Nelson Newsroom  |  Brenda Smotherman

Title: Publicist, Bible & Reference

Brenda Smotherman joined the Thomas Nelson, Inc. Bible Group in September 2006 as Publicist. She handles the day-to-day activities of garnering media exposure for Bible Group titles (Bibles, Reference, and Curriculum), maintaining and developing communication efforts within the Bible Group and other internal Thomas Nelson, Inc. channels, writing magazine articles, coordinating and scripting events, as well as assisting in the product marketing and development processes. In the short time that she has been with the company, she has garnered press such as the cover of the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Weekly mention placement for The Word of Promise, secured exposure for several Bible selections and assisted the news team with Bible Group interviews on “CBS News Sunday Morning.”

Prior to her time at Thomas Nelson, Inc. Brenda had worked over 10 years in the Christian music industry. Brenda is newly married and resides in Smyrna, TN.

Contact Information:
P.O. Box 141000
Nashville, TN 37214
ph: 615.902.2231
fax: 615.902.1903
e: bsmotherman@thomasnelson.com


Press Releases by Brenda Smotherman:

New Bible To Mention President Barack Obama


The American Patriot’s Bible Incorporates Civil Rights Movement Section

The American Patriot’s Bible(Nashville, Tenn.) The forthcoming Bible title The American Patriot’s Bible (May 2009, Thomas Nelson) takes readers on a powerful journey revealing how faith has seen American citizens through troubled times, as well as impacted the overall formation of this great nation.  Within its pages, readers will find a special section dedicated to the pursuit of equal rights which includes figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama as one of the many introspective historic articles featured in the title.

“We are experiencing change in America, and it was essential to spotlight how faith in God has been there to strengthen the activists when a monumental fight for freedom and justice was at hand,” notes Dr. Richard G. Lee who serves as the general editor for the project, as well as founding pastor of First Redeemer Church (Atlanta, GA), and speaker for the There’s Hope America ministry. READ MORE »

NEW BIBLE TO CELEBRATE AMERICA’S HEROES OF PAST AND PRESENT

The American Patriot’s Bible Offers Inspiration During Recession Depression

The American Patriot’s Bible(Nashville, Tenn.) In the midst of the recession, a new Bible project is offering hope to rekindle the American spirit. The American Patriot’s Bible (May 2009, Thomas Nelson) takes readers on a powerful journey revealing how faith has seen American citizens through troubled times, as well as impacted the overall formation of this great nation. Joining with the sacred New King James version (NKJV) text are stories of American heroes, quotations from and articles about many of America’s greatest thinkers, historic photographs, and beautiful illustrations that present the rich heritage and tremendous future of the United States of America.

“America stands without equal as a beacon of hope and freedom in a hurting world. Our Founding Fathers delivered to us a system of government that has enjoyed unprecedented success: we are now the world’s longest ongoing constitutional republic. Well over two hundred years under one form of government is an accomplishment unknown among contemporary nations,” notes Dr. Richard G. Lee who serves as the general editor for the project, as well as founding pastor of First Redeemer Church (Atlanta, GA), and speaker for the There’s Hope America ministry. READ MORE »

Thomas Nelson Titles Claim Four Foreward Magazine’s Book of the Year Award Finalist Slots

(Nashville, Tenn) Thomas Nelson, Inc. is pleased to announce that four of its titles have been selected as finalists in ForeWord Magazine’s 2008 Book of the Year Awards. The awards were established to bring increased attention to librarians and booksellers of the literary and graphic achievements of independent publishers and their authors. This program was designed to discover distinctive books across a number of genres.

The unique awards process brings readers, librarians, and booksellers together to select their top categories as well as choose the winning titles. Their decisions are based on editorial excellence, professional production, originality of the narrative, author credentials relative to the book, and the value the book adds to its genre. The winners will be announced at a special program during BookExpo America being held at the Javits Center in New York City on May 29th.

READ MORE »

Thomas Nelson and Willow Creek Join Together In Quenching Small Groups’ Thirst With Liquid

Liquid: The Ten 1-5Co-branding Agreement Entered for DVD-based Study Experience

(Nashville, Tenn) Thomas Nelson, Inc.’s Bible Group is pleased to announce that it has entered into a co-branding distribution agreement with Willow Creek Association for the Liquid curriculum series. Both entities will participate in the distribution and marketing of future releases as well as the seven installments that are currently available.

Created by Jeff Pries and John Ward of Mariners Church in Irvine, CA, Liquid is a DVD-based experience featuring five 10-minute episodes in each series offering. Building upon the parable teaching style of Jesus—who told stories using everyday characters—each  episode introduces present-day characters whose problems and struggles mirror biblical stories, illustrating that God’s word is just as true today as when it was written. Each DVD kit offers emotionally provoking videos, a reflection guide, introspective questions, and tips for facilitating a small group.

READ MORE »

Thomas Nelson Unveils New Bible Translation

The Voice New TestamentThe Voice™ New Testament Release Launches The Voice™ Translation that Engages Today’s Culture in Biblical Narrative

(Nashville, Tenn) – This week, Thomas Nelson, Inc.’s Bible Group has officially launched a new Bible translation, The Voice™, with the release of The Voice™ New Testament. This is the first completely new Bible translation available to readers in several years.

The Voice™ translation captures the different writing styles of the New Testament authors, revealing their unique voices to readers instead of homogenizing the text. About 40 different authors are believed to have been inspired by God to write the Scriptures. The Voice™ is distinctive in that it retains the perspective, the voice, of the human writers. Most English translations attempt to even out the styles of the different authors in sentence structure and vocabulary. Instead, The Voice™ distinguishes the uniqueness of each author. The heart of the project is retelling the story of the Bible in a form as fluid as modern literary works while remaining true to the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. READ MORE »