It hasn’t gone unnoticed by HarperCollins that inspirational fiction is doing very well, especially in the romance category. Karen Kingsbury, Beverly Cleary, Lori Wick and others—regular stars on the Christian bestseller charts—are enjoying increased sales at ABA stores and also at the big-box outlets Target, Wal-Mart and Costco.
HC has the right companies to be a player in this field—its mass market imprint Avon is one of the leaders in the women’s fiction/romance category, and Harper San Francisco is one of the leaders in the religion/spirituality category. Now the two are collaborating on a new inspirational women’s trade paper fiction line called Avon Inspire, with the first books to be published in spring 2007. HSF editor Cynthia DiTiberio will be in charge of acquisition and editing and Avon publisher Liate Stehlik will oversee production, marketing, promotion and advertising. Stehlik noted that Avon Inspire’s goal is to publish “engaging stories that Christian readers can trust and love.”
Read the Publisher’s Weekly story here.