Publishers Weekly - November 28, 2016

Department |RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY

Success inspires the search for more success, and Christian publishers are always on the lookout for authors who can follow in the footsteps of their current stars to become mainstream bestsellers. Publishers say that the hunt for the next stars is not a primary motivation in acquisitions, but adding more top performers must be on their minds as they acquire and launch books.

This is especially true of the acquisitions of books by three types of Christian nonfiction authors: women giving other women advice and encouragement, scholars crossing over from the academy to write for general readers, and pastors writing books to expand their ministries. All three types bring solid platforms with them, and when publishers add their muscle to marketing and publicity, these writers have the ingredients to break out and become the next big thing.

A Lifestyle Leader
for Women

Self-help/Christian lifestyle books that offer women emotional, spiritual, and practical guidance are a booming genre for evangelical publishers. Authors such as Shauna Niequist (Present Over Perfect), Lysa TerKeurst (Uninvited), and Ann Voskamp (One Thousand Gifts) have racked up seven-figure sales and enjoy long runs on the PW and New York Times bestseller lists. It’s not surprising that publishers are eager to find more like them.

Thomas Nelson publishes TerKeurst; Voskamp and Niequist are published by Zondervan. Both are units of HarperCollins Christian Publishing that have deep pockets and sophisticated marketing and Waiting in the Wings

Christian publishers are grooming new authors to become the next big stars

By Lynn Garrett

We’re all searching. Sometimes the search is easy: simply type a question and the answer pops up. But sometimes our questions are complicated, and the answers are di;cult to see and harder to articulate. How do we discover and examine the truths that give meaning and purpose to life? Adam Hamilton believes that some powerful answers are contained in the Apostles’ Creed, an early statement of foundational Christian beliefs.

In this book and six-week study for Lent, Easter, and beyond, Hamilton considers important questions of life, reality, and truth. He explores not only what Christians believe, but also why they believe it and why it matters.