North Carolina author  John Snyder has announced that Hachette Book Group’s FaithWords imprint has purchased the rights to publish his latest book, “Jacob’s Bell: A Christmas Story.”

The book is scheduled to be released in bookstores and retailers nationwide, and online at online retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, BooksAMillion.com, Christianbook.com, Indiebound.org on Oct. 2. The book will also be available in e-book form and as an audio book.

Hachette Book Group headquarters is in New York City, with FaithWords calling Nashville, Tenn. home.

Jacob’s Bell is the follow-up to Snyder’s previously successful book, “The Golden Ring: A Christmas Story,” released by Warner Books in 2001.

Hachette Book Group/Faithwords beat out a competing publisher that also made Snyder an offer.

“I chose Hachette Book Group/FaithWords because they were much larger and have the resources in place necessary to execute a multifaceted book launch,” Snyder said.

According to Keren Baltzer, senior editor at FaithWords: “We were very excited after reading John’s manuscript for Jacob’s Bell. We were intrigued by the story and immediately fell in love with it, thinking it was a perfect fit for our holiday lineup.”

Some advance reviews are positive. Brian Avery, a film producer at Yari Film Group in Los Angeles wrote:

“Jacob’s Bell by John Snyder is a splendid achievement and rings with many truths. Snyder cares about his characters and makes us come to care as well. He gives us Jacob McCallum, a man who had it all until his addiction to alcohol took everything away and he lost his fortune, his family and his way in life.

“Snyder writes with simplicity and depth about the harshness and vagaries that life can bring but also about its beauty. He shows a reverence for the past and memories that may be from years ago but which are given as fresh and as near as this minute.

“His prose resounds with a love of people and the world and is grounded in the particulars of our America – its cities and byways, its taverns and highways. Jacob’s Bell is a book that has, in my judgment, exceptional merit. It registers the redemptive power of forgiveness and love. I highly recommend it.”