Thanks to The Christy Award™ and some strong releases in November, the spotlight is on fiction in ECPA’s bestsellers lists for December, reflecting POS sales compiled by NPD Bookscan in November.

ECPA began managing The Christy Award program earlier this year and produced the Christy Award gala on November 8 at Lipscomb University in Nashville. Christy Awards were given in ten categories, including Book of the Year. Bestselling author Karen Kingsbury was the guest speaker at the gala a day after her latest book was released. In This Moment (Howard Books) debuted at #1 on the Top 25 fiction list and at #7 in the Top 50 bestsellers list, the highest ranking for a new title, fiction or nonfiction.

Four other fiction writers who were either Christy Award winners or finalists are on the Top 25 Fiction list. Tamara Alexander’s Christmas at Carnton (Thomas Nelson) is at #5, Terri Blackstock’s If I’m Found (Zondervan) is at #10, Beth Moore’s The Undoing of Saint Silvanus (Tyndale) is at #16, and Becky Wade’s brand new release, Meant to Be Mine(Bethany House) is at #17.

In the nonfiction Top 25, Capital Gaines by Chip Gaines (Thomas Nelson) holds the top spot, followed by Max Lucado’s Anxious for Nothing (Thomas Nelson), and an edition of Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson) first released in 2004. The highest-ranking debut book is The Wonder of the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp (Zondervan), coming in at #13. It is also notable that God and Donald Trump, a brand new book by Charisma Media founder and chairman Stephen Strang, is at #24.

As expected, Christmas already dominates the Juvenile Top 25. Six of the Top 10 titles are themed around Christmas. Of these, five are published by Ideals/Worthy. The #1 children’s book is the platinum-selling The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones (ZonderKidz).

While it’s not unusual for writers of adult non-fiction to write books for children, it’s interesting to note that Priscilla Shirer’s Awaken (B&H Publishing) holds the #20 position on the Top 25 nonfiction list, and two of her children’s books, The Prince Warriors and The Prince Warriors and the Swords of Rhema (B&H Publishing) are at #23 and #25 respectively on the Top 25 Juvenile list.

B&H Publishing also made a strong showing in the Top 25 Bibles list with six different editions of the CSB Bible and six editions of the KJV and NKJV Bibles. Tyndale holds six spots with five editions of the NLT and one edition of The Message(NavPress).