HarperCollinsPublishers (@HarperCollins) announced yesterday it’s creating a Christian publishing division that will consist of its new company acquisition Thomas Nelson (@ThomasNelson) and Zondervan (@zondervan). Thomas Nelson’s president and CEO Mark Schoenwald is now president and CEO of the new division, reporting to Brian Murray, president and CEO of HarperCollins Worldwide. Schoenwald also will serve on the HarperCollins executive committee. Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) quotes Schoenwald in an exclusive interview:
“We will be building our leadership team over the next few weeks. Everything is under review – we are evaluating every area of the business....With some things you only get one chance to get it right, and we don't want to have to go back and keep adjusting.”
Schoenwald said the reason for creating the new division and bringing it under his leadership is that “people have to know who is in charge. We have to have someone leading the business.”
Read coverage by Digital Book World (@DigiBookWorld), GalleyCat (@GalleyCat), and Christian Retailing (@ChristianRetail). Also watch for comment by Thomas Nelson former president and CEO, Michael Hyatt (@MichaelHyatt).
See our previous blogpost, “HarperCollins to Acquire Thomas Nelson.”
In a possibly related development, Publishers Weekly reports that Thomas Nelson has signed an agreement with B&H Publishing (@BHpub) granting B&H "certain publication rights" to the New King James Version of the Bible. This could be a condition set by the Department of Justice to allow the Harper/Nelson deal to go through.
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