Tag: Brian Hampton

(Nashville, Tenn.) July 1, 2019—With the deepest sadness, HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) this morning announced the passing of a dear friend and colleague, Brian Hampton. As senior vice president and group publisher, Hampton led the strategy and direction of the organization’s book publishing program, for both Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, with the exception of Zondervan Academic and Zondervan Reflective. 

Hampton began his career with Thomas Nelson in 1991 as an editorial assistant.  His keen editorial sense and precision quickly established his credibility within the organization.  He moved into the position of senior vice president and publisher for Thomas Nelson in 2006. 

Hampton’s ability to form meaningful, lifelong relationships were behind internationally successful and bestselling book campaigns for authors like Lysa TerKeurst, Max Lucado, Donald Miller, John C. Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, Bob Goff, Jen Hatmaker, John Eldredge, Rachel Hollis, and many more.  In October 2018, it was announced that Hampton was selected to lead the future of HCCP’s book publishing program.

President and CEO, Mark Schoenwald commented, “It is difficult to express what Brian Hampton meant to me, to this organization, to our authors, to the industry. He was a great man, who loved God, his family, and his work. So many at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, including myself, admired Brian for so much more than his contribution here, and his presence will be missed.  Our hearts and prayers are with his wife, Karen, their two children, and extended families.”

About HarperCollins Christian Publishing: The world’s leading Christian publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc., comprises both Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing groups in addition to Olive Tree Bible Software.  The Company produces bestselling Bibles, inspirational books, academic resources, curriculum, audio and digital content for the Christian market space.  Also home to BibleGateway.com, the world’s largest Christian website, and FaithGateway.com, an online community dedicated to helping people grow in their faith. HarperCollins Christian Publishing is headquartered in Nashville, TN with additional offices in the U.S. and Mexico.  For more information visit www.HarperCollinsChristian.com.  

(Nashville, Tenn.) May 6, 2019—After receiving heart-breaking news on Saturday, May 4, 2019 that New York Times best-selling author Rachel Held Evans had passed, the publishing teams at Thomas Nelson and Zondervan offer their deepest sympathy for her family and loved ones.  Rachel was best known for her authentic voice in the Christian community, with thoughts that provoked, challenged, and strengthened followers of Jesus Christ. 

In 2010, Rachel’s debut title, Evolving in Monkey Town (Zondervan), which was re-released in 2014 as Faith Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask Questions, unpacked the beginning of Rachel’s faith journey that would eventually lead to the radical and often humorous life experiments told in A Year of Biblical Womanhood : How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband ‘Master’(Thomas Nelson, 2012).   Rachel was well-known by readers for her wit as well as her honest and outspoken opinion of today’s Church and its influence in our culture.   Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church (Thomas Nelson, 2015) was written to showcase her belief in the power of grace, and Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again, her most recent book with Thomas Nelson, was a quest to understand what the Bible is and how it is meant to be read. Rachel’s last book, Wholehearted Faith is currently scheduled to release from HarperOne in October 2020. 

“Rachel embodied humility and grace in her every conversation and interaction,” said senior acquisitions editor for Thomas Nelson, Jenny Baumgartner.  “We loved her dearly at Thomas Nelson, and our hearts and prayers are with her husband and their two young children as they face a very challenging road ahead.  There is an outpouring of love and gratefulness for Rachel right now, and the immense impact she had in Christendom is seen throughout the media. I am so grateful that her books continue her legacy of risking it all for continued faith in Jesus.”  

Brian Hampton, senior v-p and group publisher for HarperCollins Christian Publishing commented, “The entire HarperCollins Christian Publishing team was so sad to hear of Rachel’s passing.  We knew Rachel as a strong, curious, and kind person and a writer who was deeply committed to her craft.  We are proud to be the publisher of several of Rachel Held Evans’ books, and our thoughts are with Dan and their children.” 

Rachel’s teaching and influence will continue to impact the world’s understanding and interpretation of the scripture, and to stimulate cultural conversations in the Church for years to come.  In Faith Unraveled, Rachel wrote, “What my generation is learning the hard way is that faith is not about defending the conquered ground but about discovering new territory.  Faith isn’t about being right, or settling down, or refusing to change.  Faith is a journey, and every generation contributes its own sketches to the map.  I’ve got miles and miles to go on this journey, but I think I can see Jesus up ahead.”

To read the official statement from Rachel’s husband, Dan please visit her blog.

About HarperCollins Christian Publishing: 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 with additional offices in the U.S. and Mexico.  For more information visit www.HarperCollinsChristian.com. 

(Nashville, TN) January 8, 2018—HarperCollins Christian Publishing today announced that Timothy Paulson will join the organization on February 4 as vice president and publisher of Nelson Books, a Thomas Nelson imprint.  Paulson will be based in Nashville, Tenn., and will report to Brian Hampton, senior vice president and group publisher for HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

In his role as vice president and publisher, Paulson will be responsible for growing and leading the imprint, bringing innovative strategic thinking to its strong editorial and marketing team.  In 2018 Nelson Books had multiple titles recognized as bestsellers by The New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, The Wall Street Journal and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.  Nelson Books is home to many bestselling authors including Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, Dave Ramsey, Jen Hatmaker, Bob Goff, John and Stasi Eldredge, Jefferson Bethke, and Donald Miller, and last year published the runaway bestselling book Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis—with more than 2.3 million copies sold in just 11 months.

“I’m truly honored and excited to join the Nelson Books team,” said Paulson. “The team has been on a roll, and I look forward to continuing this success well into the future.”

Paulson comes to HarperCollins Christian Publishing with more than eighteen years of expertise in publishing.  Most recently with Kalmbach Media, Paulson spent the majority of his career at 1517 Media where he achieved a breadth of strategic initiatives, including launching an internal startup organization that later became the largest corporate division for the company.  While at 1517 Media, Paulson created award-winning publishing imprints, redesigned multidivisional marketing groups, developed new digital platform strategies, and built an award-winning animation studio.  He led successful business acquisitions as well as developed new channel strategies to increase overall company sales.

“The Nelson Books team is filled with strong, successful marketers and editors,” said Brian Hampton. “Tim’s rich experience as a publisher, coaching leader, innovator, brand creator, and marketer make him a great fit as the leader of this team. Taking over responsibility for an imprint that is having a big run in the marketplace is a unique challenge requiring confidence and humility, and Tim brings both to our company. I’m delighted to have him aboard.”

Paulson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., a Master of Divinity from the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and a Master of Business Administration from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn.

Hampton, who previously held the position as publisher for Nelson Books, was promoted in September 2018 to oversee all book publishing operations for HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

About HarperCollins Christian Publishing: The world’s leading Christian publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, 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.   Bible Gateway  is the world’s largest Christian website with more than 20 million unique monthly visitors. HarperCollins Christian Publishing is headquartered in Nashville, TN with additional offices in the U.S. and Mexico.  For more information visit www.HarperCollinsChristian.com.

SVP and Group Publisher David Moberg announces intent to retire; Brian Hampton promoted to lead role

September 13, 2018 (Nashville, TN)-  HarperCollins Christian Publishing today announced a transition in publishing leadership with the announcement of senior vice president and group publisher David Moberg’s intention to retire at the end of the company’s fiscal year, in June 2019.   Brian Hampton, current senior vice president and publisher of Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, will be promoted to fill this role.  Hampton will begin overseeing all book publishing operations for both Thomas Nelson and Zondervan and the associated imprints* effective immediately.  He will sit on the company’s Executive Leadership Team and report directly to Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO.  Moberg will continue to hold a leadership role within HarperCollins Christian Publishing until his date of retirement, ensuring a seamless transition of responsibilities.

In this role, Hampton will set the strategy and direction for all trade, children’s, specialty, and curriculum publishing.  Hampton will be responsible for ensuring all divisions are meeting goals, developing new business initiatives, and managing relationships with key authors, retailers, distributors, and staff.

Hampton has served the company for 27 years in various editorial and leadership roles, helping to develop and publish several bestselling books including: Wild at Heart by John Eldredge, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell, The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, and The Best Yes and Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst.  Most recently he is noted for signing breakout authors such as Bob Goff (Love Does and Everybody Always), Jen Hatmaker (For the Love and Of Mess and Moxie), and Rachel Hollis (Girl, Wash Your Face).  In addition to his role as publisher of Nelson Books, in 2017 Hampton led the launch of HarperCollins Leadership, a general market leadership imprint, in addition to the acquisition of the AMACOM trade book assets from the American Management Association.

“Brian’s track record of finding and developing great authors and content as well as leading and developing teams has prepared him for future success as the head of book publishing for HCCP,” said Mark Schoenwald.  “Brian’s decisions are strategic and analytical, and his product background gives him a keen sense about authors and manuscripts that will resonate in the market.   Brian has built invaluable relationships with authors and agents and is highly respected in the industry.  We are thrilled that he has accepted this next step in his career with us.”

Moberg will continue to work on special projects, mentor key staff, and provide guidance and counsel to the Executive Leadership Team during transition.  In addition, he will continue to serve on the Board of Directors for the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association as vice-chair.  “This is an exciting time for both Brian and the company, and I appreciate the support shown to me throughout my career in publishing.  I am confident that Brian’s transition to group publisher will be smooth as he is more than prepared to take on this role.”

* Zondervan’s Church, Academic, Reference and Reflective publishing focus will remain with Stan Gundry, senior vice president and publisher and Zondervan editor-in-chief.  Bible publishing will remain with John Kramp, senior vice president and group publisher.

About HarperCollins Christian Publishing: 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 with additional offices in the U.S. and Mexico.  For more information visit www.HarperCollinsChristian.com.

(Nashville, TN) June 19, 2018—Thomas Nelson announced Jamie Lockard as its new vice president marketing for Nelson Books today. Lockard will report to Brian Hampton, senior vice president and publisher for Nelson Books, and will work closely alongside Hampton to develop and lead key marketing and brand strategy.

Lockard comes to Nelson Books after running a consulting firm specializing in B2B and B2C marketing strategy, professional development, and brand strategy. Prior to that, she spent 10 years at Hallmark, including roles as retail merchandise director and vice president of Gift Solutions. Other experience includes roles as brand director for Whirlpool, vice president of marketing for Jockey International, and director of advertising and public relations for Lee Apparel.

“Jamie’s extensive experience leading marketing teams, working with creatives, developing products, and maximizing resources is an invaluable addition to our authors and our team,” says Hampton. “We are thrilled to gain her clear-thinking, positive, strategic, and results-oriented approach to marketing.”

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, cookbooks, curricula, and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson, is headquartered in Nashville, TN. For additional information visit www.thomasnelson.com.