c. 2003 Religion News Service

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ When Birmingham TV news anchor Brenda Ladun wrote a book about her battle with cancer, she didn’t have to go far to work with her editor and publisher.

Debra Berry, who wrote a Bible study, didn’t have to leave her Birmingham office building.

Both of them had their work published by New Hope Publishers, a division of the Birmingham-based Woman’s Missionary Union. New Hope has published at least a dozen Alabama authors.

“It’s kind of unbelievable, isn’t it?” said Becky Yates, publisher of New Hope.

“It was an incredible opportunity,” said Ladun, author of “Getting Better, Not Bitter: A Spiritual Prescription for Breast Cancer.”

“I was so impressed with how professional they are,” Ladun said. “They take a burden off the author.”

Berry, who works as a ministry consultant for WMU, proposed her idea to the editors of New Hope. They work in the same building with her at WMU’s national headquarters. Her Bible study guide, called “Be Restored! God’s Power for African American Women,” focused on the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah.

“I tried to encourage women to follow Nehemiah’s example,” she said. “Everything he did was grounded in his prayer life.”

New Hope has answered a lot of prayers for Birmingham inspirational authors. It now publishes 24 titles a year, up from 12 just a few years ago.

The publisher has a deal to get its books in Lifeway Christian Stores across the country, which means a lot of people are seeing and buying Ladun’s and Berry’s books, along with other New Hope titles.

“We’ve had some success with this,” said Berry, an Air National Guard chaplain who was minister of education at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church from 1985 to 1998. She is now working on a follow-up Bible study guide for New Hope’s ethnic line of books and Sunday school materials.

“We are actively seeking other African-American women authors,” Yates said. “That market has great potential.”

So far, New Hope’s mix of topics and authors has worked.

“We had a 70 percent increase in sales last year,” Yates said. “One of our premier titles was Brenda Ladun’s book. The subject matter is of great interest. Barnes and Noble put it out nationally, not just regionally.”

New Hope’s list of Birmingham authors keeps expanding.

Denise George, wife of Beeson Divinity School Dean Timothy George, has written several books for New Hope, with “An Unexpected Christmas,” about a homeless man called Johnny Cornflakes, due to be reissued this fall.

Esther Burroughs, a former campus ministry director at Samford University, has written “Treasures of a Grandmother’s Heart” and “A Garden Path to Mentoring.”

Donna Greene, founder of Community Ministry for Girls in Birmingham, has written “Growing Godly Women” and “Letters From Campus.” Both deal with mentoring girls.

“`Growing Godly Women’ has been a wonderful surprise for us,” Yates said. “Women have responded to this book beautifully. She has personally mentored over 3,000 girls. Christian women who want to mentor young women have not had many resources.”

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Judy Woodward Bates of Dora, known as the “Bargainomics Lady,” wrote “The Gospel Truth About Money Management,” in which she advises people on how to save on shopping, dining, home decorating, personal pampering, travel and home-buying.

Dale and Jena Forehand wrote “Stained Glass Marriage,” a guide to saving troubled marriages based on their own experience.

Page Hughes of Alabaster wrote “Party With a Purpose: Creative Ways to Share the Love of Christ.” Every party, even for a child’s birthday, should be an outreach effort, she writes.

“Her premise is give it meaning, use it as an opportunity to reach out to the community,” Yates said.

Former WMU Executive Director Delanna O’Brien wrote “Timeless Virtues: Lessons in Character for Women.”

Angela Payne wrote “Living Every Single Moment” for Christian singles, then a book of whimsical stories called “You May Lose Your Balance, But You Can Fall Into Grace.”

Barbara Joiner of Columbiana wrote “Yours for the Giving,” about spiritual gifts.

The Rev. Brent McDougal wrote “The River of the Soul: A Spirituality Guide for Christian Youth.”

Julie Morris, founder of the Step Forward Christian weight-loss program, wrote “From Worry to Worship: A 30-day Devotional Guide.”

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Although New Hope’s catalog includes writers from New York, Kansas City and elsewhere, Yates seemingly hit the mother lode with her Birmingham writers. There are also a few Alabama writers from outside the Birmingham area.

“You get your authors from networking,” Yates said. “We have not gone out to seek local authors. We have gone out to find topics that are relevant to women’s lives. We’ve been given the gift of having these people locally.”

DEA END GARRISON