Abingdon Press, an imprint of the United Methodist Publishing House, is publishing two books by author and speaker Jen Hatmaker as part of a new gift books initiative. The first book, 7 Days of Christmas, is a spin-off of Hatmaker’s 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess (B&H, 2012), and it’s slated for publication on Oct. 1.
“Jen has had a huge impact on women of all ages, encouraging them to live more intentionally, and this book was a natural progression of her previous book,” said Karen Longino, who joined Abingdon as acquisitions manager last spring and is overseeing the gift books line. 7 Days of Christmas, which will feature a two-color interior, is a “tearing-down of commercialism,” Longino said. “It challenges readers to simplify gift-giving: to focus on lasting gifts and quality over quantity.”
Literary agent Mike Salisbury at Yates & Yates represented Hatmaker in the deal. The second book in the agreement is still in development, but it will be a devotional-style title that, like 7 Days of Christmas, will draw on the “rich content” of Hatmaker’s backlist, according to Longino.
Hatmaker’s past books include For the Love (Thomas Nelson, 2015), Of Mess and Moxie (Thomas Nelson, 2017), and several others that have reached PW’s bestsellers list.
Abingdon is publishing seven gift books total this year, including Hatmaker's. The spring 2020 list is to be determined.
"We decided to try out gift books to increase revenue," said Susan Salley, associate publisher, Christian living books and Bible studies. "It's a way to give terrific content a different twist."
Correction: An earlier version of this article mistakenly stated that Salley had joined Abingdon last spring and is overseeing the gift books line.
