Titles from Christian book veteran Byron Willlamson's new publishing house are to be distributed by EMI Christian Music Group (EMI CMG) in what is believed to be an unprecedented industry partnership.

The Sky is Not Falling by Charles Colson and a study of the faith of teen pop star Justin Bieber lead the nine September releases that will mark the debut of Worthy Publishing.

EMI CMG will handle fulfillment to all physical retail channels and market the books to independent Christian retail stores, while sales to national, international and digital accounts will be handled by Worthy.

Formerly president of Word Publishing and the Thomas Nelson/Word Publishing Group and who later founded Integrity Publishers, Williamson said that he was "thrilled" to be back in publishing after a few years away due to contractual issues.

Although music and book company partnerships had occurred previously, he was not aware of any of the scale and scope of the Worthy-EMI CMG agreement, he told Christian Retailing. EMI CMG had "a wonderful reputation" for excellence in shipping and customer service, he added.

Bill Hearn, president and CEO of EMI CMG, said that adding books to the company's distribution service was "a natural extension" of its founding as "a platform to support and develop communicators of the gospel."

Williamson said that the arrangement with EMI CMG could lead to further joint initiatives such as live events featuring authors and artists. "There are a number of things that could eventually come from this alliance."

Joining Cathleen Falsani's Belieber! Fame, Faith and the Heart of Justin Bieber in the first Worthy list are Stephen Arterburn's Walking Into Walls, John Townsend's How to Be a Best Friend Forever and Bill and Gloria Gaither's A Homecoming Family Christmas.

• Prev
• Next