COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — March 26, 2026 — Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group has promoted Matthew Burdette to Senior Editor for the Image and Forum imprints. Continuing to report to PRH Christian Editorial Director Madison Trammel, Burdette is taking an expanded leadership role driving strategic growth for Image, the division’s Catholic publishing imprint.
“Matt is a deep thinker who brings astute cultural and theological analysis, curiosity, and unexpected insights to every proposal that he considers and manuscript that he edits,” said Trammel. “He’s worked with established authors like Ronald Rolheiser and the Henri Nouwen estate while also discovering promising new voices like Claire Morell, author of The Tech Exit.”
In recent acquisitions, Burdette secured rights to a new format of The Catechism of the Catholic Church. He has also played a key role in deepening the division’s engagement with Catholic audiences, cultivating relationships with partners including the Hallow app, agents and ministry leaders.
Among his most notable forthcoming projects, Burdette acquired North American rights to Vatican reporter Elise Ann Allen’s Pope Leo XIV, a highly anticipated biography of the new pope. The title builds on Image’s longstanding position as a publishing home for works by and about popes, an area Burdette is expected to further develop in his new role.
Strategically, Burdette will help lead growth initiatives for Image, focusing on expanding title output, increasing market share and strengthening the imprint’s profile as a leading Catholic publisher. With a legacy spanning more than 50 years, Image has been a cornerstone of Catholic publishing, and Burdette will work to extend that heritage with a new generation of titles. Upcoming books on his Image list include The Resistance by Fr. John Riccardo, The End of Sex by Abigail Favale and The Whole Way by Tsh Oxenreider.
He will also continue acquiring for Forum, the division’s imprint on cultural and political thought, with forthcoming titles such as No Contact by Noelle Mering, The New Feminine by Rikki Schlott, and Breaking Our Fever by Former Senator William H. Frist scheduled for release over the next 18 months.
“Matt is admired by authors, agents and colleagues alike for his intellectual rigor and appreciated for his kind collegiality,” added Trammel. “We’re grateful for his many contributions and look forward to seeing where he will lead Image and Forum in the years ahead.”
Image and Forum are imprints of Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.
For more information, visit https://sites.prh.com/imagebooks or https://sites.prh.com/forum-books.
Contact:
Beverly Rykerd, VP, Sr. Director Publicity & Communications
brykerd@penguinrandomhouse.com
