Colorado Springs, CO, December 11, 2014 — Cindy (Wilson) Whittemore, former Senior Director, Contracts, for HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP), has been rehired by Alive Literary Agency, the largest, most influential literary agency for inspirational content and authors, announced company Founder and President Rick Christian.
“Cindy will again handle contract negotiations for Alive, as she did from 2005 to 2009 before joining HCCP,” Christian said. “It is a thrill when a former employee returns, and Cindy is even more valuable to our clients now because of the expansive experience she received in overseeing contracts for Zondervan and all Thomas Nelson imprints under their post-merger HCCP umbrella.”
Recently married and now living in New Hampshire, Whittemore will work from her home to review and negotiate Alive’s contracts through the execution stage, a service provided under her company, CJW Edits, LLC.
Whittemore has more than 30 years of experience in the publishing industry, starting with internships while earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing and Language and Christian Studies at Aurora University. She first worked in a bookstore and at InterVarsity Press, followed by stints at Group Publishing for 11 years, Christian Booksellers Association for 10 years, Big Blue Wagon, Alive for five years, and most recently Zondervan/HCCP for four and a half years.
During her earlier tenure at Alive, Whittemore handled publishing agreements for bestsellers such asHeaven Is for Real and Same Kind of Different as Me, and a wide range of authors from Eugene Peterson to Karen Kingsbury. “I always enjoyed the agency’s thrill of landing the right house and deal for each client, and the creativity of negotiating win-win agreements. While I certainly didn’t anticipate this turn of events, I’m glad to be back with Alive!” said Whittemore.
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About Alive Literary
Alive Literary Agency is located in Colorado Springs, CO, and best known for such mega-sellers as Todd Burpo’s Heaven is for Real, which dominated the New York Times bestseller’s list for more than three years, sold 10 million copies, and was adapted for the 2014 box office hit written and directed by Randall Wallace for TriStar Pictures; the Left Behind series (70 million copies); Eugene Peterson’s The MessageBible (20 million copies); Karen Kingsbury’s novels (25 million copies), Lisa Beamer’s post 9-11 Let’s Roll! (1.5 million copies), and Steve Arterburn and Dave Stoop’s Life Recovery Bible (3 million copies). Books represented by Alive have sold more than 200 million copies since its inceptions in 1989. Other authors Alive proudly serves include Henri Nouwen Trust, Brian Welch, Rich Stearns, She Reads Truth, Valorie Burton, Jamie Tworkowski, the late Brennan Manning, Michael Hyatt, Daniel Harkavey, Anne Graham Lotz, Tim Downs, Alister McGrath, Lynn Vincent, Emerson Eggerichs, Elisa Morgan, Ray Johnston, Jamie Blaine, Fawn Weaver, Brandon Hatmaker, and Nick Hall.
In 2012, Alive launched a sister e-publishing company, Bondfire Books. Working with other agencies and notable authors, Bondfire Books attracted early acclaim by paying 50% royalties, double the industry standard, and by negotiating short five-year renewable licenses instead of the usual grant for the lifetime of copyright. It utilizes print partnerships with established publishers for retail distribution. Its list features ebook exclusives from a select group of authors, including #1 New York Times best-seller Karen Kingsbury, Eugene H. Peterson, translator of The Message Bible, and Brennan Manning. All of its titles are sold through major online etailers and are readable on all primary electronic devices.
