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Jonathan Merkh
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RESOURCES
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Jennifer Willingham


Jonathan Merkh, VP and Publisher
Jonathan joined Howard Books in March 2009, bringing with him talents gleaned from a successful career in Christian publishing that encompassed roles in editorial, ministry, agenting, and sales through work at Thomas Nelson, Guideposts, William Morris and other leading companies. His extensive and varied experience gives him a well rounded and unique perspective on most every area of the business. 

Merkh spent fourteen years with Thomas Nelson Publishers in various roles including a post as senior vice president and publisher of the Nelson Books division. While there he published more than twenty New York Times bestsellers, including works by Robin McGraw, Dave Ramsey, John and Stasi Eldredge, Dr. John C. Maxwell, and Donald Miller. Jonathan, a graduate of Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management,
also launched the Nelson Business imprint.

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ABOUT HOWARD BOOKS
OUR EDITORIAL TEAM
Becky Nesbitt, VP and Editor-in-Chief

Becky came to Howard in June 2009 with more than sixteen years experience in publishing. She began her career in Christian publishing in 1993 at Tyndale House Publishers. She spent her entire time in product development and acquisitions, most recently as associate publisher for the nonfiction division. Prior to her role in nonfiction, Becky led the Tyndale fiction division as director of fiction for more than a decade. Becky has worked with many CBA and New York Times bestselling authors, including Left Behind series authors Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, Francine Rivers, Joel C. Rosenberg, Dee Henderson, Karen Kingsbury, Dinesh D’Souza, Gary Chapman, Joe Gibbs, and numerous others.
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Becky Nesbitt
Founded in 1969 by author and composer Alton Howard, Howard Publishing was among the first Christian publishers to appear in the CBA industry.

Perhaps best known for its gift-book division and bestselling Hugs series (selling over ten million), Howard has other numerous successes to its credit, including New York Times #1 bestseller Mistaken Identity and Rick Warren’s The Purpose of Christmas. In 2006, Howard Publishing was acquired by Simon & Schuster and underwent the subtle name change to Howard Books.

Jennifer Willingham, VP, Publicity
A fifteen-year veteran of the publishing industry, Jennifer Willingham has spearheaded award-winning marketing campaigns and publicity efforts that have led to over twenty-five New York Times bestsellers, along with multiple USA Today, BusinessWeek, Publishers Weekly and CBA bestsellers. Past roles have included vice president of marketing and publicity for Thomas Nelson, vice president of marketing for Guideposts, and director of marketing for W Publishing Group. Willingham joined Howard Books in 2009 as vice president of publicity, bringing with her vast experience in creating bestsellers including previous work with major authors such as Max Lucado, Beth Moore, Dave Ramsey, Ted Dekker, John Maxwell, Michael Reagan, John Ashcroft, and many others.