This article is part of an ongoing series about PWedu’s Christian Publishing Summit, an online guest speaker program and workshop about the intersection of faith-based publishing and innovation, presented by PW. The online event and workshop starts on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and runs weekly through Nov. 20.
Helen Lee, director of strategic partnerships and initiatives at InterVarsity Press, will discuss the importance of diversity in publishing in a lecture titled "Lessons on How to Engage and Serve Diverse Christian Audiences," as part of PWedu’s inaugural Christian Publishing Summit.
In this session, participants will learn about the importance of inclusion from a variety of perspectives and walk away with fresh ideas for engaging their audiences. Lee will explain how publishers who support diverse Christian authors and books are seeing audience engagement that proves diversity not only matters for social good but also makes business sense.
The author of the parenting book The Missional Mom, Lee has worked in Christian publishing since 1993, and co-founded the Best Christian Workplaces with Al Lopus in 2002 to help Christian organizations improve the quality of their human resources management.
The Christian Publishing Summit gathers industry leaders—including editors, authors, and social media strategists—for a series of workshops aimed at book professionals, retailers, writers, and readers. The event features eight live lectures, including “A Search for Meaning,” in which participants will hear David Moberg, the group publisher for HarperCollins Christian Publishing, discuss the business behind big books. Other sessions include “Discoverability: Retail Strategies in a Time of Transition for Christian Publishing,” “A Marketer’s Lesson on How to Serve Diverse Audiences,” and “Lessons from Literary Agents in the Christian Sphere.”
The sessions explore each topic from multiple angles and offer valuable insight that can be applied broadly. Each session is followed by online workshops featuring one-on-one feedback. While in a live session, participants can raise questions and take part in peer discussions through an online chat interface. Participants also have access to an online classroom that provides an interactive space to workshop marketing copy or publicity plans, ask questions, start discussions, and network.
For more information on PWedu’s Christian Publishing Summit, including how to register, click here.
Correction: a previous version of this article listed Helen Lee's title incorrectly.
