“Heaven Is for Real” has reached No. 1 on the following best seller lists since its release: USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, National Public Radio, Christian Booksellers Association and Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. In addition to being ranked near the top on numerous lists, Thomas Nelson has printed the eight millionth copy of the acclaimed title. “Heaven Is for Real for Kids” also has hit the top spot on the New York Times Best Seller List as “print children’s picture books.” The Burpo family’s follow-up book “Heaven Changes Everything” was on the New York Times list in October 2012.

"This is an astounding achievement for a remarkable book that has defied all odds and predictions since the day it was published,” says Matt Baugher, senior vice president and publisher at Thomas Nelson. “Even in a changing publishing industry, great books will always find their way. We’ve heard from people around the world that their lives have been changed by Colton Burpo’s story. And it continues to this day."

Thomas Nelson has released several ancillary products based on “Heaven Is for Real” including a deluxe hardcover edition, a DVD-based Conversation Kit featuring footage of the Burpo family talking about their experiences, and “Heaven Changes Everything,” a devotional in which the Burpos help readers keep their focus on heaven, especially in the midst of the death of a loved one or miscarriage. “Heaven is for Real for Kids” (ages 4-8) and “Heaven Is for Real for Little Ones” (ages 1-3) also offers Colton’s incredible story of heaven for children with breathtaking images and heartfelt content that helps parents talk to their children about heaven.

In March 2003, Todd and Sonja Burpo were on the verge of their worst nightmare – losing a child. Their 4-year-old son Colton’s appendix had unknowingly burst days before, and he was now fighting a life-threatening infection. To save Colton, surgery was the only option. But what would happen during that surgery was more than healing through modern medicine.
 

Written in the first-person narrative of Colton’s father, Todd, with New York Times best-selling author Lynn Vincent, “Heaven Is for Real” walks readers through the revelation of Colton’s trip, his parent’s initial uncertainties and the lessons learned by such a small child.

Todd Burpo is pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan and a volunteer fireman. His wife Sonja is a children’s minister, busy pastor’s wife, and mom. Colton, an active thirteen-year-old, has an older sister Cassie and a younger brother Colby.

Lynn Vincent is the New York Times bestselling writer of Same Kind of Different as Me and Going Rogue: An American Life. The author or coauthor of nine books, Vincent worked for eleven years as senior writer, then features editor, at the national news biweekly WORLD Magazine where she covered politics, culture, and current events. A U.S. Navy veteran, Lynn is also a lecturer in writing at the World Journalism Institute and The King’s College in New York City.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is a world leading provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. The publishing group provides multiple formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, cookbooks, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson, is headquartered in Nashville, TN with additional offices in Plano, TX. For additional information, please visit www.thomasnelsoncorporate.com.