(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. announced today the promotion of Gary Davidson to the position of Senior Vice President and Group Publisher of Thomas Nelson’s Bible Group. Davidson brings over twenty years of experience working with Christian products. He has worked for Thomas Nelson for thirteen years, leading Thomas Nelson’s Christian Retail Sales team for the last eight, and the Ministry Development and Church Direct team for the last two.

“I am confident that Gary is the right person to lead our Bible team,” said Mark Schoenwald, president and chief operating officer of Thomas Nelson. “Gary has a distinguished track record of building strong business units by casting vision, building cohesive teams, executing plans, and anticipating the needs of our customers.”

Thomas Nelson veteran and Bible scholar Bob Sanford will return to the company to act as Vice President and Associate Publisher of the group. Sanford, who has worked intimately with the Bible category over the lastthirty years, has unparalleled experience and vast knowledge of the business.

Schoenwald continued, “Bob’s intimate Bible knowledge makes him the perfect compliment to Gary. Working side-by-side they will help strengthen the core of our business, our Bible, reference, and curriculum division.”

Tom Knight will be promoted to fill Davidson’s current role as Senior Vice President of Christian Retail Sales and Ministry Development. With over 10 years of experience working in Christian retail, Knight has demonstrated the ability to develop strong teams through his hands-on management and the ability to build alignment around strategic plans. Knight’s successor has not been appointed, although leadership is evaluating several options and hoping to make an announcement as quickly as possible.

“I am so excited about the privilege of leading Thomas Nelson’s Bible Group,” said Davidson. “They are a strong and passionate team doing extraordinary work to make the Word more accessible for readers around the world. I am leaving the Christian Retail and Ministry team in Tom’s very capable hands. Our working relationship, and my new role, open up new possibilities for creating great Bible, reference, and curriculum products for our Christian and Ministry retail partners.”

Max Lucado holds the number one spot on the hardcover list with his timely primer on living fearlessly, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear and Sarah Young’s beautiful and inspirational devotional Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence holds number two. Also rounding out the top ten are David Jeremiah’s Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World and What in the World is Going On?, Donald Miller’s A Million in a Thousand Years, Andy Andrew’s The Noticer, Emerson Eggerich’s Love & Respect, and Ted Dekker’s Green.

“I believe Thomas Nelson has one of the best fall lists that I have seen,” said Michael Hyatt, chief executive officer of Thomas Nelson, “and it is wonderful to see the strength of our new releases reflected in the bestseller lists. This type of domination on the Christian Marketplace list is a very positive indicator as we begin the holiday selling season.”

# # #

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.  For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact:    Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel: (615) 902-1109
fax: (615) 902-1110
email: lnobles@thomasnelson.com
web: www.thomasnelson.com

Ricardo Montaner is one of the most celebrated artists in the Spanish-speaking world thanks to his endless search for new styles and, at the same time, his firm roots in the romantic ballad tradition. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Ricardo has traveled a road that has taken him to the most prestigious arenas in the continent, from Luna Park in Buenos Aires to Madison Square Garden in New York, from the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City to Teresa Carreño in Caracas.

Although not strictly an autobiography, Lo Que No Digo Cantando focuses on the most transcendent moments and events in the life of its author. Inviting the reader to witness the intimacy of his world tours and concerts, Ricardo concentrates on the experiences that helped shape his personality. He pays particular attention to an incident that took place in a hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay, where an encounter with a little boy made a deep impact on how he sees the world.

For more information please visit: www.loquenodigocantando.com

Contact:    Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel:    (615) 902-1109
fax:    (615) 902-1110
email: lnobles@thomasnelson.com
web:    www.thomasnelson.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 13, 2009) – Thomas Nelson, the world’s leading Christian publisher, announced Tuesday it is partnering with the world’s leading self-publishing company, Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI), to launch WestBow Press—a Christian self-publishing imprint. The alliance will allow authors to benefit from the market leadership of Thomas Nelson, while taking advantage of ASI’s technology and services that make publishing easy, affordable, and available to anyone.

Long regarded as an industry innovator, Nelson’s creation of WestBow Press provides new and emerging authors the opportunity to publish with the global leader in Christian publishing. Thomas Nelson will monitor WestBow Press titles for the purpose of entering into a traditional publishing contracts for those that perform well.

“At Thomas Nelson, our purpose is to ‘Inspire the World,’” said Michael Hyatt, Thomas Nelson chief executive officer. “With the creation of WestBow Press, we will be able to help more authors realize their dream of being a published author while discovering more diamonds in the rough to add to our roster.”

Through this strategic partnership, ASI will manage WestBow Press on behalf of Thomas Nelson, and be responsible for selling and delivering a rich array of publishing, marketing, and book-selling services, unique to WestBow Press. Kevin Weiss, ASI president and chief executive officer, believes the WestBow Press partnership will serve as a blueprint for other similar alliances.

“We are very excited to join forces with Thomas Nelson in this partnership, We believe the tradition and extensive segment leadership that Thomas Nelson brings, along with ASI’s cutting-edge sales, marketing, and production capabilities will help to revolutionize the publishing industry,” said Weiss.

ASI, the parent company of industry-leading self-publishing imprints AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Trafford Publishing, and Xlibris, brought to market more than 21,000 new titles in 2008. Since 1997, ASI imprints have published more than 120,000 titles by 85,000 authors worldwide.

To learn more about the publishing packages available through WestBow Press, visit www.westbowpress.com.

About WestBow Press
WestBow Press is a strategic self-publishing alliance of Thomas Nelson, the world’s premier Christian publisher, and Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI)—the world leader in the fastest-growing segment of publishing. Through this partnership, authors benefit from the rich publishing heritage of Thomas Nelson and the speed-to-market advantages of the ASI self-publishing model. Titles published through WestBow Press will be evaluated for sales potential and considered for publication under the Thomas Nelson imprint. For more information, visit www.westbowpress.com.

NASHVILLE, TENN–The Christian publishing industry lost a colleague and friend when Laura Kendall, long time editor for Word Publishing and Thomas Nelson, died this week in Nashville, Tennessee.  Laura had retired from Thomas Nelson in 2005, after two decades of editing books by bestselling Christian authors including Max Lucado, Billy Graham, Ruth Bell Graham, Anne Graham Lotz, Charles Swindoll, Barbara Johnson and Tony Campolo.  She was still providing freelance editorial services and consultation from her home in Nashville until last week.  Laura fought a brief battle with pneumonia and went to be with her Lord on September 2.  She is survived by two nieces and two nephews and many who counted Laura as a spiritual sister and devoted friend.

Laura Kendall was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1938.  She earned three degrees including a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (Mercer University, Macon, GA), a Bachelors of Divinity (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) and a Masters in Sacred Music (Northwestern University).  She worked as a voice teacher and then as an account executive for publicity agency Hahn Crane and Associates in Evanston, IL.  She joined Word Publishing (Waco, TX) in 1978 as Director of Publicity and soon moved into an editorial role, eventually earning the title of Senior Editor.  Ernie Owen, former Publisher at Word, recalls Laura’s unique gift: “Many authors owe a debt of gratitude to Laura.  She had an uncanny sense or feeling for dealing with people and manuscripts.” Laura continued to serve Word and its authors when the publishing company moved to Dallas and later to Nashville (as a division of Thomas Nelson).  She officially retired in 2005 but continued working as a freelance editor and consultant.  Beyond sharing her professional skills, Laura shared her heart with authors and colleagues alike, and her presence will be missed as both an editor and a friend.

Laura was recognized for her professional expertise but also for many personal talents and graces treasured by her friends.  She possessed a trained soprano voice and sang with her choir at Glendale Baptist and was known for her elegance, her love of music, and what one friend called “her daily loveliness.”

A memorial service in Nashville is being planned for later in September.  Cards and letters for the family may be sent care of Debbie Nichols at Thomas Nelson, Inc. (Post Office Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214).

Contact:
Pamela McClure
pamela@mmpublicrelations.com
615-595-8321

Thomas Nelson’s Fiction Division launched in January 2004 under the leadership of Allen Arnold, Senior Vice President and Publisher. The division has grown by leaps and bounds, but its goal remains the same: to reach the broadest possible audience with the best possible stories – always written from a Christian worldview. “We listen closely to the readers and retailers to deliver the optimal mix of genres, formats and prices for our novels. And in just five years, we’re honored to be the #1 Christian Fiction publisher  – with  one out of every five novels bought at Christian Retail since the beginning of 2009 published by Thomas Nelson,” said Arnold.

Thomas Nelson had 23 of the top 50 Christian Fiction bestsellers during the first quarter and 21 of the top 50 in the second quarter. Eric Wilson’s bestselling movie novelization Fireproof and Erin Healy and Ted Dekker’s first collaborative suspense novel Kiss remained in the top 10 during both quarters.

With many major releases still to release this fiscal year, Thomas Nelson is well-positioned to remain the leader in Christian Fiction. Upcoming titles include: Green: Book Zero in the Circle Series by New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, An Amish Christmas by best-selling author Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Barbara Cameron, The Sweet By and By by multiplatinum recording artist Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck, The Long Way Home, the second title in the bestselling Young Adult series from Edgar Award-Winning author Andrew Klavan and Hand of Fate, the second novel in the New York Times bestselling series by Lis Wiehl with April Henry.

“We’re grateful, humbled, and passionate to see what God has in store for us in the next five years,” concluded Arnold.

Contact: Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel: (615) 902-1109
fax: (615) 902-1110
email: lnobles@thomasnelson.com
web: www.thomasnelson.com

(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. announced today the launch of a multi-faceted social media campaign to coincide with the release of Max Lucado’s new book, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear. The company is utilizing the influence of its online “friends” and “followers” to help spread the world about this important release.

On Monday, August 10 at 10 a.m., Michael Hyatt kicked off the campaign on his blog, http://michaelhyatt.com/, with a video book review and a unique offer. He offered the first chapter of Fearless for anyone to download or share. He gave the first hundred commenters a free copy of the book with no strings attached. Lastly, he made available a thousand copies for bloggers through Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program.

As people shared with their online networks news of this offer, thousands of people rushed to michaelhyatt.com to try to claim their copy of Fearless before the offer expired. The surge of traffic crashed the site’s server three times and by noon two hundred copies were given away to readers. Over five hundred copies were given away to bloggers. By nightfall, Thomas Nelson had given away more than twelve hundred copies of Fearless in total.

“Since the initial development of Fearless, both retailers and customers have noticed an exciting buzz around the book because it’s message is both timely and relevant. I don’t know anyone who is immune to fear and its debilitating effects,” commented Hyatt. “When we decided to giveaway copies, I assumed we would get a lot of interest. But even I was caught off-guard by the surge of traffic that overwhelmed my blog’s server. The response was tremendous. And I hope this only a sign of things to come for Fearless.”

On Friday, August 14, exclusive video of Max Lucado’s “Fearless Town Hall” will be available at the website for the Fearless campaign, www.TheFearlessTimes.com and www.MaxLucado.com/TownHall.  Lucado answered profound questions from live audience members, questions related to fear of job loss, fear of losing God’s love, fear for loved ones, and other relatable issues. Excerpts from the video town hall, plus chapter excerpts from Fearless, are available for download at www.TheFearlessTimes.com and can be linked to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The Fearless Times website also allows people to submit questions about their fears to Lucado directly.  Questions will be answered randomly from all submissions received via the web, Twitter, Facebook, and other social marketing sites.

Max Lucado has more than 65 million books in print and a publishing career that has spanned nearly 25 years.  His books have been on many national bestseller lists including The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, CBA, ECPA, and USA Today.  Max and his wife Denalyn live in San Antonio, Texas, where he is Minister of Writing and Preaching at Oak Hills Church.

Contact:    Jana Muntsinger
tel:    (281) 251-0480
email: jana@mmupublicrelations.com
web:    www.thomasnelson.com

“With all the negative economic news, it is extremely encouraging to see this kind of momentum,” stated Sally Hofmann, Senior Vice President of General Market Sales for Thomas Nelson. “We are finding that in tough times, readers are predominantly looking for books that do two things; they are looking for non-fiction that helps answer uncertainty and provides comfort and for fiction that provides a sense of escapism.”

This growth was driven by the success of a handful of recent releases including Andy Andrews’ The Noticer that has been on the New York Times bestseller list for the last eleven weeks and Fox News correspondent Lis Wiehl’s debut novel Face of Betrayal. Also, perennial New York Times bestsellers such as Ron Hall and Denver Moore’s touching memoir Same Kind of Different as Me and Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover continued to generate strong sales.

“This is only the beginning. I anticipate that we will continue to see substantial growth in the general market for the remainder of the year,” continued Hofmann. “Our fall list is spectacular. Several of our major releases including Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Marcus Buckingham’s Find Your Strongest Life, and Max Lucado’s Fearless are already generating buzz from retailers and consumers alike.”

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.  For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact:    Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications   

tel:    (615) 902-1109    

fax:    (615) 902-1110
email: lnobles@thomasnelson.com 

web:    www.thomasnelson.com

GRAMMY WINNER STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, GRAMMY NOMINEE & “AMERICAN IDOL” FINALIST MANDISA, LISA WHELCHEL FROM TV’S “FACTS OF LIFE” & POWERFUL LINE-UP SPEAK, PERFORM & ENCOURAGE

With families across the nation struggling, facing economic hard times and dealing with over 2.6 Million job losses in 2008 and record home foreclosures which skyrocketed 81% in 2008 (1 in every 54 housing units in the U.S.), women are under more pressure than ever before. With the weight of the world on their shoulders they are being stretched to make ends meet to keep a roof over their families’ heads as they juggle jobs and children.   In these challenging times, they are turning to the Nation’s Largest Live Event for Women, which has attracted more than 4 Million women from across the country and which focuses on providing women with hope and inspiration.

Women of Faith’s 2009 Tour A GRAND NEW DAY will head to 28 cities across the U.S. At each event, thousands of women will gather in arenas for a much-needed opportunity to bond, connect and be inspired as a diverse array of musical artists, authors, and performers take the stage in a weekend designed to offer them renewed strength and hope as they forge ahead.

The Women of Faith event will bring together thousands of women in the nation’s largest scale female bonding and friendship experience connecting women from all walks of life in a deep and meaningful way – focused on helping them thrive in the face of the real, shared challenges they confront every day.

Independent studies by Harvard Medical School and UCLA both confirm that women who have more female friends in whom they can confide are less likely to develop health problems as they age, take less time to recover from trauma, and lower their risk of early death.  According to Harvard Medical School, not having close friends (or confidantes), could be as detrimental to a woman’s health as smoking or obesity. Numerous experts recommend female bonding as a stress reducer – essential in this Recession when women are facing high levels of stress at work and at home. A recent UCLA study revealed that when women engage in female bonding, they release oxytocin - a hormone that counteracts stress and produces a calming effect.

The women who mentor and lead the events as speakers also embody the deep female connections forged at the events as many have been friends and colleagues for 14 years on the Women of Faith tour criss-crossing the nation together for over a decade and supporting each other through life’s ups and downs. The friendships of a few speakers span nearly three decades.

The 2009 A GRAND NEW DAY event will feature a diverse line-up of musical artists, speakers and special guests, including  GRAMMY Winner Steven Curtis Chapman, GRAMMY Nominee & “American Idol” break-out finalist Mandisa, Lisa Whelchel from TV’s popular show “Facts of Life,” Marcus Buckingham, author of landmark best-sellers, acclaimed music artist Sandi Patty, and Nicole C. Mullen, music artist and 8-time Dove award winner.

Throughout the 2-day event, women join together to experience music, comedy, drama and inspirational stories that leave a powerful, lasting mark on the lives of the women who participate. Women of Faith has been going strong since 1996 and has a proven track record as the Nation’s Largest Women’s Conference.
Registrations sell quickly and well in advance of the event. They are available and can be ordered on www.womenoffaith.com or by calling 888-49-FAITH.

Who:         Women of Faith
Where:     28 Cities Across the U.S.
When:     March through December, 2009

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Holly Taylor
310-854-8115
hetaylor@rogersandcowan.com

Denise Lepow
310-854-8115
dlepow@rogersandcowan.com

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — LIONSGATE(R) (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio, announced today that it has acquired the North American home entertainment distribution rights to NO GREATER LOVE, a touching story about faith and love. Under the terms of the arrangement, Lionsgate obtains the rights to distribute the title on DVD, VOD and EST. Scheduled for a first quarter 2010 release, the movie will be distributed in the Christian marketplace by Thomas Nelson — the world’s largest Christian book publisher and Lionsgate’s exclusive distributor to the Christian market.

The announcement was made by Anne Parducci, Lionsgate Executive Vice President of Marketing & Family Entertainment, Dan Lynch, Vice President of Family Entertainment for Thomas Nelson, and Russ Rice, President of Coram Deo Studios, Inc. in association with Chris Bueno and Larry Frenzel of Carmel Entertainment. Carmel Entertainment has also been associated with leading Christian films such as Facing the Giants and Fireproof. The deal was negotiated by Wendy Jaffe, Lionsgate Executive Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions, and Larry Frenzel, CEO of Carmel Entertainment.

“NO GREATER LOVE is a beautiful story about the universal themes of faith, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. The subject matter of the movie is something that anyone can appreciate and relate to,” said Parducci. “While this movie will certainly perform in the Christian outlets, it is also just the type of faith-based title that we look for to deliver to a wider audience.”

“When I saw this film I knew it would be very successful in the Christian bookstore market. The film has a strong message about forgiveness, faith and marriage. Each person who watches NO GREATER LOVE tends to see themselves in one of the characters. We’re very excited to be partnering with Lionsgate to bring this film to market,” said Lynch.

“We made this film believing it would touch many lives and are so pleased that Lionsgate and Thomas Nelson share this vision,” said Rice. “We could not be more thrilled to have them as our partners in distributing NO GREATER LOVE.”

NO GREATER LOVE is the latest faith-based acquisition for Lionsgate. The studio continues to increase its presence in Christian retail by utilizing its relationship with Thomas Nelson to gain leverage for its existing library of product as well as inspirational theatrical titles. In recent years, Lionsgate has released high-profile faith-based titles including Bella, Erwin McManus’s Crave, Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker’s House, and The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith and the upcoming The Case for a Creator, the DVD documentaries based on the best-selling books by leading Christian non-fiction author Lee Strobel, among others.

ABOUT NO GREATER LOVE
Executive produced by Russ Rice of Coram Deo Studios in association with Carmel Entertainment Group, and directed by Brad Silverman, NO GREATER LOVE tells a moving story of forgiveness, reconciliation, and the irresistible grace of God.

Jeff and Heather were the “lucky ones.” Best friends from childhood, high school sweethearts, and married by 22. They were inseparable soul mates. Jeff’s world is dramatically rocked when Heather disappears after the birth of their son. Heather shockingly reappears ten years later in the most unusual place.

About Lionsgate
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is the leading next generation studio with a strong and diversified presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury, reality programming through its joint venture with ISH Entertainment and an array of channel platform assets. Its feature film business achieved a record box office performance in the recent January-March 2009 quarter, driven by the success of “Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes To Jail,” “My Bloody Valentine 3-D” and “The Haunting In Connecticut.” The Company’s home entertainment business has grown to more than 7% market share and leads the industry in its box office-to-DVD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com.

About Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes. For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

About Coram Deo Studios, Inc.
Founded in 2007, Coram Deo Studios has burst into the faith-based market with their debut feature, NO GREATER LOVE. Sharing a distinctly Biblical worldview, the core team members consist of diverse industry professionals with a wide range of complimentary skills. Coram Deo currently has two additional films in the works. For more information visit www.coramdeostudios.com.

For Press Inquiries Contact:
Lionsgate
Jodie Magid/Jennifer Sandler
212-386-6885/ 310-255-4072
Jmagid@lionsgate.com/jsandler@lionsgate.com

Thomas Nelson
Jackie Johnston
615-902-1722
JJohnston@ThomasNelson.com