Two years after acquiring Worthy Publishing, Hachette Book Group's Hachette Nashville division is relaunching its Worthy imprint with the goal of reaching new, and younger, readers. The imprint is led by Daisy Blackwell Hutton, who was named v-p and publisher of Hachette Nashville in 2019, and shares its editorial team with Hachette Nashville.
Hutton tells PW of the May relaunch: "Expect to see books from a diverse author base that combine faith, creativity, and culture while establishing the next generation of voices who believe that living faith can transform the world. Our goal is to publish books that help readers traverse a complex and ever-changing world by redefining what it means to live as a person of faith in today's culture.”
The decision to maintain the Worthy name stemmed from the brand’s history in Christian publishing—publishing executive Byron Williamson founded it in 2011. Rather than launching a new imprint to house her new vision, Hutton is reshaping Worthy for "a new time and for the next generation of readers," she said.
Inaugural titles under the Worthy relaunch will include The Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God by TLC's Counting On stars Jeremy and Jinger Vuolo (May); Satisfied: Finding Hope, Joy, and Contentment Right Where You Are by Alyssa Joy Bethke (May), Bamboozled By Jesus: How God Tricked Me into the Life of My Dreams by the star of the HBO series, Insecure Yvonne Orji (May); Holy Hot Mess: Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful Life by viral mom blogger Mary Katherine Backstrom (Aug.); Built to Belong: Discovering the Power of Community Over Competition by Natalie Franke (Aug.); and finally, I Take My Coffee Black: Musings on Tupac, Musical Theater, Jesus, and Living in a World of Color by Tyler Merritt (Sept.).
The imprint will release 25-35 new books a year under Worthy’s adult trade list as well as WorthyKids, according to Hutton.
“We’re most excited about the opportunity to be involved with faith influencers who are speaking directly to the needs of readers, often in extremely fresh and unexpected ways," she said.
