Webster Younce to be VP, Publisher and Paul Fisher to be VP, Marketing
(Nashville, Tenn.) June 22, 2020—HarperCollins Christian Publishing announced today it will be relocating the Zondervan Books and Zondervan Thrive imprints from Grand Rapids, Mich. to be based in its corporate office in Nashville, Tenn. This will allow for sharing of best practices across the company’s trade book publishing program for both Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing groups. At this time, the company will continue to maintain an office in Grand Rapids, Mich. where other Zondervan brands are based. Those brands include Zondervan Academic, Zondervan Reflective, Zonderkidz, and the Zondervan Bible Group.
“Creating a more cohesive structure for our trade book publishing imprints allows for us to manage our non-fiction brands under Don Jacobson’s leadership,” commented Mark Schoenwald, President and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing and HarperCollins Focus. “We believe that having the Zondervan Books and Zondervan Thrive leadership in Nashville will help the teams better manage author relationships and allow them to collaborate on larger corporate initiatives.”
Leading the publishing strategy for Zondervan Books and Zondervan Thrive will be newly named VP and publisher Webster Younce. Younce previously worked as the associate publisher and executive editor of Nelson Books, a Thomas Nelson imprint, for the past seven years with oversight on all editorial processes, and responsibilities acquiring and editing a full list of projects. Younce also helped manage the imprint’s publishing functions, including market development, sales relations, and financial oversight. Throughout his time in this role he worked with New York Times bestselling authors including Bob Goff, Eric Metaxas, and John Eldredge; thought leaders William J. Bennett, R. Albert Mohler Jr., and Dallas Willard; and public figures Gary Sinise, Randy Travis, and Jessi Colter. Younce began his more than 20- year-publishing-career at Alfred A. Knopf and has held editorial roles for publishing houses at Picador USA, Arcade Publishing, Random House, Houghton Mifflin, Henry Holt and Company, and Simon & Schuster. He also spent two years at Suhrkamp Verlag in Berlin, Germany where was the editorial director for international and English-language literature.
Paul Fisher, previously senior director of marketing for the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan fiction programs will become VP of marketing for Zondervan Books and Zondervan Thrive. With both an extensive financial and product marketing background, Fisher has worked at HarperCollins Christian Publishing for four years where he successfully overhauled the reader, retailer, and industry engagement strategy across multiple channels. Fisher has developed and grown author relationships, working to help educate the importance of author platforms and audience segmentation. Throughout his tenure with the organization, Fisher has worked with New York Times bestselling authors Max Lucado, Charles Martin, Patti Callahan, Terri Blackstock and Lis Wiehl; and Christian fiction icons Colleen Coble, Melanie Dickerson, Beth Wiseman, Rachel Hauck, and Denise Hunter. Fisher’s diverse background includes various senior leadership roles at ConAgra Foods, Inc., Information Resources, Inc., Catapult Marketing, and Unilever. In the interim, Fisher will maintain his leadership role within the fiction team, as they transition to find a new marketing leader.
“As HCCP looks ahead, we are implementing plans throughout the company to strengthen our position in the marketplace as the leading Christian publisher across all genres,” said Don Jacobson, senior VP, publisher for HarperCollins Christian Publishing Trade Books. “We are thrilled to have Webb and Paul move into these leadership roles and join the Zondervan team. Both have worked alongside their Zondervan colleagues for a number of years and have a deep appreciation for the significance of the Zondervan brand, especially for the authors who have built its stellar reputation in the marketplace.”
Zondervan Books is the flagship non-fiction publishing imprint for the Zondervan publishing group, publishing approximately 50 titles per year. Zondervan Thrive officially launched in late 2019 as an imprint specifically focused on personal development, health and wellness, self-care, marriage and family, abuse/trauma, anxiety, and personality typologies.
About HarperCollins Christian Publishing: As the world’s leading Christian publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc., comprises the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing groups, Olive Tree Bible Software, BibleGateway.com, FaithGateway.com and ChurchSource.com. The company produces bestselling Bibles, inspirational books, academic resources, curriculum, audio and digital content for the Christian market space. HarperCollins Christian Publishing is headquartered in Nashville, TN. For more information please visit www.harpercollinschristian.com.
Contact: Casey Harrell, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, 615-902-1109 Casey.Harrell@HarperCollins.com
