Birmingham-based Christian publisher Iron Stream Media has acquired LPC Books, doing business as Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, a traditional, royalty-paying publisher of fiction and nonfiction titles.
“As a Christian media company, our mission is to provide high-quality resources that will advance the gospel of Jesus Christ in someone’s life and help them make disciples as they go,” said John Herring, president and CEO of Iron Stream Media. “Lighthouse shares a similar vision by seeking to provide content that enriches the lives of believers by ensuring the agendas of their fiction content points to a moral truth. As a team, we are excited to pick up each of the new imprints at LCP, especially the Illuminate young adult fiction line.”
LPC Books launched its general book publishing division in 2007. Authors include Christy Award winners, debut novelists and nonfiction writers. All fiction titles point to moral truths and characters with strong beliefs about what’s right and wrong.
LPC currently has several active imprints that range from romance and suspense to westerns and Christian nonfiction. Those imprints include: Trailblazer Western Fiction; Firefly Southern Fiction; Bling! Romance; Candlelight Romance; Harambee Press, Guiding Light Women’s Fiction; Lamplighter Mysteries & Suspense; IlluminateYA Fiction; and Sonrise Devotionals. In addition to print and ebooks, LPC also publishes titles in audiobook format.
Details concerning the September 1 acquisition have not been released, but initial plans indicate Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas will continue to operate under their existing brand and model.
‘It was God’s’
“When God called my ministry partner Cindy Sproles and I to launch a book publishing company, we understood LPC was not ours. It was God’s,” said Eddie Jones, founder and CEO of LPC Books. “He has simply allowed us to work for him. For that I feel deeply blessed. To get up each morning and know you are sowing seeds for a future harvest is both humbling and exciting. … [Under the leadership of Iron Stream Media] I feel confident our authors, editors and book titles will succeed in ways I could only pray for.”
Iron Stream Media initially began as a part of Student Life, according to Herring After a brief time with NavPress and the Navigators, Life Bible Study was born as an independent company and expanded to include content for adults and children in addition to students. Since then the company has been on a trajectory of growth and expansion.
“Since our inception, we have always been committed to meeting people where they are on their faith journey and making sure what we offer by way of content points people to Christ,” Herring said.
Iron Stream Media provides a variety of solutions for churches, missionaries and nonprofits ranging from in-depth Bible study curriculum and Christian book publishing to custom publishing and consultative services.
Through the popular Life Bible Study and Student Life Bible Study brands, Iron Stream Media provides web-based full-year and short-term Bible study teaching plans as well as printed devotionals, Bibles, and discipleship curriculum.
In 2017, the company acquired New Hope Publishers and its first fiction titles. Earlier this year, Iron Stream Media began the launch of three new imprints: Ascender Books, Iron Stream Books and New Hope Kidz.
According to Bradley Isbell, director of operations for Iron Stream Media, both Lighthouse Publishing and Iron Stream media plan for a seamless transition. Iron Stream Media has already begun the welcome and integration. (Iron Stream Media)
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