Nowlin Signs Two Authors for IVP
IVP associate editor Nilwona Nowlin has taken world rights for Krista Pettiford’s tentatively titled Brave Change, which will release in spring 2027. Pettiford, a divorced mother of four, intends the book to help single or single-again Christian women move forward by taking faith-based action and trusting that God has a plan for their story, according to the publisher. Pettiford, who is represented by Barbara Roose of Books & Such, works as an IT manager as well as co-leads women’s ministry at The Rock Church in San Diego.
Nowlin has also signed Evangelical Covenant Church preacher Nicole Bullock, founder of the leadership intensive She Preaches, for the tentatively titled Can I Get an Amen? The world-rights deal includes a spring 2027 release for the unagented book. Bullock offers a guide to help preachers develop their unique voice in the pulpit and to navigate the tension between expectations FOR PREACHERS OR EXPECTATIONS FOR WHO? and today’s reality, according to the publisher.
IVP’s Boyd Signs Evangelism Title
Jon Boyd, associate publisher and academic editorial director at IVP, has a signed a world rights contract with Mark Robert Teasdale for his tentatively titled Socially Awkward Jesus, which explores the psychology of evangelism and offers insights to help people prepare to share their faith. Teasdale is a professor of evangelism at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and who is also ordained in the United Methodist Church and a consultant on evangelism. The book will release in spring 2026 and the author was not represented by an agent.
Back to Eden book with MJ Faith
Morgan James Faith has taken world rights to Beyond the Garden: Understanding the Power of Being Made in His Image and Likeness by Demetria Stallings, singer, preacher and founder of Letters of the Heart. It is a ministry to help people discover God’s voice in their lives, to understand their divine identity and purpose and live accordingly, as exemplified in the Garden of Eden. No agent was involved in the deal for the fall 2025 release.
Picture Book to IVP
Prolific children’s book author Jody Jensen Shaffer (Emergency Kittens!, Prudence the Part-Time Cow) has inked a world-rights deal with IVP executive editor Elissa Schauer for the tentatively titled picture book Putting On My Jesus Shirt. The book encourages young children ages 4-8 to wear the clothes God chose, based on the Bible’s Colossians 3:12-14 that says “dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline.” The illustrator is as yet undecided and the author was not represented by an agent.
