Guideposts has signed a three-year agreement to license its Daily Guideposts and Mornings with Jesus devotionals to HarperCollins Christian Publishing’s Zondervan division.
Guideposts will continue to compile the devotionals and market them to its own customers via its direct-to-consumer sales channel, while Zondervan will assume retail responsibilities, said Lenore Person, v-p and editorial director for Guideposts Books.
Until 2014, retail for the devotionals was handled by Ideals Publications, a trade publisher that Guideposts sold to Worthy Publishing last year. Said Person, “This divestiture opened an opportunity for our team to find a publishing partner that could offer more reach to our devotionals.”
Person noted that many consumers are aware of Guideposts magazine but don’t know about Guideposts Books, which publishes 30 titles a year (24 fiction and 6 non-fiction). In the past, these books have been sold almost exclusively through the company’s direct-to-consumer program, but beginning with these two popular devotionals, Guideposts would like to bring other titles to the trade. “Our vision is to encourage and inspire as many people as we can. We are looking for partnerships that help us reach new readers,” Person said.
Zondervan was a natural choice because of its deep reach in both the Christian and general markets, she added. “We want Daily Guideposts and Mornings with Jesus to be available wherever and however people want to buy them—whether directly from Guideposts, in a retail store, or through their church’s education program. Zondervan has a presence in all of these areas.”
The Zondervan connection also was established by the fact that David Morris, Zondervan v-p and publisher, was formerly v-p and editorial director of Guideposts Books.
According to Zondervan, Daily Guideposts has sold more than 20 million copies over its 40-year history. The 2016 versions of both devotionals will release from Zondervan on October 27.
