Author Royalties Are Double the Industry Standard

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO., May 7, 2012 – Alive Communications, the leading literary agency for Christian and inspirational titles, today announced the launch of a sister epublishing company, Bondfire Books. (Editor’s note:  Bondfire with a “d”.)

Bondfire Books’ debut list features ebook exclusives from a select group of authors, including #1 New York Times bestseller Karen Kingsbury and Eugene H. Peterson, translator of The Message Bible.  All of its titles will be sold through major online etailers and readable on all primary devices, including Amazon’s Kindle, Apple’s iPad, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.

Rick Christian, founder of Bondfire Books and Alive Communications, said, “We aim to be a game changer by working with other literary agencies and paying all authors a 50% net royalty, essentially double the industry standard of 25%.  We will also offer 5-year renewable terms instead of the normal life of copyright.”

Bondfire Books will provide authors and literary agencies a comprehensive package of services, including digital file conversion, jacket design, social media services, copyediting, marketing, and digital piracy protection, backed by a special partnership with Rosetta Books in New York, the pioneering epublisher of Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen R. Covey, William L. Shirer, and Aldous Huxley.

“With Rosetta’s support and extraordinary relationship with etailers, we can ensure an author’s works are properly converted and well-advertised on all the major sites,” Christian said.

Bondfire will release new book-length properties, shorter works of 5,000 to 20,000 words, and special themed collections of sermons, speeches, magazine articles, and poetry.

“These can be successfully published as ‘ebook originals’ and help cross-support an author’s other works currently on sale in multiple formats,” Christian said, noting that Bondfire will also release select backlist books that remain commercially viable in the current electronic market.

About Alive Communications:

Alive Communications is a Colorado Springs-based literary agency, founded in 1989.  It is best known for such mega-sellers as Todd Burpo’s Heaven is for Real, which has been a #1 NYT bestseller for more than a year and has sold more than 7.5 million copies, as well as the Left Behind series (70 million copies), Eugene Peterson’s The Message Bible (20 million copies), Karen Kingsbury’s novels (20 million copies), Lisa Beamer’s post 9-11 Let’s Roll! (1.5 million copies), and the Life Recovery Bible (3 million copies).  Alive has represented several dozen platinum authors and platinum books with sales exceeding 1 million copies, and more than a dozen of its titles have been #1 NYT bestsellers.  Motion picture adaptations of its books are also in production with major Hollywood studios, as well as with various independent producers. – RC

Karen Kingsbury

April, 2012 — Karen Kingsbury’s latest novel, Loving (Zondervan), debuted at #1 on the NYT paperback fiction bestseller list on Sunday, April 15—a first for her after numerous back-to-back appearances at #2.

“Karen has always been a #1 best-selling author and has topped many other national lists,” said her long-time agent Rick Christian, President of Alive. “Being recognized by the Times simply acknowledges what her readers have known for years and I’m thrilled with her much-deserved success.”

Simultaneous with her appearance this week atop the fiction list, Heaven Is for Real continued its longstanding run as the #1 NYT nonfiction bestseller. Heaven authors Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent are also represented by Alive.

“Having the two #1 bestselling authors in both categories the same week is an unmatched honor,” Christian said, noting that it also reflects reader’s hunger for books offering spiritual help amidst challenging economic times.

Loving is the fourth and long-awaited finale to Karen’s Bailey Flanigan series and sparked widespread internet discussion among her readers, some of whom rallied passionately for Bailey to be swept off her feet by actor Brandon Paul in Los Angeles, while others rooted for her to marry her first love, Cody Coleman, who faithfully coaches his team on and off the field in Bloomington, IN. The lingering question they’re debating: Did she marry the right guy?

Kingsbury’s 50-plus novels have sold more than 20 million copies, earning her numerous awards along the way, including the 2007 Christian Book of the Year, a first for a female author and also for a novel. Several of her books have been made into films, including Like Dandelion Dust starring Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino. Others are currently in production.—RC

USA Today called the Steven Taylor film a “surprisingly contemporary look at faith.”

“It tackles existential struggles that many of us grapple with – and the film industry virtually ignores – while doing so in an entertaining way,” said the San Francisco Chronicle.

Alive’s president Rick Christian said, “When the book was first presented at our weekly agent meeting more than a decade ago, we all laughed aloud because Donald had a chapter about faith called Penguin Sex. But he pulled it off because he’s a brilliant storyteller, and the book became an instant success. I’m just glad his trademark humor and honesty were finally captured on screen.”

The story of a young man’s search for spiritual truth at one of the most liberal colleges in the Pacific Northwest, Blue Like Jazz almost didn’t make it to the screen due to insufficient funding. Two devoted fans built a “Save Blue Like Jazz” website where they encouraged others to donate money through a program called Kickstarter. This end-run around normal fundraising channels ultimately generated nearly $350,000 for production costs and saved the project. During its opening weekend, the film averaged $1,900 per screen and box office sales topped $250,000. – RC

He was born a slave in modern America; escaped to become a homeless man – a step up in life, Denver said.  Spent 10 years in America’s worst prison, and went back to living on the streets again, a notorious bear of a man who would “beat you down” if you looked at him twice.  Until he met Deborah Hall, “Miss Debbie” to Denver, “The stubbornest white woman I ever met.”  And the most beautiful but unlikely bond of friendship bloomed.  Miss Debbie later died and her husband, Ron, pledged to Denver that he would never catch and release him as a friend.  This transforming tale of redemption became a NY Times best seller with over a million copies sold and a recent Disney film option.  Through it all, Denver and Ron crisscrossed America raising over a 100 million dollars for homeless shelters.

Denver was a street preacher, a painter, a prayer warrior, a compassionate friend to the least of these.  And if you could see what he’s seeing right now, I think this is what he would want you to know:

 Well – a poor Lazarus poor as I
When he died he had a home on high . . .
The rich man died and lived so well
When he died he had a home in hell . . .
You better get a home in that Rock, don’t you see?
– Negro Spiritual

 ”You hear what I’m telling you?” Denver would always say to punctuate his point – and then he would fix his “I mean business” street stare on you.

We hear you, Denver.  Be at peace – enjoy your new home.

With love from all of us here at Alive Communications

The Other Side of Suffering by John Ramsey with Marie Chapian

March, 2012—John Ramsey, father of murder victim JonBenét Ramsey, released his new book this month, highlighted by a full media tour with the ABC network. The Other Side of Suffering, by John Ramsey with Marie Chapian (FaithWords/Hachette Book Group) was featured on several ABC programs including Good Morning America, The View, Nightline, GMA Weekend, in addition to being a guest on Anderson Cooper’s new daytime show Anderson and the weekend FOXNEWS program Huckabee. The widespread exposure on television led to coverage in many national print outlets like People, TIME, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

Thanks to new DNA testing conducted in 2008 (a technology that was not available in 1996), all members of the Ramsey family were officially released as suspects in the unsolved murder case. In the book, Ramsey recounts the cherished memories of his family, including the first daughter he lost in a car accident in 1992 and the loss of his wife Patsy to cancer in 2006. Ramsey points to a better understanding of his Christian faith as an important thing that has sustained him along with his loving relationship with his living children. – JK

The book has been featured on programs like NBC’s Today Show, Dateline, ABC’s World News Tonight, Fox & Friends, and CNN’s Faces of Faith. Heaven has also been optioned Hollywood producers, Joe Roth, Bishop T.D. Jakes and DeVon Franklin for a major motion picture release through Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Responding to the film prospect, Todd Burpo said, “Colton has a simple message for people; heaven is for real. And we’re excited about the possibility of many more people hearing that message through a film.” – JK

Heaven Is For Real

Friday, March 02, 2012—You know you’ve hit the big time when your book becomes an answer on the television game show Jeopardy! Todd Burpo’s New York Times bestselling title Heaven is for Real was featured on the show this past week, and one quick-thinking fan snagged a screenshot. With over 6 million books sold, the simple story of a young boy’s experience in heaven continues to touch hearts around the world. And now, thanks to one of the longest running game shows in history, Heaven is for Real will also be memorialized in the halls of American trivia. – JK

February 3, 2012—Debut novelist Shella Gillus landed a nomination for an NAACP Image Award in the “Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author” category for her novel The Loom (Guideposts Books, 2011). Award winners will be announced at the annual NAACP gala held on February 17 in Los Angeles.

The Loom is a nineteenth century historical romance about a light-skinned female slave who disappears only to reemerge as a white woman on a plantation. Lydia knew her life as a slave on a Maryland plantation would end at the loom room—the same place on every plantation where slaves, particularly after years in the tobacco and cotton fields, spent their days weaving and making clothes for their masters’ family. Gillus smoothly weaves this original tale, integrating the harsh, revealing truth of this nation’s troubled racial past with the broader, universal themes of love and freedom. The Loom is an engaging, well-written page-turner rich with colorful detail and crisp dialogue.

Gillus is a former pageant winner, a member of the Screen Actors Guild and two-time guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The Loom has received a top rating from Romantic Times magazine, which gave the novel an impressive 4.5 star rating. The reviewer noted, “Gillus’ strong characters may be broken in spirit, but they trust that God will rescue them and show them freedom on the other side.”

To set up an interview with Ms. Gillus or set up a book signing, contact Neil Foote, Foote Communications, LLC, neil@neilfoote.com, 214.448.3765. – JK

Laurence & Zac Sunderland

September 2011 - The sailing Sunderlands have returned to the limelight as Zac and his father Laurence appeared on the new season of the CBS reality show, “The Amazing Race,” which premiered Sunday, September 25^th.

Zac gained fame in 2009, when at 17 he became the youngest person to have sailed around the world alone. His younger sister Abby made international headlines a year later, when she set out to become the youngest person in history to circumnavigate the globe alone. She appeared on media including The View, The Today Show, and CNN’s American Morning to promote her book, Unsinkable.

Now Zac, 19, and his dad are featured in a show that pits 11 teams in a race around the world for a $1-million payday. Among other competitors are Olympic snowboarders, twin sisters, a former NFL tight end and former “Survivor” winners.

”The Amazing Race” airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times. -AH

Elisa Morgan and Shayne Moore with ABC's David Muir

August 5, 2011-ABC’S World News today chose two Alive authors, Elisa Morgan and Shayne Moore, as its “Persons of the Week”.

Elisa and Shayne are women who passionately use their speaking and writing to advocate for women and children. In July, they traveled with eight other like-minded women to Kenya with ONE, the social justice organization founded by Bono. There they met with mothers struggling to raise healthy children in a part of the world stricken with war, famine, drought, and disease. They held babies freshly diagnosed with AIDS, and danced with women in the village streets, all the while sending images and words around the world via their respective blogs.

ABC closed its Friday program with a segment which commended the ONE Moms for their mission of urging everyone to do their part to empower and improve the lives of the world’s neediest women and children.

Elisa, former CEO of Mothers of Preschoolers International, has written over 15 books on mothering, spiritual formation and evangelism and is the publisher of FullFill, (www.fullfill.org) a leadership development resource for women. Shayne [Global Soccer Mom], an original member of the ONE Campaign, shows “everyday people” how to effectively involve themselves in the battle against injustice, disease and poverty. – DAC