The opportunity to have personal appointments with Editors and Agents is a valuable highlight of the conference. These provide a great way to learn first-hand about the writing industry, to pitch your manuscript or work-in-progress, and to brainstorm ideas, get encouragement, and benefit from industry professionals.
All appointments are available on a first pay, first slotted basis. Appointments will be scheduled by the Conference Appointment Coordinator, Casey Miller. Appointments will be scheduled the week prior to conference, so if you want an appointment, please register by August 27, 2021! All times are CDT for the virtual conference. You will select multiple choices for your appointment needs when you register for the conference. You will be sent your appointment information a week prior to the virtual conference so that, if requested by the person you have an appointment with, you may submit documents to Casey, who will ensure the information is passed along to the correct person.
One of the most valuable connecting points at the ACFW conference is the opportunity for editor appointments. So many authors, so little time. In these appointments, an editor will quickly assess “Is this a storyline that interests me? Does this author demonstrate knowledge of the craft and of the Christian fiction industry? Is this worth exploring further?”
2021 Editors
Amanda Bostic
Organization: HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Title: Publisher for Fiction
Web Site: http://www.thomasnelson.com
Amanda Bostic is the Publisher for Fiction at HarperCollins Christian Publishing (Thomas Nelson and Zondervan). She traces her love of story back to her first reading of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when she was in 2nd grade, and she’s still amazed by the fact that she’s been getting paid to read books for more than ten years. She loves any great story, but is particularly drawn to suspense and thrillers, contemporary, women’s fiction, and Southern fiction. She makes her home in Nashville with her husband Randy and their two children.
Currently Seeking: contemporary and women’s fiction; historical fiction with an intriguing hook; romance; suspense; contemporary mystery (especially with humorous elements); minority voices
Not currently seeking: Amish fiction; YA/Middle Grade/Children’s
APPOINTMENT INFORMATION
For unpublished authors, please only request a meeting if you have a completed manuscript.
If you are scheduled for an appointment with Amanda, please bring a 1-2 page pitch to the meeting that includes your hook, a short synopsis, your bio, details on your social media involvement, and sales figures for any published works.
Stephanie Broene
Organization: Tyndale House Publishers
Title: Acquisitions Director
Web Site: http://www.tyndale.com
Stephanie Broene is the Associate Publisher of Fiction at Tyndale House Publishers. For more than fifteen years, she has loved working with authors to help them cultivate and bring their stories to the page, managing the publishing process from the idea phase to finished product. She has been an avid fan of fiction of all genres for as long as she can remember. She loves studying what makes a story work and is constantly amazed at the way good stories can entertain and communicate truth in a powerful way. Stephanie is a two-time recipient of ACFW’s Editor of the Year Award. Outside of work, she loves to be active and enjoy life with her husband and their three young kids.
Currently Seeking: Currently Seeking: Stephanie is looking for full-length novels with compelling hooks and great writing in the following categories: Contemporary women’s fiction, contemporary romance, Southern fiction (historical or contemporary), historical fiction (including biblical and dual-timeline), and historical romance.
Stephanie does not acquire YA or children’s fiction and is not currently looking for sci-fi or fantasy.
Please request an appointment with only one representative from Tyndale. I am happy to accept one-sheets but am most interested to hear a well-crafted, intriguing pitch that catches my attention and pulls me into your story, as well as a brief author bio.
Andrea Doering
Organization: Revell Books, a Division of Baker Publishing Group
Title: Acquisitions Editor
Web Site: http://www.revellbooks.com
Info coming soon
Currently Seeking: Contemporary Romance, both light and heavier faith content, U.S. based historicals with a strong redemptive thread, U.S. based historical romance, no Civil War or Prairie romance please
Linda Fulkerson
Organization: Scrivenings Press LLC
Title: Editor/Owner
Web Site:
Linda Fulkerson began her writing career as a copyeditor and typesetter at a small-town weekly newspaper. She has since been published in several magazines and newspapers, including a two-year stint as a sportswriter, and is the author of two novels, two novellas, and several non-fiction books. In 2020, she purchased Mantle Rock Publishing’s backlist and founded Scrivenings Press LLC. She and her husband, Don, live on a ten-acre plot in central Arkansas. They have four adult children and eight grandchildren. Linda enjoys photography, RV travel, and spoiling her two dachshunds.
Currently Seeking: ABOUT SCRIVENINGS PRESS:
Scrivenings Press LLC is a traditional, royalty-paying publisher of clean and Christian fiction. Our Expanse Books imprint publishes YA and adult speculative fiction, and our ScrivKids imprint publishes upper middle-grade fiction.
We only accept proposals for CLEAN fiction. No sexual content, foul language (including euphemisms), crudeness, vulgarity, abuse, or graphic violence will be permitted in our books. Stories do not have to include a religious theme or content, but if they do, we will not accept proposals for books that are “preachy” in nature. Stories that do include a religious theme must be nondenominational so that anyone who embraces a Christian worldview can enjoy them.
We are interested in proposals for Romantic Suspense, Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, Mysteries, Speculative fiction, and Upper Middle-Grade fiction. We also publish at least two novella collections each year—a contemporary romance theme in February, and a Christmas romance-themed collection around October.
We do NOT publish the following:
• Erotica
• Horror
• Children’s picture books
• Memoirs, Poetry
The preferred manuscript length for Scrivenings Press is 55,000-90,000 words, but we will consider other lengths.
Rochelle Gloege
Organization: Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group
Title: Senior Acquisitions Editor
Web Site:
Rochelle Gloege is a senior acquisitions editor at Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Based in Minnesota’s beautiful Twin Cities, she has had the privilege of working with many best-selling and award-winning authors during the more than twenty-five years she has been editing and acquiring for Bethany House.
Currently Seeking: Update coming soon
Cynthia Hickey
Organization: Winged Publications
Title: Editor
Web Site:
Cynthia Hickey is a multi-published and best-selling author of cozy mysteries and romantic suspense/thrillers. She has taught writing at many conferences and small writing retreats. She and her husband run the publishing press, Winged Publications. They live in Arizona and Arkansas, becoming snowbirds with three dogs. They have ten grandchildren who keep them busy and tell everyone they know that "Nana is a writer."
Currently Seeking: Have a fiction story that doesn’t fit into a traditional publisher’s niche? Then we may very well be the publisher for you. We are a royalty paying ebookand print publisher that is actively seeking new clients. We are looking for clean romance that leaves the reader with a warm, fuzzy feeling at the end.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
Fiction or non-fiction that is well-written and will appeal to readers. Genres: romance, romantic suspense, mystery, historical romance, science fiction, fantasy, New Adult, Young Adult, or any combination thereof
Elizabeth Jackson
Organization: Tyndale House Publishers
Title: Senior Acquisitions Editor
Web Site: https://www.tyndale.com/fiction
Elizabeth Jackson is a senior acquisitions editor on the fiction team at Tyndale House Publishers where she is involved in many steps of the book development process and enjoys collaborating with novelists on their publishing journey. An avid reader who loves good fiction, Elizabeth greatly values the opportunity to meet with writers, talk with authors about their manuscripts, and have a part in bringing great stories into the world as published novels. When she’s not in the office, you might find her reading a novel from her expansive book collection (preferably in her favorite park on a sunny day!), heading out on her latest road trip, or maybe even watching a British television show.
Currently Seeking: Currently Seeking: Elizabeth is looking for full-length novels with compelling hooks and great writing in the following categories:
• Contemporary women’s fiction
• Southern fiction (historical or contemporary)
• Historical fiction (including dual-timeline fiction)
• Historical romance
• Mystery and suspense
Elizabeth does not acquire YA or children’s fiction and is not currently looking for sci-fi, magical realism, fantasy, or thrillers.
We prefer that authors request an appointment with only one representative from Tyndale and that debut authors have a complete manuscript before requesting an appointment. Please come prepared to discuss the hook of your story and what makes it uniquely marketable.
Tina James
Organization: Love Inspired
Title: Executive Editor
Web Site: http://www.loveinspired.com%20%20%20
Tina James is Executive Editor for Love Inspired Books. From the moment she learned to read she could usually be found at a bookstore or the public library searching for a good book. She has been with Harlequin for over twenty-five years and has had the opportunity to work on many series lines and special projects. She is seeking heartwarming inspirational contemporary romance and compelling inspirational contemporary romantic suspense projects.
Currently Seeking: Tina is actively acquiring inspirational romance for the Love Inspired series (contemporary romance 55,000 words) and the Love Inspired Suspense series (contemporary romantic suspense 55,000 words). We’re looking for compelling stories with engaging characters, a sustained conflict and an emotionally satisfying romance. The focus must always be on the hero and heroine as they overcome the obstacles in their paths to find love together. The Christian faith element is integral to all storylines but should feel natural not preachy. Books submitted to Love Inspired Suspense need to be high intensity suspense from start to finish, not mystery or cozy mystery. The book should open with danger, and the hero and heroine need to remain in danger throughout the book and in each other’s company the vast majority of the time. It should be equal parts suspense and romance. Guidelines: https://harlequin.submittable.com/submit
In addition, Tina is currently looking for longer trade paperback fiction (90,000-100,000 words) in a variety of genres for Love Inspired Trade. In general, Love Inspired Trade publishes contemporary fiction, suspense/thrillers, historical fiction and historical romance. We are not currently seeking Amish fiction and would be highly selective when it comes to contemporary romance. Specifically, she would like to see the following for Love Inspired Trade: historical mystery, historical thriller, action/suspense spy romance, or contemporary mystery with humor (something like Only Murders in the Building). She would also love suspense/mystery/thrillers, but they would have to be distinctly different from the books Love Inspired Trade currently has on their list.
Guidelines: https://harlequin.submittable.com/submit
Rachel Kirsch
Organization: Kregel Publications
Title:
Web Site:
Rachel Kirsch is managing editor of trade books at Kregel Publications. She loves a good story that reflects the beauty, grace, and creativity of our storytelling God. Rachel lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband and four kids. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to podcasts, doing puzzles, and staying active with her family.
Currently Seeking: Info Coming Soon
Jessica Sharpe
Organization: Bethany House Publishers
Title: Senior Editor
Web Site:
Jessica Sharpe is an acquisitions editor at Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group. She has been editing fiction for over fifteen years and has worked with several best-selling and award-winning authors. Life has taken her from the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains to Asia to New York City, but she’s currently based in the Twin Cities.
Currently Seeking: Update coming soon
APPOINTMENT INFORMATION
Authors are welcome to bring a writing sample of their project.
Marisa Stokley
Organization: White Fire Publishing Group
Title: Associate Publisher
Web Site: http://www.WhiteFire-Publishing.com
Info Coming Soon
Currently Seeking: Info Coming Soon
Jocelyn Travis
Organization: Sourcebooks
Title: Assistant Editor
Web Site: https://www.sourcebooks.com
Jocelyn Travis’s love for reading started long before she began her career in publishing. Now an assistant editor and member of the romance and genre fiction team at Sourcebooks, she is never short on titles to add to her TBR! She shares Sourcebook’s mission to reach as many people as possible through books and the idea that Books. Change. Lives—for readers and for authors. When she’s not in a cozy sun-lit corner editing or sucked into an immersive story, she’s at the beach, singing in church, watching a K-drama, hanging with friends, trying new foods, or planning her next dream travel destination.
Currently Seeking: Currently looking for:
Adult romance and fiction (70,000 words or more) with a fresh, high concept hook and commercial, accessible writing. I especially love stories with bold characters, found family, and a strong setting/immersive world that readers can escape into. Stories with backgrounds from all cultures, communities, and groups are welcome.
Please pitch me romance: contemporary romance, small town romance, cowboy romance, romcom, historical romance.
Please pitch me fantasy: cozy fantasy, contemporary fantasy, historical fantasy, romantasy.
Please pitch me fiction: uplit fiction with romantic elements, book club fiction, friendship fiction, southern fiction, magical realism, speculative fiction.
Tropes I love: friends to lovers, found family, single dad, grumpy sunshine.
I am open to atmospheric horror, gothic, and dark academia with a broad audience.
Not looking for:
No category romance, dark romance, or Amish romance.
No thriller, mystery, or suspense.
No WWII fiction.
No fiction/romance with social media influencers or reality TV.
No YA or children’s pitches.