Keren Baltzer, most recently v-p, editorial director of Penguin Random House's Convergent and Image imprints has been named associate publisher of Zondervan Books. Baltzer has been in Christian publishing for over 20 years. In addition to PRH she has worked at Hachette’s Faithwords imprint. Among the authors she has worked with are Kate Bowler, Pope Francis, and the Henri Nouwen estate.
In her new role, Baltzer will focus on acquisitions and assist in leading Zondervan's editorial strategy. Speaking to PW about her plans, Baltzer says she is looking for books that both “tell a great story [and] elicit a strong transformational, hopeful response.” Categories she will be focusing on include spiritual formation, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, memoir, thought leaders, pop culture/celebrity, and health & wellness.
“I believe the church is facing a reckoning, and Christians are in need of orthodox, Christ-centered answers that move them toward deeper spiritual formation, a deeply rooted theology, and truth,” she adds. “I’m thrilled to be part of the conversation and hope to publish books at Zondervan that offer readers a place to find the grounded, solid answers they’re looking for, a refuge from the chaos of this noisy world, and a reading experience that invites freedom and joy on repeat.”
Baltzer will report to Webster Younce, v-p and publisher of Zondervan Books.
