In the ever-evolving world of Christian publishing, great books are only part of the story. Behind every powerful message lies a strategic marketing effort that brings those messages to the hearts and homes of readers. That’s why the Christian Authors Network (CAN) is thrilled to announce the 2025 CAN Excellence in Marketing Award Winners—honoring the creativity, dedication, and innovation of Christian authors who’ve gone above and beyond to promote their books with excellence. Launched with the mission to recognize, educate, and encourage, the CAN Excellence in Marketing Awards shine a spotlight on the powerful promotional strategies that help Christian books…

by Lena Nelson Dooley In January 1984, several publishers came out with inspirational romances–Silhouette, Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Harvest House, Baker Books, Bethany House. At the time, I was an auxiliary rural mail carrier in Colleyville, Texas. While I was driving the mail route, I created a story in my head, like a motion picture. The first week of May 1984, I went to spend part of an afternoon with a good friend who thought romance novels were a waste of time. While we were talking that day, she asked me if I knew a particular woman who attended church with…

by Diana Leagh Matthews My writing journey has definitely been just that … a journey. I never intended to become an author. One night in 2003, I argued with a family member and thought about just leaving everything behind. As I calmed down, a book idea popped into my head. I got up around 3:00 a.m. and typed up a four-page summary. The next day, I began writing and wondered if I could actually write a book. I heard a voice whisper in my soul, “You don’t know if you don’t try.” I didn’t tell anyone about writing a book…

by Linore Rose Burkard The Funniest Review: Thoughts on Reading and Readers All writers know that book reviews can be wonderful, maddening, or anything in between. One day, early in my writing career, I received an unexpectedly comical “review” for my first book, Before the Season Ends. A young lady came to me at church gushing about how she loved it and had lent it to a friend before school began earlier that week. She went on to relate how her friend had started it in homeroom, instantly loved it, and proceeded to read all day—all 310 pages—so that she’d…

by Cheryl Schuermann Like many young writers, I once dreamed of writing novels set in exotic places with castles and golden-haired princesses with tiny waists. But more than a half century later, I found myself standing at the edge of a farm pond in the muck helping my grandchildren catch tadpoles. And thinking…wow, I see the makings of a devotion here. When this “I’ll never live in the country” city girl married a boy from rural Oklahoma more than fifty years ago, I didn’t realize how I would come to love the country experience. Soon after Stan and I married…

by Patricia Bradley Then the LORD told me: “I will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be read at a glance” (Habakkuk 2:2 CEV). The Christian fiction genre accounts for nearly 51% of all faith-based book sales, and I believe it is an awesome tool for evangelizing. Not everyone agrees with me, but think about it. Jesus taught by story—parables—short fictional stories with heavenly meanings, but they were stories nonetheless. Stories that listeners were caught up in because Jesus used characters, items, and events from their everyday lives. His listeners could…

by PS Wells Awarded Mystery Suspense of the Year, Unnatural Cause explores two long-unsolved family mysteries rooted in World War II. My profoundly smart coauthor, Max Garwood, is a patent attorney and inventor. Max pitches brilliant plots to me and I craft a novel from his ten bullet points. Unnatural Cause, the recent book in the Marc Wayne Action-Adventure Series, is equal parts Max’s fiction and my truth. My grandmother was one of ten children who grew up in a small, patriotic burg in the Midwest. When the US entered World War II, her oldest sister’s son, who had been…

Post Title:  Book Review: Maisie Discovers Her Fingerprint by Sandra Chambers Genre: Picture Book for ages 3-8   Description of Maisie Discovers Her Fingerprint: Maisie Discovers Her Fingerprint (© Oct.1st 2024, Ambassador International Publisher, STEM, SEL) is a picture book for kids 3–8 about a cute Frenchie who just wants to feel special! She isn’t accepted by her doggie friends because she can’t swim well like they can and she never gets invited to their doggie sleepovers because she snores so loudly. Kids will identify with Maisie as she seeks out what makes her unique and special. She visits the zoo to find…