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(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc.’s Bible Group once again claimed the majority of the ECPA Bible Bestsellers List’s Top 20 slots. Data released this week shows the leading Christian publisher is holding seven of the top positions with titles that include: the hardcover edition of the Chronological Study Bible, the NKJV Text Bible (otherwise known as Nelson’s Million Bible Challenge Bible), the black and red Leatherflex editions of the NKJV Gift and Award Bible, and the KJV Gift and Award Bible’s red, navy, and black Leatherflex offerings. In fact the 200+ year publisher claimed more of the Top 10 than any other publisher on the Bible list overall.
“Thomas Nelson Bibles is focused on meeting the needs of our consumers and retail partners,” notes Senior Vice President and Group Publisher of Thomas Nelson’s Bible Group Gary Davidson. “Having a continued strong presence on the bestseller lists is a great indicator in knowing that we’re being successful in addressing those needs.”

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (ECPA) Bestseller Lists are compiled using adult book sales data from Christian retail stores across the U.S. A book must have sales in at least 20% of reporting stores during at least one week of the represented reporting cycle to be placed on the list. Only Trade Paper, Cloth and Mass Market Paper books are reported, tracts, mini-books or booklets are not included on this list. Only books which are offered to Christian stores at a trade discount from a publisher or wholesaler are featured on the list. Seasonal/holiday books are omitted from this list.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes. For more information on the company and titles, visit http://www.thomasnelson.com or http://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com.

“Frank has a long history of working with Bible-related projects and we’re excited to be able to broaden the scope of his involvement in the creation of our life-changing products,” notes Gary Davidson, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Thomas Nelson’s Bible Group. “His experiences lend a wealth of knowledge to his role in continuing the Thomas Nelson legacy of bringing the Bible and inspiration to the masses.”

“Bible study materials and reference titles help people to dig deeper into the message of the Bible,” says Couch. “As a person in ministry, I’m honored to be able to play a larger role at Thomas Nelson in the development of tools that help people engage with Scripture.”

Frank Couch has spent his entire adult life either teaching the Bible in ministry settings or publishing Bibles and Bible study materials. After 17 years with Thomas Nelson, he went to Emmaus Bible College as Executive Vice President and later directed the publishing program of Serendipity House Publishers. He has now been back with Thomas Nelson for seven years where he has primarily focused on the development of The Voice™ Bible translation that celebrates the narrative of Scripture while bringing out the unique voices of each of the Biblical characters. Couch has been actively preaching in his church for three decades and has enjoyed developing reference systems, writing numerous study guides, and serving as Chairman of the Development Foundation for Small Group Ministries.

The Word of Promise® Audio Bible is a scripted dramatization of the trusted New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible presented in a compelling, dramatic audio theater format. The project features the talents of Hollywood actors including Michael York (narrator), Richard Dreyfuss (Moses), Gary Sinise  (David), Jesse McCartney (young David and Daniel), Stacy Keach (Paul and Job), Ernie Hudson (Peter), Sean Astin (Elihu), Malcolm McDowell (Solomon), Joan Allen (Deborah), Lou Diamond Phillips (Mark), Luke Perry (Judas), Harry Hamlin (Nehemiah), Jim Caviezel (Jesus), and Martin Jarvis (voice of God). Complete with production by AFTRA Award winner Carl Amari (The Twilight Zone™ Radio Dramas), an original music score by prolific Italian composer Stefano Mainetti (Abba Pater & The Shooter), and movie-quality sound effects produced, engineered, and mixed at Cerny American Creative in Chicago—an award-winning facility ranked in the Top 3 in the nation for sound design headed by director JoBe Cerny. The 90+ hour project released through Thomas Nelson, Inc., in October in a special 79-CD box set collection and an 11-MP3 CD offering, both with a bonus features DVD. Stand-alone New Testament and Old Testament sets are also available.

“The Word of Promise® Audio Bible was a huge undertaking, and I’m privileged to be able to share the honor of these Audie Award nods with a cast of over 600 professional actors, and a devoted team of those in production, sound engineering, product development, and marketing,” says producer Carl Amari. “Over three years of work and thousands of man hours went into both the creation and promotion of this project and it’s a delight to have the project recognized by The Audio Publishers Association.”

In addition to the Audie Award finalist standing, the project has already received a Platinum Marcom Creative Award in recognition of excellence in creativity. The complete Bible released as a follow-up to the The Word of Promise® New Testament Audio Bible which made history when it became the first audiobook and Bible to win the ECPA Christian Book of the Year Award in the 30-year history of the award program.

Audio samples, a free iPhone/iPod Touch application, and additional information about The Word of Promise® Audio Bible are available by visiting http://www.thomasnelson.com/thewordofpromise. Updates are also available by following The Word of Promise® on Facebook and Twitter, @WordofPromise.

(Nashville, Tenn.) Three Tommy Nelson children’s books were recently named recipients of the highly sought after 2010 Mom’s Choice Awards®, a premier award recognizing and honoring excellence in family-friendly products. An esteemed panel of judges including Dr. Twila C. Liggett (founder of Reading Rainbow), Julie Aigner-Clark (creator of Baby Einstein), parents, children, authors, and experts from many fields chose these three books as worthy of the coveted Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold Seal: Jungle Jack’s Wackiest, Wildest, and Weirdest Animals in the World by Jack Hanna, I Believe Bunny by Tish Rabe and A Night Night Prayer by Amy Parker.

Everyone’s favorite animal expert, Jungle Jack Hanna, is no stranger to the Mom’s Choice Awards®. Last year he took home gold for both Passport Into the Wild and Romp, Stomp, Waddle Home! in the Animal Kingdom category. This year Jack makes it three with his most recent book Jungle Jack’s Wackiest, Wildest, and Weirdest Animals in the World. A true adventurer at heart, Jungle Jack Hanna has been all over the world and has seen his share of unique animals. Have you ever seen a naked mole rat or a blue-footed booby? Do you know what a binturong is? With his new book, he invites kids to look through his eyes at the strange, unusual, and sometimes downright weird characters that make up the animal world through fascinating facts, stories and colorful photos. The book also includes a bonus DVD with hilarious bloopers from Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild and other shows from his career.

Speaking of animals, furry friends have always hopped through the pages of beloved children’s literature from Peter Cottontail to The Velveteen Rabbit and many more. These classic characters evoke nostalgic memories and continue to spark the imaginations of a young generation of readers today. But what if the bunnies in these classic children’s stories had a bigger message to share? What if a bunny could capture not only children’s hearts and imaginations but also inspire them to something greater? Award-winning educational author Tish Rabe answers that question with a new series of children’s books: The I Believe Bunny, a delightful collection that helps children learn about believing, sharing, and putting their faith into action.

Tish Rabe is now adding a gold Mom’s Choice Award® in the Values & Life Lessons category to the list for the first book in the series, I Believe Bunny. This precious book teaches the importance of calling on God for our every need and helps children remember to be thankful for God’s work in their lives.

For some parents, the precious moments as little ones snuggle into bed after a day of tiresome adventures may be the only considerable quality time they get with their children each day.  This lack of extra time has led many parents to cherish bedtime routines even more, as bedtime may be the perfect time to squeeze in a few more precious minutes together before tots head off to dreamland. A Night Night Prayer, the debut release from children’s author Amy Parker, captures the timelessness of traditional bedtime stories with the rhythmic repetition of a child bidding goodnight to all of God’s creation and has now been recognized as worthy of the Mom’s Choice Gold Medal for a Bedtime Story. The cozy setting of a sweet goodnight comes to life with beautiful illustrations that create the calming effect of this soon-to-be classic.  As they say goodnight to a sleepy world, children will be introduced to the idea of thankfulness for the creation around them and will begin to cherish prayer in their young lives.

All of these award-winning books contain innovative, entertaining, and educational messages that have struck a chord with children and parents everywhere.  Discerning parents will appreciate the family-friendly fun and encouraging truths of these standout products.  Great children’s books like these do more than simply entertain; they spark imaginations and encourage a love of reading and learning that will serve children for a lifetime.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® is known for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family friendly media, products and services. This annual competition recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media products and services.

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 more than one out of every five novels bought at Christian Retail last year published by Thomas Nelson,” said Arnold.  “We’re grateful, humbled, and passionate to see what God has in store for us in the next five years.”

The MarCom Awards is an international competition for marketing and communication professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of marketing and communication programs and print, visual, and audio materials. The mission of the MarCom Awards is for the creative industry to honor excellence and recognize creativity and hard work by giving recognition to the talent, firms, departments and/or clients that collaborate on outstanding marketing and communication projects. The awards are administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. The international organization consists of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production and free-lance professionals. Each year there are over five thousand entries received from around the world.

“The Word of Promise® Audio Bible represents over three years of dedication to excellence, the work of over 600 professional actors portraying 1,100-plus different roles, an average of 220 hours of Foley (sound effect) man-hours a week, close to 30,000 man-hours of recording time, and the use of numerous audio studios across the country and abroad, and the implementation of comprehensive marketing and publicity initiatives. It is an extreme honor to have the project honored by the creative industry,” says JoBe Cerny who served as director for the work. “What’s the most exciting thing for me personally is that with this audio Bible, we have found a new and exciting way to introduce people to the Bible and an award of this nature helps draw attention to the Word.”

The Word of Promise® Audio Bible is a scripted dramatization of the trusted New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible presented in a compelling, dramatic audio theater format. The project features the talents of Hollywood actors including Michael York (narrator), Richard Dreyfuss (Moses), Gary Sinise  (David), Jesse McCartney (young David and Daniel), Stacy Keach (Paul and Job), Ernie Hudson (Peter), Sean Astin (Elihu), Malcolm McDowell (Solomon), Joan Allen (Deborah), Lou Diamond Phillips (Mark), Luke Perry (Judas), Harry Hamlin (Nehemiah), Jim Caviezel (Jesus), and Martin Jarvis (voice of God). Complete with production by AFTRA Award winner Carl Amari (The Twilight Zone™ Radio Dramas), an original music score by prolific Italian composer Stefano Mainetti (Abba Pater & The Shooter), and movie-quality sound effects produced, engineered, and mixed at Cerny American Creative in Chicago—an award-winning facility ranked in the Top 3 in the nation for sound design headed by Cerny. The 90+ hour project released through Thomas Nelson, Inc., in October in a special 79-CD box set collection and an 11-MP3 CD offering, both with a bonus features DVD. Stand-alone New Testament and Old Testament sets are also available.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes. Audio samples, a free iPod application, and additional information about The Word of Promise® Audio Bible are available by visiting http://www.thomasnelson.com/thewordofpromise. For more information on the company and its titles, visit http://www.thomasnelson.com or http://www.nelsonbibles.com.

Contact:
Brenda Smotherman
Publicist
tel:    (615) 902-2231
fax:    (615) 902-1132
web:    www.thomasnelson.com

We say we want balance, but what if it’s better teetering and tottering like tightrope walker, constantly making adjustments to keep ourselves standing. What if the key is being purposeful, having sound reasons for everything we do?

In Life On The Wire: Avoid Burnout and Succeed in Work and Life (Thomas Nelson, April 2010 New York Times best-selling author Todd Duncan skillfully shows us how to achieve a gratifying work life without decimating our personal life, and a gratifying personal life without abandoning our career aspirations.

Mixing life-changing wisdom with entertaining stories, Duncan clears up the myth of about the “balanced” life and shows how to rejoice in the purposeful—and planned—imbalanced life.

Readers learn how to:
• make money and memories
• take risks and responsibility
• grow professionally and personally
• help yourself and others
• work hard and stay healthy
• make your mark and leave a legacy
• GET SERIOUS AND HAVE FUN!

About the Author
Todd Duncan is CEO and founder of the Duncan Group located in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, and one of the country’s most sought-after sales and leadership trainers. Todd is known around the globe for his unique approach toward achieving success while at the same time living a full, balanced life. Through his books, seminars, school, and corporate training programs, Todd has taught hundreds of thousands of professionals to serve their clients with excellence.
To learn more visit: www.theduncangroup.com

TODD DUNCAN IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW.
Contact: Curt Harding at 615.902.2246 or email charding@thomasnelson.com

In The Total Money Makeover - revised 3rd edition (Thomas Nelson, January 2010), Dave Ramsey condenses his 17 years of financial teaching and counseling into 7 organized, easy-to-follow steps that will lead people out of debt and into a Total Money Makeover.

The 3rd edition of this wildly popular book includes brand-new true stories from everyday people who have followed Dave’s advice and are now winning with their money. The Total Money Makeover is a plan designed for everyone regardless of income or age.

Sales of The Total Money Makeover have exceeded three million copies sold. It has appeared on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Business Weekly, and Publisher’s Weekly Bestsellers list more than 160 times!

This isn’t theory. It works every single time. It works because it is simple. It works because it gets to the heart of the money problems: You.

Readers of The Total Money Makeover will learn:
• design a sure-fire plan for paying off ALL debt
• recognize the 10 most dangerous money myths
• secure a big, fat nest egg for emergencies and retirement
• positively change your life and your family tree!

Dave Ramsey is a personal money management expert, an extremely popular national radio personality and best-selling author of The Total Money Makeover. In his latest book, a follow-up of his enormously successful New York Times best-sellers Financial Peace and More Than Enough, Ramsey exemplifies his life’s work of teaching others how to be financially responsible, so they can acquire enough wealth to take care of loved ones, live prosperously into old age, and give generously to others.

Ramsey knows first-hand what financial peace means in his own life – living a true rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story. By age twenty-six he had established a four-million-dollar real estate portfolio, only to lose it by age thirty. He has since rebuilt his financial life and now devotes himself full-time to helping ordinary people understand the forces behind their financial distress and how to set things right – financially, emotionally, and spiritually.

Ramsey offers life-changing financial advice as host of a nationally syndicated radio program, “The Dave Ramsey Show,” which is heard by nearly 4.5 million listeners each week, on more than 450 radio stations throughout the United States. On Oct. 15, 2007, Ramsey added television host to his title when “The Dave Ramsey Show” on Fox Business Network debuted nationally.

Ramsey earned his B.S. degree in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Tennessee. A frequent speaker around the country at large-scale live events, Ramsey is a passionate and inspiring presenter who is at ease on both sides of the mike. More than 650,000 people have attended Ramsey’s LIVE events.

The ABA’s Indie Next List is “drawn from bookseller-recommended favorite handsells, epitomizing the heart and soul of passionate bookselling.”

Southern Living touts Seitz’s skillful storytelling in Saving Cicadas in their December 2009 review of one of their “favorite picks” for Christmas gifts: “A road trip takes on special meaning for 8-year-old Janie. She, along with her sister and grandparents, joins her mother’s quest to find her absent father. Janie doesn’t uncover the answers she expects from the journey. But she—and all of the author’s well-drawn characters—does find out about redemption and miracles.”

On Wednesday, December 9, Seitz will be honored at a book launch celebration and cocktail party at the Florence Crittenton Home in her hometown of Charleston, SC.  She will sign copies of Saving Cicadas  in exchange for donations made directly to the Crittenton home, which has provided shelter and support in South Carolina for single mothers facing unplanned pregnancy since 1897.  Blue Bicycle Books will be on hand to sell copies of Seitz’s other award-winning novels.

Nicole Seitz is a South Carolina Lowcountry native.  She weaves enchanting tales of redemption filled with unforgettable characters and a refreshing Southern voice, including novels like The Spirit of Sweetgrass and A Hundred Years of Happiness (a 2009 Book Award nominee for Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance). A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism, she also holds a bachelor’s degree in illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design. Nicole shows her paintings—also featured as the covers of her books—in the Charleston, South Carolina area, where she owns a web design firm and lives with her husband and two small children.