poetry (Bold Vision 2018), will appear in September.

“When Bob Hudson started at Zondervan in 1984, he quickly earned the reputation of setting the standard for what is involved in being a great editor,” says Stan Gundry, senior vice president, publisher, and editor-in-chief, Zondervan. “His range of expertise extends from works of fiction, to scholarly books, to trade nonfiction titles and everything in between. His book The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, a tome of over 600 pages, is the standard for authors writing books in the Christian space. Bob will be sorely missed by his colleagues and the authors with whom he has worked. But Bob is not going away—be on the lookout for Bob’s own books of prose and poetry.”

Hudson plays fiddle and his wife plays banjo, and they plan to spend time booking more gigs for their old-time string band called Gooder’n Grits. Hudson also plans to spend time with his wife at their vacation home in North Carolina, and to write many more books.

Zondervan is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications.  Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Mich.  For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

(Grand Rapids, MI) July 9, 2018—Zondervan announced today that Jessica Westra will join the Zonderkidz publishing division as the new publicity director.

Westra comes to Zonderkiz with more than 23 years of experience, most recently running her own events and media consulting business handling an array of media relations campaigns for her cleints. Previously, she worked in event management for Tulip Time Festival, Inc. in Holland, MI, in addition to extensive freelance publicity work.

In her new role as publicity director for Zonderkidz, Westra will oversee all facets of public relations for the Zonderkidz catalog of products by leading general publicity efforts to generate brand awareness, develop and execute strategic campaigns, and support authors.

“Jessica’s passion for great content and dynamic approach to publicity will be enormously valuable for our authors and their books,” says Londa Alderink, vice president of marketing for Zonderkidz. “We are thrilled to gain Jessica’s comprehensive industry expertise as a resource for both our authors and our team.”

Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. For more than 80 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The company’s products are sold in multiple formats, worldwide, translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, MI. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.