The Christy Award finalists will be announced October 8 in a free webcast with award winning author Chris Fabry – which will kick-off a series of five weekly webinars for storytellers, writers, and publishers, presented each Thursday at 7 pm central. They are:
- Oct 8: The Power of Story to Change Hearts and Minds with NYT bestselling authors Lisa Wingate and William Kent Krueger
- Oct 15: The Essence of Story — Pathway to Transformation with writing coach and award-winning novelist Steven James with devotional by author Tracie Peterson
- Oct 22: Tips for Cross-Promotional Strategies with author Rachel McMillan, marketer Thomas Umstattd, and fiction book buyer for Baker Book House, Chris Jager. Including a devotional by novelist Tessa Afshar.
- Oct 29: Conversations about Diversity in Christian Fiction with literary agent Jevon Bolden and a panel of editors, authors, and marketers; including a devotional by novelist Cynthia Ruchti.
- Nov 5: Learning from Fresh Voices with a panel of editors from the named finalists in the First Novel category — on what makes a proposal shine. Moderated by Art of Writing curator and Bethany House senior fiction publicist, Amy Lokkesmoe. Bestselling author Terri Blackstock will give a devotional at the start of this session.
The Christy Award winners will be announced the following Thursday on November 12 in a special webcast with Lisa Wingate, Chris Fabry, Tamera Alexander, and Steven James. All sessions will be recorded for attendees.