Baker Books has promoted Stephanie Duncan Smith from senior acquisitions editor to executive editor, effective immediately. Smith joined Baker Books in 2021 after serving as associate publisher of Zondervan Books. Prior to that, Smith managed the digital content strategy at Relevant magazine and Barna Group.
Among Smith's projects for Baker are books by bestselling author Jess Connolly, Fuller Youth Institute directors Kara Powell and Brad Griffin, and Ally Henny—host the the Combing the Roots podcast, public theologian, and writer about race and cultural identity.
In her new role, Smith tells PW she "will continue building a selective list and going deep with my authors so that their messages can reach wide." She adds: "I'm honored to be working with both established authors and new writers who are taking the long view toward their publishing, and my work is focused both on the big-picture planning as well as joining them in the studio of an early idea to craft memorable messages from the ground up," Smith says.
Rebekah Guzman, editorial director of Baker Books to whom Smith reports, said in a press release that Smith is a "major contributor" to the company's publishing program, which focuses on Christian titles on topics including discipleship, apologetics, spirituality, and the overlap of faith and culture. Guzman added that the expanded role will allow Smith to continue developing and acquiring "bestselling and award-winning authors."
