2008 Christian Book Publishers
Fiction Market Update
Courtesy of author and FHL member Lyn Cote
Avon Inspire
353 Sacramento Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94111
www.avoninspire.com
Editor: Cynthia DiTiberio
Fiction sought: Historical and contemporary romance, chick lit, romantic suspense, African American Christian fiction, historical women's fiction with romantic elements
Submission Guidelines: Right now we are only considering published authors.
B&H Publishing Group
127 Ninth Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37234-0115
(615) 251-2438; fax (615) 251-3752
www.bhpublishinggroup.com
Editors: David Webb, executive editor; Karen Ball, senior acquisitions editor
Established in 1934, B&H is the book division of LifeWay, the world's largest publisher of Christian materials.
Fiction sought: Publishes 18-20 new fiction titles per year—contemporary women's fiction, suspense, romance, thriller, historical romance.
Guidelines: Does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Accepts queries and agented submissions by e-mail. Include synopsis, estimated word count, brief bio, list of publishing credits, and sample chapters. Accepts simultaneous submissions.
Barbour Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 719,
Uhrichsville OH 44683
www.barbourbooks.com, www.heartsongpresents.com
Editors: Rebecca Germany, Senior Fiction Editor; JoAnne Simmons, Heartsong Presents Romances; Susan Downs, Heartsong Presents Mysteries
Fiction sought: Primarily romance with traditional settings or cozy mysteries with romance and inspirational subplots. (We aren't doing chick and mom lit, romantic suspense, or settings between WWII and modern day.)
Guidelines: Available for each Heartsong line www.barbourbooks.com/writers_guidelines. We will work with both agented and unagented authors. It would be best to email a query before submitting.
Emailed proposals are acceptable at: fictionsubmit@barbourbooks.com
Openings in all of our fiction areas are very few at this present time.
Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue
South Bloomington, MN 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Fiction Acquisitions Editors: Charlene Patterson and David Long
Guidelines: You may submit a query, proposal, or manuscript to BHP through an established literary agent, recognized manuscript service, recommendation by a BHP author or employee, or at a writers' conference attended by Bethany House editorial staff.
While we do not accept unsolicited queries or proposals via telephone, mail, or e-mail, we will consider a one-page query sent to our fax line. Our guiding principle is that great stories will always find an audience, and thus we consider nearly all styles and genres of Christian fiction.
For more information, please visit www.bethanyhouse.com/writersguidelines See our Web site for genres of current interest. We update the site from time to time and it is the best way for potential authors to stay current.
David C. Cook
(Cook did not reply to 2008 request so this info may have changed.)
4050 Lee Vance View
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.cookministries.org
Editorial Director: Terry Behimer
Fiction sought: contemporary, historical, romance, biblical, teen (high school), suspense, twentysomething—all with high standards of writing quality and a clear discipleship message without being preachy or too neatly tied up at the end. Cook only accepts proposals through agents or by invitation from one of our editors. (RiverOaks is now part of David C. Cook.)
Guideposts Books
16 East 34th Street 12th floor
New York, NY 10016
www.guideposts.com
Associate Editor: Beth Adams
Fiction sought: We do not generally publish children's books, poetry, craft books, curriculum, collections of sermons, or booklets.
Visit our web site for examples of the types of books we publish. It is recommended that you read at least one of our books prior to submitting a proposal.
Guidelines: Send a cover letter and double-spaced typewritten proposal of approximately five pages summarizing what your book is about, who it should be appealing to and why, biographical and past publications information, and proposed length. Also submit a sample chapter and chapter outline. Do not submit entire manuscripts or any valuable documents as we cannot guarantee their safety. Please allow two months for a response. Regrettably, we are unable to acknowledge receipt or give status reports regarding unsolicited manuscripts. Finally, please include a SASE if you wish your proposal returned.
Hachette Book Group USA
10 Cadillac Drive, Suite 220
www.faithwords.com
Two imprints: FaithWords and Center Street
FaithWords targets Christian readers.
Editor: Anne Horch (Goldsmith)
Center Street targets heartland America–not overtly Christian, but reflecting traditional American values.
Editors: Christina Boys, Michelle Rapkin
Fiction sought for both imprints:
We are looking for authors who already have an established fan base and presence in the market. We want to partner with strong writers who are committed to honing their craft and taking their publishing career to the next level. We aggressively pursue ABA outlets for all of our books.
Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Acquiring editors: Terry Glaspey, Nick Harrison, Kim Moore
Guidelines: Harvest House no longer accepts unsolicited material.
The best way for new writers to submit to Harvest House is through an agent or at a writer's conference. We also look at the online manuscript listing services, such as www.ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com and Writer's Edge regularly.
Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster
3117 North 7th St.
West Monroe, LA 71291
Senior Fiction Editor: David Lambert
Guidelines: Query first
Kregel Publications
(Kregel did not reply to 2008 request so this info may have changed.)
P.O. Box 2607
Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2607
phone: 616-451-4775 ext. 215; fax: 616-451-9330
http://kregel.gospelcom.net
Editor: Dennis Hillman
Fiction sought: Contemporary women's (not romance), historical, mystery/ suspense.
Guidelines: We only consider agented proposals or contact authors based on submissions to The Writer's Edge or ECPA First Edition.
Moody Publishers
820 N LaSalle Blvd
Chicago IL 60610-3284
www.moodypublishers.com
Acquisitions Fiction Editor: Andy McGuire
Guidelines: Not accepting any new fiction proposals now. Query later in the year by mail or email to: acquisitions@moody.edu
Putnam Praise, Penguin Group (USA)
(Putnam Praise did not reply to 2008 request so this info may have changed.)
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
Editor: Denise Silvestro
Guidelines. We are looking for all types of fiction, full-length, stand-alones and series. We accept only agented submissions.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287
Grand Rapids, MI 49516
www.revellbooks.com
Director of Acquisitions, Lonnie Hull DuPont
Guidelines: We are not accepting unsolicited submissions. We do work with the agents in our industry.
Steeple Hill
233 Broadway, Suite 1001
New York, NY 10279
www.SteepleHill.com
Imprints: Steeple Hill Women's Fiction (single title program); Love Inspired; Love Inspired Suspense; Love Inspired Historical
Editors: Joan Marlow Golan, Executive Editor (Steeple Hill Women's Fiction); Krista Stroever, Senior Editor (Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense); Melissa Endlich, Editor (Love Inspired Historical); Emily Rodmell, Assistant Editor; Sarah McDaniel, Editorial Assistant (Steeple Hill and Love Inspired); Elizabeth Mazer, Editorial Assistant (Love Inspired Suspense)
Fiction sought: The single title program is open to a variety of genres, ranging from contemporary women's fiction (family dramas, romance, suspense, romantic suspense) to historicals and thrillers. The series romance lines are as follows: :
Love Inspired is looking for character-driven romance with a Christian worldview (55000-60000 words)
Love Inspired Suspense is looking for riveting romantic suspense with a Christian worldview (55000-60000 words)
Love Inspired Historical is looking for Westerns, Americana (e.g., non-western settings.), European historical eras (e.g., Regency, and Victorian England, 18th century Scotland, etc.), 20th century (turn of the century through World War II) and biblical fiction, . We are also interested in stories featuring missionaries abroad in exotic locations during various historical periods. Projects should be between 70-75,000 words long.
Guidelines: We accept both agented and unagented material. Our series romance lines are an excellent opportunity for first time authors. Query with synopsis or query with synopsis & 1st 3 chapters is preferred.
Thomas Nelson
P.O. Box 141000
Nashville, TN 37214
www.thomasnelson.com
Fiction Editors: Ami McConnell, Amanda Bostic, Natalie HanemannThomas
Guidelines: Nelson does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. We will only review proposals sent to us from agents or from authors we meet at conferences.
Tyndale House
351 Executive Dr
Carol Stream IL 60188
www.tyndale.com and www.tyndalefiction.com
Acquisitions Director: Karen Watson, Senior Acquisitions Editor: Jan Stob, Acquisitions Editor: Stephanie Broene
Fiction sought: We are looking for manuscripts with excellent writing, creative storylines, fresh ideas, and strong hooks. We are currently fully contracted in Biblical and End-Times fiction.
Guidelines: Word count should be 75,000-110,000 words. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Authors must be agented or must be specifically invited by an editor to submit their material.
WaterBrook-Multnomah Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc.
12265 Oracle Blvd, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
www.multnomahbooks.com
Senior Editors: Julee Schwarzburg (Multnomah Books) ; Shannon Hill (WaterBrook Press)
Ffiction sought: All genres except for tweener fiction
Guidelines: Unfortunately, we only accept proposals through a literary agent or upon invitation at a writer's conference.
Zondervan
5300 Patterson Ave SE
Grand Rapids MI 49530
www.zondervan.com
Sr. Acquisitions Editor, Fiction & Inspiration: Sue Brower
Acquisitions Editor, Fiction & Faith and Culture: Andy Meisenheimer
Fiction Sought: We are looking for: Fiction in the Contemporary, Suspense, American historical and Romance genres. Length ranges from 90K-105K words. Innovative and imaginative inspirational romance.
Guidelines: Zondervan does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. We will consider those proposals that come to us directly from agents or from writer's conferences when requested. We also review submissions made to First Edition, the manuscript service on the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association website (www.ECPA.org). Our manuscript submission guidelines are here.
Zondervan has very few slots for new novelists and one of the best opportunities to meet with us is at Mount Herman writer's conference and the ACFW writer's conference.
Smaller or Newer Presses or Ebook publishers
ByGrace Publishing
http://bygracepublishing.com
Editor: Sheila Holloway
I spoke to one happy author who has worked with them. This is not a vanity press even though they use www.LuLu.com to print their trade titles. The author does not pay any money to the house.
Focus on the Family
Editor: Kathy Davis, editor
They are developing an original fiction program but is not seeking submissions at this time. (Gayle Roper is one of their debut authors.)
Harrison House Publishers
(Harrison did not reply to 2008 request so the info may have changed.)
P.O. Box 35035
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74153
www.harrisonhouse.com
Guidelines: Harrison House is currently not accepting any unsolicited manuscripts.
Marcher Lord Press
8345 Pepperridge Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
www.marcherlordpress.com
Contact: Jeff Gerke
Marcher Lord Press is a small, indie publishing company founded by Christian publishing industry veteran Jeff Gerke (a.k.a. Jefferson Scott).
Fiction Sought: Marcher Lord Press specializes in Christian speculative fiction: fantasy, science fiction, time travel, supernatural thrillers, and other "weird" Christian fiction. These are full-length novels for adults (no YA) and are regular printed-and-bound novels like the ones on the shelf in your bookstore, though these novels are available through the Internet only. Marcher Lord Press is not a subsidy, vanity, or self-publishing press. It is a royalty-paying publisher that publishes less than 1% of the proposals submitted to it. Marcher Lord Press releases 6 novels a year, in April and October.
Sheaf House Publishers
P.O. Box 263
Perry, GA 31069
www.sheafhouse.com
Editorial Director: Joan M. Shoup
Fiction Sought: Aways on the lookout for innovative, quirky, edgy, out-of-the-ordinary fiction that pushes the boundaries and has a distinctive voice and attitude. Although stories must be written from a Judeo-Christian worldview and contain a redemptive message, they do not necessarily have to mention God or Jesus. They should never be preachy or offer pat answers to complex life issues.
Guidelines: Available on our Web site. We accept fiction proposals only. Word count must be at least 70,000. No category-type romances. It's fine to have a passionate romance in the story, but if that's all the story is about, Sheaf House is not the market for you. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, but will consider queries. Authors must either be agented or be specifically invited to submit their material. Currently our list is filled until 2010, so no submissions will be accepted until spring 2009, although it's fine to query.
Summerside Press
http://lovefindsyou.wordpress.com
Editor: Rachel Meisel
New trade publisher. They will be releasing their first titles in the fall 2008. Their innovative program is targeting real US towns with romantic names, such as Irene Brand's first title with them, VALENTINE, NEBRASKA. Drop by their website to learn more.
The Wild Rose Press Ebook and Trade
PO Box 708
Adams Basin NY 14410
www.thewildrosepress.com/publisher
White Rose Line (Inspirational Romance) Editors: Nicola Martinez, Senior Editor; Lori Graham, Editor; Elizabeth West, Editor; Anne Seymour, Editor.
Accepts unagented submissions. Accepts queries by e-mail. Include synopsis, estimated word count, brief bio, list of publishing credits. Accepts simultaneous submissions. Publishes only contemporary and historical romance, however subgenres are acceptable. We publish stories in varying lengths from 1750 words to 100,000 words.
African-American Houses
Kimani Press
233 Broadway, Suite 1001
www.eHarlequin.com
Imprint: New Spirit, Glenda Howard, Executive Editor
Genre: Inspirational fiction (and nonfiction)
Guidelines: Fiction Manuscript word length: Approximately 70,000 – 80,000 words; Manuscript pages: 280 pages.
The New Spirit imprint publishes an inspirational line of fiction that predominately features African-American characters. These novels will be entertaining and thought-provoking, and the characters will work to overcome and resolve challenges through the power of prayer and faith. Our titles appeal to a broad audience because they will address contemporary issues such as love, betrayal, tragedy and triumph over adversity, while keeping a spiritual message throughout. These novels will not feature any profanity or explicit sex. If you would like to submit a manuscript suitable for the New Spirit imprint, (published authors) send a detailed synopsis and three sample chapters or (unpublished authors) a detailed synopsis and a complete manuscript.
Kensington
Developing a new inspirational line.
Editor to query: Rakia Clark. RClark@kensingtonbooks.com
Souls of my Sisters, which is aimed at African-American readers.
I'm certain that they are accepting only agented submissions at this time.
Urban Christian
(Urban Christian did not reply to 2008 request so the info may have changed.)
P.O. Box 128
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-0128
www.urbanchristianonline.net
African-American inspirational fiction
Guidelines: www.urbanchristianonline.net/9.html
Faith, Hope & Love appreciates Lyn Cote's updates to this market page. Without her efforts, it would not exist. Visit her at www.booksbylyncote.com