Summer is here. Are you ready to do some serious summer reading? Here are our in new books, authors and news . . . our highlights below include new releases, contracts signed, notable reviews and PR events, new authors to the agency and other news of note by clients and agents.
New Releases
Congratulations to Jennifer Rosner and IV Press for the May 24th release of Finding Messiah.
Jesus was Jewish, and his Jewish identity informed every aspect of his work, words, and witness. He came as the Messiah of Israel, God’s covenant people, and he spoke the language of God’s faithfulness to this people. So why does it seem that Judaism has little to do with our Christian discipleship today? Jennifer Rosner, a scholar of Jewish-Christian relations, takes us on a personal and corporate journey into the Jewish roots of Christian faith and practice. Understanding Judaism―and the way in which Judaism and Christianity became separate religions―is essential for a rich and holistic Christian identity. As a follower of Jesus who was raised in a Jewish home and who continues to live a Jewish life, Rosner has seen firsthand how a Christian faith can become impoverished when divorced from its Jewish roots. Finding Messiah follows Rosner’s own journey in rediscovering the role of Judaism and God’s covenant with Israel in Christian life and practice. When we begin to understand Christianity’s indelible relationship to Judaism, key aspects of the Christian faith come alive and the wonder of the gospel becomes clear in new and powerful ways. Jesus’ Judaism provides the foundation for the church that is built upon his name. Rediscover the Jewish Jesus, and in so doing, experience a deeper and richer faith than ever before.
Congratulations to Mindy Ferguson and AMG Publishing for June 27th release of Eyewitness to Redemption Ruth: Finding Refuge in God’s Redeeming Love .
The book of Ruth gives us a glimpse into the personal journey of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi.
Congratulations to Kim Kimberling, PhD with Nancy Kimberling and Core Media for the July 11th release of Love, Intimay & Sex in the Second Half.
No two marriages are the same. Each couple experiences their unique ups and downs and stages of life. When the second half of marriage begins, many things could be taking place—your final child has left home, one of you is making a career change or thinking about retiring, or you may be discovering new life goals. And your question may be: How do I avoid disconnecting with my spouse after entering this new season of our lives? In Love, Intimacy and Sex in the Second Half, Dr. Kim and Nancy Kimberling challenges couples to love better, grow in intimacy, and have the best sex life ever. Through a series of intimate discussions about their own journey, and sharing stories from other couples, they show that the right focus, intentionality, and work can make the next season of marriage something to be cherished and enjoyed.
Congratulations to Angie Ward and Zondervan Books for the August 1st release of Uncharted Leadership.
Ministry is complicated, and every leadership challenge is unique. How can you lead effectively when there isn’t a clear path forward?
Real life ministry is complicated–far more complicated than is typically captured in leadership books. There are moving parts and people who require adept, agile, adaptive leadership. Unlike technical challenges with a clear or known solution, adaptive challenges are complex and dynamic, requiring creative leaderships. Adaptive leadership is art, not science. It is an exercise in wisdom, not just knowledge. It requires leaders to ascertain the issues, values, and stakes unique to a given situation, to consider the potential courses of action, and decide which courses are best.
The case study method is a proven and effective tool to help leaders chart their course by learning from complex, real-life situations. Leaders learn to integrate multiple leadership strategies and concepts by reading and reflecting on multiple case studies, helping them clarify their own unique context, values, challenges, opportunities, and potential actions. Like real ministry, case studies are complex. There is not always an easy solution, or even a fast understanding of the real problem(s). The case studies in Uncharted Leadership promote learning at the deepest level: helping leaders move beyond simple answers to deep individual and organizational understanding and transformation.
Uncharted Leadership applies the case study method to ministry leadership. Through a series of relevant, real-life case studies in ministry leadership, Angie Ward brings the classroom to the reader, using thought-provoking questions, commentary, and recommended resources to expand the leader’s empathy, understanding, awareness, and skill.
Congratulations to Katy McCown and EstherPress for the August 8th release of She Belongs: Finding Your Place in the Body of Christ .
Have you been… limiting yourself? Maybe getting in the way of what heaven has for you due to doubt, fear, or feeling you’re just too flawed?
Well, you are not alone. You were made to believe and live bigger, and this devotional journal can guide that discovery, drawing you confidently toward God’s one-of-a-kind dreams for you as His beloved daughter.
Join reinvention strategist and life coach, Marshawn Evans Daniels on a 100 day devotional, journaling, prayer adventure and discover your true identity. You’ll identify what is stopping you from living out your calling and enter into open dialogue with God about your ambitions, goals, and dreams. As you lean into God’s promises for you in scripture you will explore the truth about who you are, why you matter and what you are here to do.
Marshawn will walk you through 100 days divided into 10 sections covering:
- Trust
- Purpose
- Identity
- Disruption
- Belief + Faith
- Blessing Blocker
- Stillness
- Blessings + Obedience
- Significance
- Courage
Step out and take the next 100 days to pray, journal and spend time with God and uncover your true identity and unleash your faith like never before. A higher destiny, filled with possibility is calling you. God is awakening something magnificent within you!
Congratulations to Ryan Keats and Union Square for the August 15th release of The Land Before Time Management: ADHDinos.
After he received an adult ADHD diagnosis in early 2022, author and illustrator Ryan Keats made lemons into prehistoric lemonade: he began to use his lived experience to create hilarious comics featuring cute cartoon dinosaurs. The adorable brontosaurus main character, Dino, grapples with so many problematic tendencies we’ve all experienced, with or without a formal diagnosis of ADHD. And for the increasing number of people who have been diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, these comics are a great way to feel seen and empathize with, not to mention normalize ADHD’s persistent symptoms. Find yourself drifting off during daily conversation? Struggling and losing the battle with multitasking? Maybe you should stop scrolling and do that thing? You know the one. If any of this resonates, you may or may not be a brontosaurus, but you’re probably dealing with ADHD in the best way you can: day by day.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Felicetti and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing for the August 22nd release of Unexpected Abundance: The Fruitful Lives of Women without Children.
In many Christian communities today, women are expected to have children—to “be fruitful and multiply.” To be childless is to be less of a woman, less of a Christian, or so it can feel. Elizabeth Felicetti is deeply familiar with this pressure as an Episcopal priest who never had the children she imagined would be part of her life. But in the landscape of her childhood in Arizona Felicetti found fresh eyes. If she’s “barren,” so is the desert—and if you look closely, the desert teems with unexpected life. This is also true of women throughout history. Biblical women like Mary Magdalene, medieval mystics like Julian of Norwich, and modern activists like Rosa Parks did not have children, yet their lives bore fruit in their communities and in the church at large.
In reflecting on her own experience alongside those of these remarkable women, Felicetti deepens our understanding of the many ways to be fruitful. Women without children—by choice or chance—who have felt frustrated or voiceless in the church will find solidarity and inspiration in the pages of Unexpected Abundance.
Congratulations to Michael Phillips and Fidelis Publishing for the August 23rd release of Endangered Virtues and the Coming Ideological War: A Challenge for Americans to Reclaim the Historic Virtues of the Nation’s Christian Roots.
In recent years it is with grave concern we have watched the rapid changes taking place in America and throughout the world. As a people we are increasingly engaged in an ideological tug of war that will determine our future, and that of generations to come. The objective of Endangered Virtues and the Coming Ideological War is to inquire what kind of people serious Christians are called to be. Hopefully we can give intelligent and prayerful thought to our responses to changes coming to the world with startling forcefulness, but that have been met with equally astonishing complacency. Silence, neutrality, and docile compliance will not be an option much longer.
Contracts
Brandon Young with Blayne Smith signed with BenBella Books for the February 2025 release of Perseverance > Endurance.
Shemaiah Gonzalez signed with Harper Collins Christian Publishing for the March 2025 release of Undaunted Joy.
Jim Burns signed with Right Now Media for six of his video seminars to be included in the online streaming platform for churches.
What We’re Celebrating
Congratulations Natalie Runion! Raised to Stay is a Publisher’s Weekly bestseller. You are #23 in trade paperback frontlist category. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/tradepaper.html
AND, is a USA TODAY National Bestseller! It was #21 in all books last week, #5 in non-fiction category, and #1 in the religion category. You can see the list here: https://www.usatoday.com/booklist/date/2023-07-12
Congratulations Bryan Clark! God’s Not Like That is a USA TODAY National Bestseller! It was #37 in all books last week, #9 in non-fiction category, and #2 in the religion category. You can see the list here: https://www.usatoday.com/booklist/date/2023-07-12
WordServe Water Cooler 