NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 1, 2026—Harper Collins Christian Publishing today announced that Susan Ligon, former principal of Ligon Group Consulting, will become the VP and publisher for W Publishing Group, a part of Thomas Nelson. In this role, Ligon will lead the acquisition and editorial strategy and oversee marketing for the nonfiction imprint, reporting to Don Jacobson, Senior Vice President and Group Publisher for HarperCollins Christian Publishing. She will also be responsible for maintaining relationships with the strong roster of current W Publishing Group authors, in addition to discovering and growing new Christian voices in the market.
Ligon has worked in the industry for over thirty years, starting her publishing career at Word Publishing as a publicist and rising quickly through the ranks to VP of Marketing. For more than two decades, Ligon and her literary branding firm, Ligon Group, have managed some of the foremost brands in Christian publishing, including Max Lucado, Louie Giglio, Jennie Allen, Ruth Chou Simons, John Eldredge, Jesus Calling, and others.
The W Publishing imprint publishes nonfiction works at the epicenter of the Christian faith, creativity, and culture. Some recent successes include New York Times bestselling authors Dr. David Jeremiah, John Bevere, Savannah Guthrie, Louie Giglio, and Sarah Jakes Roberts. Previously published classics include mega-sellers Heaven Is for Real and Same Kind of Different as Me as well as Reverend Billy Graham’s publishing catalog.
“Having started my publishing industry journey at the historically significant Word Publishing, it is an unbelievable honor to now come full circle as VP and Publisher of W Publishing Group,” said Ligon. “I look forward to leading this exceptional team into the next phase of impact and success as we carry forward the legacy of W.”
Jacobson said, “I have had the privilege of working closely with Susan over the past seven years and have tremendous respect for both her leadership and her heart for authors and readers. Susan brings a rare combination of strategic insight, publishing excellence, and relational wisdom to everything she does. She is deeply committed to serving authors well, building healthy teams, and creating books that genuinely impact people’s lives. Susan leads with clarity, integrity, and vision, and I am excited to see her step into this important role with W Publishing. I believe her leadership will both honor the imprint’s strong heritage and help guide it into an exciting future.”
Ligon will begin her leadership of W Publishing Group on June 15.
About HarperCollins Christian Publishing
HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) is the world’s leading Christian publisher and home to renowned brands Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. It also operates various digital platforms, including FaithGateway, ChurchSource, and Bible Gateway—the world’s largest Christian website. HCCP specializes in bestselling Bibles, inspirational books, children’s books, academic resources, curriculum, gift books, audio, and digital content crafted for the Christian market. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with an office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, HCCP is part of HarperCollins Publishers. For more information, visit HarperCollinsChristian.com.
About Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson is a world leading publisher and provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. As part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the publishing group provides multiple formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. For additional information visit www.thomasnelson.com
Media Contact:
Franny Blanchard
franny.blanchard@harpercollins.com
