About Mike Nappa
Founder and Chief Agent at Nappaland Literary Agency
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“Mike Nappa is an old friend and a very talented writer. I recommend him highly.”
— Scott Derrickson
Director of Marvel Studios Dr. Strange
“Mike Nappa’s Annabel Lee is a fast-paced thriller … From the first chapter on, I found it impossible to put down.”
— Lois Duncan
New York Times bestselling author of I Know What You Did Last Summer
Mike Nappa is the infuriating guy who wrote the annoying publishing manual, 77 Reasons Why Your Book Was Rejected [And How to Be Sure It Won’t Happen Again]. He’s also a bestselling author, a writing instructor, and an award-winning creator of many books that have cumulatively sold more than a million copies worldwide.
Mikey’s highlight reel includes several VeggieTales comics, popular suspense novels, and narrative design/scriptwriting for “Run to My Heart” from Talofa Games and Niantic (“Pokémon Go”).
Mike is known for his “coffee-shop theology” books, as well as lots of articles on random topics such as data intelligence, biblical studies, pop culture, the publishing industry, and pretty much anything he finds interesting at the moment.
Learn more about Mikey by Googling his name or by reading about him on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Nappa
Mike Nappa Career Highlights
Bestsellers
• Annabel Lee (#4 — CBA bestseller, suspense fiction)
• The Raven (#6 — CBA bestseller, suspense fiction)
• A Heart Like His (#7 — CBA bestseller)
• The Prayer of Jesus (#13 — CBA bestseller)
• An Introduction to Family Nights (#20 — CBA bestseller)
• 52 Fun Family Devotions (#15 — Amazon.com “Inspirational” Category bestseller)
• Who Moved My Church? (#35 — Amazon.com “Christian Living/Stewardship” Category bestseller)
• The Jesus Survey (#39 — Amazon.com “Youth Ministry” Category bestseller)
• 77 Reasons Why Your Book Was Rejected (#78 — Amazon.com “Writing/Writing Skills” Category bestseller)
Notable Achievements & Awards
• Over 1 million copies of Mike Nappa’s books have been sold worldwide.
• Winner: 2017 Colorado Gold Author Award. (Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Association)
• Winner (Editorial): 2015 Foreword Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award (for Cindy K. Sproles’ novel, “Mercy’s Rain”)
• Winner: 2013 Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year Award. (For The Jesus Survey book.)
• Winner: 2009 Campbell Award of Excellence. (For Group’s Hands-On Bible Curriculum; editorial team award.)
• Winner: 2009 Moose Award for marketing copywriting excellence. Awarded by Group Publishing.
• Winner: 2007 “Best TV Pilot” Faith and Values Screenwriting Award. (For the animated cartoon, “Twilight Rising.”)
• Winner: 2002 Silver Angel Award, from Excellence in Media. (For The Courage to be Christian book.)
• Winner: 2001 Higher Goals in Christian Journalism” Award, from the Evangelical Press Association. (For Johnny Grav & The Visioneer children’s comic, “Best Cartoon” category.)
• Winner: 2000 Year’s Best Resources. Awarded by Christian Parenting Today magazine. (For Lunch Box Trivia & Lunch Box Promises children’s books.)
• Winner: 2000 Studyweb.com Educational Excellence Award. (For Nappaland.com “The Free Internet Magazine for Families.”)
• Winner: 1994 ECPA Gold Medallion Award. (For Group’ Hands-On Bible Curriculum; editorial team award.)
• Finalist: 2011 Page International Screenwriting Awards. (For “Jesse’s Den” TV pilot.)
• Finalist: 2003 “Higher Goals in Christian Journalism” Award, from the Evangelical Press Association. (For Johnny Grav & The Visioneer children’s comic, “Best Cartoon” category.)
• Finalist: 2002 ECPA Gold Medallion Award. (For Family Nights Tool Chest series.)
• Finalist: 2002 “Higher Goals in Christian Journalism” Award, from the Evangelical Press Association. (For Johnny Grav & The Visioneer children’s comic, “Best Cartoon” category.)
• Mike has been the supervising and acquisitions editor for several bestselling and award-winning authors within the CBA industry, including Alton Ganksy, Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, Glenys Nellist, Crystal Bowman, Sharon Carter Rogers, Nancy Moser, and Tim Wesemann.
• Mike’s work’s been translated into several languages worldwide, including Dutch, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish.
• In 2000, a contest for Mike’s serialized comic in Clubhouse Magazine set the magazine’s “Highest Reader Response Record.” As of 2021, that record still stands. Woohoo! (For Johnny Grav & The Visioneer children’s comic.)
Books with Significant Sales
Books that Mike Nappa has authored/coauthored have collectively sold more than 1 million copies. A partial listing of his top-selling books is as follows:
• An Introduction to Family Nights (ChariotVictor/ David C. Cook) 137,000 units sold
• 52 Fun Family Devotions (Augsburg Books) 115,000 units sold
• Hometown Nazareth: iGrow Chart (Group VBS) 83,000 units sold
• Family Nights: Basic Christian Beliefs (ChariotVictor/ David C. Cook) 67,000 units sold
• A Heart Like His (Barbour Publishing) 58,000 units sold
• Lunch Box… children’s book series (Bean Sprouts/Standard) (three books) 48,000 units sold
• The Prayer of Jesus (Barbour) 45,000 units sold
• Family Nights: Christian Character Qualities (ChariotVictor/ David C. Cook) 41,000 units sold
• 1995–1996 Student Plan-It Devotional Calendar (Group Publishing) 40,000 units sold
• Who Moved My Church? (RiverOak/ David C. Cook) (novella) 35,000 units sold
• 1992–1993 Student Plan-It Devotional Calendar (Group Publishing) 35,000 units sold
• Zachary’s Zoo (Zonderkidz) (children’s book) 33,000 units sold
• The Heart of a Father (Barbour) 25,000 units sold
• Heartwarming Christmas Stories (RiverOak/ David C. Cook) 21,000 units sold
• Bore No More (Group) 20,000 units sold
• Get Real: Making Core Christian Beliefs Relevant to Teens (Group) 18,000 units sold
• Instant Family Devotions (Baker Books) 17,000 units sold
• What I Wish My Youth Leader Knew About Youth Ministry: A National Survey (Standard) 17,000 units sold
• Tuesdays with Matthew (RiverOak/David C. Cook) (novel) 16,000 units sold
• Legacy of Joy: A Devotional for Dads (Barbour) 16,000 units sold
• A Mind Like His (Barbour) 14,000 units sold
Significant Positions within the Publishing Industry
- President, Nappaland Communications Inc.
- Chief Literary Agent, Nappaland Literary Agency (a division of Nappaland Communications Inc.)
- Publisher, NerdFans.com (a publication of Nappaland Communications Inc.)
- Features writer, Beliefnet.com
- Editor in Chief, Ultimate Escapes DESTINATION Magazine
- Senior Creative Specialist in Marketing Copywriting, Group Publishing
- Acquisitions & Editorial Director of Suspense Fiction, Barbour Publishing
- Acquisitions Editor, David C. Cook
- Acquisitions Editor, Group Publishing
- Contributing Editor, CBA Frontline magazine
- Judge, Christy Awards (for excellence in Christian fiction)
- Movie Critic/Radio Personality (weekly), KPXQ Radio Station (Phoenix, AZ)
- Columnist/Cultural Commentator, HomeLife magazine
- Columnist/Parenting Expert, Focus on the Family magazine (Growing Years Edition)
- Columnist/Music Critic, FaithWorks magazine
- Columnist, ParentLife magazine, Living with Teenagers magazine, Christian Single magazine, Youth 97, 98 magazine, CBN.com
- Regular Contributor (Celebrity Features), Crosswalk.com
- Regular Contributor (Feature Articles & Reviews), CBA Marketplace magazine
- Regular Contributor (children’s fiction and comics), Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine
- Music critic, CCM magazine
- Contributor, Writer’s Digest magazine
Significant Media Coverage
The following is a partial list of places that have covered Mike Nappa and/or his work in their publications or broadcasts:
- People magazine
- US News & World Report
- Publisher’s Weekly
- Marriage Partnership (cover story)
- Guide to Literary Agents
- CBA Marketplace
- Christian Retailing
- CBA Frontline
- The 700 Club television show (twice)
- Decision Today syndicated radio program
- Foreword Reviews magazine
- The Writer magazine
- MOPS Momsense and First Edition syndicated radio programs
- Focus on the Family syndicated radio program
