Gilead Publishing, the new Christian house that began operation earlier this year, announced the first titles it will publish in its inaugural list this fall. Cowboy Christmas Homecoming: A Novella Collection and Sleigh Bells Ring: A Novella Collection will release on October 11. Cardiac Event by Richard L. Mabry M.D. and Finding Margo by Jen Turano will release on November 15.
“My goal for this first list was to set a brand for Gilead that tells retailers what kind of books we’ll be doing,” said Susan Brower, v-p of editorial. “We wanted familiar, established authors that readers in the Christian community know. We have contemporary and historical romance; suspense, and general contemporary.”
Cowboy Christmas Homecoming features novellas by Mary Connealy, author of several romance series published by Bethany House; Ruth Logan Herne, whose most recent romance series, Double S Ranch, will be published by Multnomah in March; as well as Julie Lessman and Anna Schmidt— authors of numerous historical novels.
In the second collection of romance novellas, Sleigh Bells Ring includes authors Sandra D. Bricker, Barbara J. Scott, Lynette Sowell, and Lenora Worth. Bricker is the author of the romantic Jessie Stanton novels at Abingdon, while Sowell is the author of e-book novels such as Catch A Falling Star (Amazon Digital Services, 2015). Worth has written for Harlequin’s Love Inspired line, including her most recent, Lakeside Sweetheart (May) in the Men of Millbrook Lake series.
As for the two standalone novels, Brower said acquiring books by veteran writers of medical suspense and romance, Richard Mabry and Jen Turano, was a no-brainer. “These midlist, established authors will give us a name and a presence right off the bat,” she said. “Readers and retailers will recognize them. Then next year we’ll have fun with some new ideas.”
Gilead offers advances and royalty payments on print and e-books, and plans to release 40-50 books in 2017, including titles released by its Enclave Publishing imprint. The publisher will use APG Sales and Distribution located in Nashville, Tenn.
