NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — HarperCollins Christian Publishing today announced that Timothy Paulson will join the organization on February 4 as vice president and publisher of Nelson Books, a Thomas Nelson imprint.  Paulson will be based in Nashville, Tenn., and will report to Brian Hampton, senior vice president and group publisher for HarperCollins Christian Publishing.  

In his role as vice president and publisher, Paulson will be responsible for growing and leading the imprint, bringing innovative strategic thinking to its strong editorial and marketing team.  In 2018 Nelson Books had multiple titles recognized as bestsellers by The New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, The Wall Street Journal and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.  Nelson Books is home to many bestselling authors including Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, Dave Ramsey, Jen Hatmaker, Bob Goff, John and Stasi Eldredge, Jefferson Bethke, and Donald Miller, and last year published the runaway bestselling book Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis—with more than 2.3 million copies sold in just 11 months.

“I’m truly honored and excited to join the Nelson Books team,” said Paulson. “The team has been on a roll, and I look forward to continuing this success well into the future.”

Paulson comes to HarperCollins Christian Publishing with more than eighteen years of expertise in publishing.  Most recently with Kalmbach Media, Paulson spent the majority of his career at 1517 Media where he achieved a breadth of strategic initiatives, including launching an internal startup organization that later became the largest corporate division for the company.  While at 1517 Media, Paulson created award-winning publishing imprints, redesigned multidivisional marketing groups, developed new digital platform strategies, and built an award-winning animation studio.  He led successful business acquisitions as well as developed new channel strategies to increase overall company sales. 

“The Nelson Books team is filled with strong, successful marketers and editors,” said Brian Hampton. “Tim’s rich experience as a publisher, coaching leader, innovator, brand creator, and marketer make him a great fit as the leader of this team. Taking over responsibility for an imprint that is having a big run in the marketplace is a unique challenge requiring confidence and humility, and Tim brings both to our company. I’m delighted to have him aboard.”

Paulson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., a Master of Divinity from the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and a Master of Business Administration from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn. 

Hampton, who previously held the position as publisher for Nelson Books, was promoted in September 2018 to oversee all book publishing operations for HarperCollins Christian Publishing. 

About HarperCollins Christian Publishing: The world’s leading Christian publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, comprises the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing groups, Olive Tree Bible Software, BibleGateway.com, FaithGateway.com and ChurchSource.com.  The Company produces bestselling Bibles, inspirational books, academic resources, curriculum, audio and digital content for the Christian market space.   Bible Gateway  is the world’s largest Christian website with more than 20 million unique monthly visitors. HarperCollins Christian Publishing is headquartered in Nashville, TN with additional offices in the U.S. and Mexico.  For more information visit www.HarperCollinsChristian.com.