Amazon Publishing launches new Christian imprint Print
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Thursday, 13 February 2014 08:35 AM America/New_York

First Waterfall Press titles debut as company aims to publish ‘original Christian content with enduring appeal’

WaterfallPressAmazon Publishing announced the launch in January of Waterfall Press, a new Christian fiction and nonfiction imprint.

Waterfall titles will be published by Brilliance Publishing, part of the Amazon.com group of companies, which offers readers self-help and personal growth books under the Grand Harbor Press imprint.

“Brilliance has over 12 years of experience serving the Christian market as audiobook publisher of some of the most successful Christian authors writing today,” said Mark Pereira, president and publisher of Brilliance Publishing. “We are excited to expand our offering to readers of faith-based material by publishing original Christian content with enduring appeal.”

Nonfiction titles from Waterfall Press (BrilliancePublishing.com/Waterfall) will aim to provide spiritual refreshment and inspiration to today’s Christian reader, while the imprint’s fiction will include stories in the romance, mystery and suspense genres.

Waterfall Press planned to make its debut with Mark Buchanan’s The Four Best Places to Live (February); Cherie Hill’s When You Need a Miracle (April); and Jay Hein’s The Quiet Revolution (June). Buchanan is a best-selling author, as is Hill, in the self-publishing market. Hein was director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in the administration of President George W. Bush.

Tammy Faxel, who brings 30 years of experience in the Christian publishing industry through prior posts at Tyndale House Publishers and Oasis Audio, will provide editorial oversight.

Mark Kuyper, president and CEO of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, reflected on the impact of the new imprint for Christian publishing.

“Amazon’s decision to launch a Christian imprint is not surprising given the expansion of their publishing program over the last few years,” Kuyper said. “Of course, this continues the bifurcation of our publishers’ relationships with them as a key retailer and a publishing competitor.”

Additionally, Waterfall will publish shorter content, including works by Bryan Wilkerson (Living Deep, March); Dan Meyer (Discovering God, April); and the editors of Christianity Today (Billy Graham; Leading With Love, April). Several of the books on the launch list—including The Four Best Places to Live and The Quiet Revolution, will be published in collaboration with Christianity Today.