Strang imprint scoops Spanish industry awards

Expolit

Casa Creación continued its dominance of the Spanish Evangelical Products Association (SEPA) Awards at the 17th annual Expolit convention in Miami in May, winning three of the six major trophies during the event. Last year, Casa Creación captured seven trophies, including three of the six major awards.

¡El Cielo es tan real!, the Spanish translation of Heaven Is So Real! by Choo Thomas (published in English by Charisma House in 2006), won the Harold Kregel 2008 Book of the Year award for “most inspiring and impactful book.”

Also published by Casa Creación, Aprenda inglés con la ayuda de Dios (learning English with God’s help) by Francisco B. Güell was honored as the Best Original Spanish Work of 2008, making this the seventh consecutive year that the Spanish imprint of Strang Communications—Christian Retailing’s parent company—has won the category.

Casa was also named Publisher of the Year for the fourth time for its third major SEPA Award. A major award also went to Ricky Feliciano of Puerto Rico-based Pura Vida Books for Distributor of the Year.

SEPA and Editorial Unilit President David Ecklebarger told Christian Retailing that Pura Vida—which distributes for Grupo Nelson (Thomas Nelson), Editorial Vida (Zondervan), Editorial Unilit, B&H Español (B&H International), Tyndale Español (Tyndale House Publishers) and Casa Creación—saw “fantastic growth” in 2008 despite the downturn in the economy.

“At Editorial Unilit, we’re doing better working through Pura Vida than with some of the secular distributors,” Ecklebarger explained. “It’s been a positive thing for the whole industry.”

Editorial Unilit won 15 awards—including the Top-Selling Book of 2008, a pocket-sized version of Josh McDowell’s Más que un carpintero (More Than a Carpenter)—and the Top-Selling Reference Book, Fiction Books, Bible Study and Specialized Bible. Editorial Vida won four awards, including Best ad and Top-Selling Annotated Study Bible and Gift Book.

Más que un carpintero also won a Platinum Award for lifetime sales of more than 250,000. In addition, Editorial Unilit captured Platinum Awards for James Dobson’s Cuando lo que Dios hace no tiene sentido (When God Doesn’t Make Sense) and Stormie Omartian’s El poder de la esposa que ora (The Power of a Praying Wife).

Additionally, Editorial Unilit received Gold Awards—lifetime sales of more than 100,000—for Gary Chapman’s Los cinco lenguajes del amor (The Five Love Languages), Joyce Meyer’s El campo de batalla de la mente (Battlefield of the Mind), and Benny Hinn’s Buenos días, Espíritu Santo (Good Morning, Holy Spirit).

Editorial Unilit also garnered Silver Awards—lifetime sales of more than 50,000—for Yiye Avila’s La ciencia de la oración (the science of prayer), T.D. Jakes’ ¡Mujer, ¡eres libre! (Woman, Thou Art Loosed!) and Elizabeth George’s Una mujer conforme al corazón de Dios (A Woman After God’s Own Heart).

Editorial Unilit was also recognized with the Top-Selling Reference Book for Alfonso Lockward’s Nuevo diccionario de la Biblia Unilit (Unilit new Bible dictionary); Top-Selling Bible Study Book for R.C. Sproul’s Cómo estudiar e interpretar la Biblia (Knowing Scripture); Top-Selling Specialized Bible for Biblia de promesas (The Promise Bible) and Best Book Cover for La danza de la restauración (The Dance of Restoration) by Abel Ortega and Melodie Fleming.

Editorial Vida won four awards, including Best Ad and Sales awards for fiction for Frank Peretti’s Esta patente oscuridad (This Present Darkness); Top-Selling Gift Book for Sheri Rose Shepard’s Su pequeña princesa (His Little Princess); and Top-Selling Annotated Study Bible for Biblia de referencia Thompson Reina-Valera Revisada 1960 (The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible Revised Reina-Valera 1960).

Editorial Luz y Vida (Light and Life Publishers) had the Top-Selling Children’s Book with (Smilingüido Bible), while B&H International was recognized for the Top-Selling Text-Only Bible for Biblia Reina Valera 1960 Premios y Regalos (Reina-Valera 1960 Awards and Gifts Bible).

Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas received a Platinum Award for Biblia RV-1960, Serie 60 económica (RV-1960 series 60 low-cost paperback Bible) and Gold Awards for two additional RV (Reina-Valera) Bibles.

Operation Mobilisation founder and author George Verwer—keynote speaker of the May 17 awards ceremony—was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to publishing, evangelism and training in Latin America for more than 50 years.