Tyndale House Publishers is set to release three new titles in January in its Digital-First program, adding to its earlier launch of four e-book-only titles and a series of seven e-book novellas.

The Digital-First program gives Tyndale the freedom to publish more books with emerging authors, supplying readers with additional choices in their favorite genres, including the most popular e-book genre: romance.

Philip Yancey, best-selling author of Where Is God When It Hurts?, will visit with those affected by the Dec. 14 Newtown, Conn., school shooting.

Addressing the question posed in the title of his book, Yancey will participate in a free, open-to-the-public weekend event Dec. 28-30 at Walnut Hill Community Church’s Bethel campus just outside Newtown. He and the church’s senior pastor, Clive Calver, will meet with the community’s families, teachers, first responders, parents and students who have been deeply affected by the tragedy.

“Healing and comfort—that’s what I want most for those dear people,” Yancey said. “Words can only do so much, and certainly cannot take away the pain, yet I hope that this event could be a place of safety and honesty where people can bring their grief and come away with a new appreciation for why the gospel is good news—even now, especially now.”

Christmas songs are seemingly everywhere during the holiday season—and Americans like to hear them. According to a recent study by LifeWay Research, 70% of Americans enjoy hearing Christmas songs in December and 86% of people believe school choirs and bands should be allowed to perform religious Christmas music.

However, in the November 2012 online survey of nearly 1,200 Americans, one in five Americans (21%) said that Christmas music is “overdone” in December, while 7% find it “annoying.”

Nail Prints Press has partnered with the Book Club Network to give away 500 copies of Quest for the Nail Prints, along with its new study guide, to book clubs throughout the United States for their February book club reading. The giveaway marks the Feb. 20 release of the second edition of Don Furr’s novel, Quest for the Nail Prints, which will also release on Nook and Kindle next month.

Nail Prints acquired the rights to Furr’s book and it sequel, Peter’s Quest, which will release in late fall.

Zondervan’s new iOS app for the 10th anniversary expanded version of Rick Warren's best-selling The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? is now available, providing users a portable and interactive experience with the book’s content.

The Purpose Driven Life (PDL) app includes the full content of the book as well as 42 built-in videos of Warren sharing insights on each chapter. Users also will have the ability to create notes to use in small group settings or for personal study.

Three major Bible ministries and leading Christian philanthropists recently announced the launch of Every Tribe Every Nation (ETEN), a ministry alliance that will open Bible access for more than 6 billion people.

ETEN’s venture, named The Digital Bible Library, makes available hundreds of Scripture translations. More than 1,000 additional language translations will be ready for digital deployment in the next year and will reach more than 2,000 in the next five years. 

Mart Green, founder of Mardel Christian and Education, a 35-store retail chain, cast the vision for ETEN. Green’s global travels revealed the need for Bible translation and engagement, and highlighted the opportunity to leverage today's technology to meet the need. Recognizing the scope of the challenge, he called on the leading Bible ministries to join in a collaborative effort to provide God's Word in everyone's heart language in an accessible format. 

The Christian Manifesto blog has named its 2012 Lime Awards winners, honoring excellence in Christian fiction in nine categories.

The winners are:

Amish Fiction: Living in Harmony, Mary Ellis (Harvest House Publishers)

Children’s & Young Adult Fiction: Spirit Fighter, Jerel Law (Thomas Nelson)