29 Best Christian Book Publishers (and How to Submit)

Are you an author or a reader who wants to find a great Christian book publisher?

You have a manuscript on a religious theme, and you want a publishing house that will read it. Some of the biggest Christian publishers work only through a literary agent, but many others still take proposals straight from writers, especially for nonfiction. Below you’ll find what each publisher looks for and exactly how it takes submissions right now. Most want a proposal and sample chapters first, and replies often take two or three months. Once you’ve worked through this guide, continue with my list of over 2,000 publishing companies.

Submission policies change without notice, so check the publisher’s own page before you send anything, and never pay a reading fee. Last verified: October 2, 2026.

These publishers specialize in certain genres of books, including:

• Devotional literature
• Christian non-fiction
• Bible studies and commentaries
• Christian fiction
• Children’s literature
• Spirituality
• Christian theology
• Christian worldview
• Church history
• And more!

Related content:

• Top Catholic book publishers
• Top Christian poetry publishers
• Top Christian self-publishing companies
• Top websites with Christian writing jobs

Top 29 Christian Book Publishers List:

1. Zondervan

Zondervan, founded in Grand Rapids in 1931 and now part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is best known for the New International Version of the Bible. It also publishes books on spiritual growth, church resources, and academic titles. Zondervan accepts unsolicited proposals for two imprints only: Zondervan Reflective, for leadership, ministry, and faith-and-culture books by authors with real expertise in their subject, and Zondervan Academic, for textbooks, commentaries, reference works, and scholarly monographs. Email a proposal of no more than five pages to submissions@zondervan.com with the imprint name in the subject line. If Zondervan is interested, you’ll hear within six weeks. Fiction, poetry, devotionals, and illustrations are outside what it will consider. Submission guidelines.

2. Wipf and Stock Publishers

Wipf and Stock is an independent publisher in Eugene, Oregon, that handles editing, typesetting, printing, and shipping in-house. It welcomes proposals from new and established authors across biblical studies, theology, poetry, history, novels, and memoir, and every manuscript is considered for its Cascade, Pickwick, Wipf & Stock, and Resource Publications imprints. Email the proposal form, your CV, and one sample chapter to proposal@wipfandstock.com with “Book Proposal” in the subject line, and allow four to eight weeks for a reply. Its Front Porch Republic Books imprint is the exception and is not reading unsolicited proposals. Submission guidelines.

3. Baker Books

Baker Books is the Baker Publishing Group imprint for lay Christians, covering discipleship, apologetics, spirituality, relationships, marriage, parenting, and faith and culture, along with books for pastors and church leaders. Baker Publishing Group does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, apart from its Baker Academic and Brazos Press imprints. To reach Baker Books, go through a literary agent or meet its editors at a writers’ conference. Submission policy.

4. InterVarsity Press

InterVarsity Press is the publishing arm of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, with books for students and churches and a strong academic list through IVP Academic. IVP is closed to unsolicited proposals, manuscripts, and self-published books. Send a proposal only if you have already been in direct contact with one of its editors, and then email it to that editor, who will give you the guidelines. Submission policy.

5. The Crossroad Publishing Company

The Crossroad Publishing Company is an independent publisher of books on spirituality, mysticism, theology, and religious studies, and it also publishes the journal Offerings. Its own site posts its submission guidelines, so read them there before you send a proposal. Submission guidelines.

6. Westminster John Knox Press

Westminster John Knox Press has published for more than 180 years. Its list covers theology, biblical studies, preaching, worship, ethics, and religion and culture, written for scholars and students, for pastors and church educators, for members of mainline Protestant congregations, and for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). WJK accepts proposals by email at submissions@wjkbooks.com; put your last name and the proposal title in the subject line, and expect the review to take eight to twelve weeks or more. It does not publish fiction, memoir, poetry, dissertations, or children’s books, but children’s manuscripts can go to its partner imprint, Flyaway Books.

Proposal guidelines come in three versions:

• Academic books
• Professional books
• General reader books

Submission guidelines.

7. Paulist Press

Paulist Press grew out of the Paulist Fathers, a society of missionary priests founded in 1858, and publishes Catholic and ecumenical books on spirituality, prayer, theology, and Bible study, along with children’s books. It welcomes proposals by email to submissions@paulistpress.com, with “Book Proposal” as the subject, or by post. Send a cover letter, a sample chapter and table of contents, the estimated word count and completion date, and your CV, and don’t send a complete manuscript unless it is requested. A children’s book proposal should include the entire manuscript. Allow six to eight weeks for a response. Paulist does not publish dissertations. Submission guidelines.

8. Kregel Publications

Kregel has served pastors, teachers, and Christian readers since 1949, with fiction, Christian living, biblical studies, and ministry titles, and three of its authors were finalists for the 2026 Christy Awards. Kregel does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It considers proposals only from literary agents or from writers who meet its staff at writers’ conferences. Submission policy.

9. CKN Christian Publishing

CKN Christian Publishing is an imprint of Wolfpack Publishing that grew out of an ebook promotion site. It is accepting unsolicited manuscripts in clean fiction: romance, historical fiction, westerns, Amish fiction, mystery, post-apocalyptic, and thrillers, whether or not the book is explicitly Christian. It prefers series to standalone novels and wants full-length novels only. Nonfiction, devotionals, Christian living, memoir, children’s books, and YA are no longer on its list. Submit a query letter and your manuscript through the form on its submissions page; if you hear nothing within 90 days, it has passed. Authors earn up to 35% of the cover price, paid monthly. Submission guidelines.

10. Beaming Books

Beaming Books, part of 1517 Media, publishes picture books and other children’s titles about feelings, kindness, forgiveness, faith, and the world around them. Beaming Books does not accept unsolicited submissions. It reads agented work, plus manuscripts its acquisitions editors request directly from writers they meet at conferences and online pitch events, and anything sent unasked by email or post is not considered. Submission policy.

11. Paraclete Press

Paraclete Press is an ecumenical publisher rooted in the Benedictine tradition, producing books, recordings, and sheet music for Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Evangelical readers. Paraclete does not accept unsolicited proposals from authors it has not published before. Literary agents can send proposals to submissions@paracletepress.com, and authors with an established Paraclete editor should go straight to that editor. Its separate Paraclete Design service helps authors who choose to self-publish, so don’t confuse the two. Submission policy.

12. Herald Press

Herald Press is the trade imprint of MennoMedia, publishing books on peace and justice, church life and mission, biblical studies and theology, Christian living, church history, and Mennonite and Amish life, plus cookbooks with a faith perspective. It accepts proposals from authors both inside and outside the Mennonite and Anabaptist traditions. Email the proposal form, a one-paragraph summary, a table of contents with a sentence or two on each chapter, two chapters including the first, the Bible version you use, and a short résumé. Replies can take up to six months, and hard-copy submissions are no longer accepted. Submission guidelines.

13. CrossLink Publishing

CrossLink Publishing describes itself as a traditional trade publisher of Christian books, with no cost to the author, standard print runs, and books sold to stores at the usual trade discount through Baker & Taylor’s catalogs. It accepts manuscripts through the submission form on its site, but it does not take books that have already been published. Plan to market your book yourself: CrossLink offers a free marketing course, and the average time from submission to publication is about eight months. Submission form.

14. Crossway Books

Crossway is the not-for-profit publisher of the English Standard Version of the Bible. It wants nonfiction written from a thoroughly evangelical perspective: books on key issues facing Christians, the Christian life, and a Christian worldview, plus academic and professional books for students, pastors, and others in ministry. Crossway accepts proposals through the form on its submissions page. It does not want fiction, poetry, collected sermons, end-times books, popular biographies, or personal-experience stories. If you hear nothing within eight weeks, Crossway has passed, and it asks writers not to follow up. Submission guidelines.

15. Eerdmans Publishing

Eerdmans, an independent publisher in Grand Rapids since 1911, publishes biblical and theological studies, religious approaches to philosophy, history, art, literature, and ethics, and a growing list on Christian life, spirituality, and ministry. It accepts proposals by email only. Send a description of the book, a draft table of contents, your CV, and sample chapters or a writing sample if you have them to submissions@eerdmans.com, starting the subject line with “Book Proposal.” You’ll get an automatic receipt and, usually, a fuller reply within eight weeks. Eerdmans does no subsidy publishing, and children’s writers should follow the separate Eerdmans Books for Young Readers guidelines. Submission guidelines.

16. The Upper Room

The Upper Room daily devotional guide has been published for 90 years and now reaches readers in more than 100 countries and over 30 languages. Its book arm, Upper Room Books, accepts proposals online for books on spiritual formation and practices, Advent and Lent, living a faithful Christian life, healing, aging, and creativity; it does not publish fiction or poetry. You’ll need a working title, a purpose statement, a target audience, a table of contents, and at least one finished chapter. The devotional itself takes 250-to-300-word meditations from readers. Book proposal form.

17. Dove Christian Publishers

Dove Christian Publishers in Bladensburg, Maryland, publishes Christian fiction and nonfiction. It welcomes submissions through its online form once you have at least four chapters written. Don’t send the full manuscript unless Dove asks for it, and skip email, CD, and postal submissions entirely. Allow four to six weeks; if you have heard nothing after six weeks, Dove has passed. Accepted books are published under a royalty contract, and the parent company runs a separate self-publishing option as well. Submission guidelines.

18. Abingdon Press

Abingdon Press, an imprint of the United Methodist Publishing House, publishes leadership books, church program and curriculum resources, and other material for ministry and personal faith development. It accepts nonfiction proposals through its Submittable portal: a short summary, the intended audience, a chapter outline, your bio, platform, and marketing plan, and one or two sample chapters including the first. Abingdon does not publish poetry, memoir, fiction, biography, autobiography, or children’s books, and every word of the manuscript must be written by a human, not an AI tool. Submission guidelines.

19. Bethany House

Bethany House, another Baker Publishing Group imprint, is one of the best-known names in Christian fiction and also publishes Christian living, devotional, and family titles. Like Baker Books, it does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, so you’ll need a literary agent or an editor you’ve met at a writers’ conference. Submission policy.

20. Moody Publishers

Moody Publishers is the Chicago publishing ministry connected to the Moody Bible Institute, known for Bible commentaries, books on spiritual growth, and fiction. Moody is currently not accepting unsolicited manuscripts. When it does consider proposals, priority goes to literary agents, its own published authors, and writers who meet a Moody contact at a writers’ conference. Submission policy.

21. Lighthouse Christian Publishing

Lighthouse Christian Publishing is a Minnesota publisher that keeps its prices low and sells books and audio online and through bookstores. Its list runs from novels and children’s books to self-help, business and technical manuals, and collections of the early church fathers. Not every title carries an explicitly Christian message, but each aims to stay consistent with the Bible. Its site posts no submission policy, so contact the press before you send a manuscript. About Lighthouse.

22. FaithWords

FaithWords is the Hachette Book Group imprint, founded in 2001, that publishes leading pastors and ministry voices such as Joyce Meyer, T. D. Jakes, and Joel Osteen. FaithWords does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Hachette’s publishers consider only agented work, so find a literary agent first. Hachette submission FAQ.

23. Christian Faith Publishing

Christian Faith Publishing is an author-funded publisher, not a traditional one. You pay for publication through a short-term monthly installment plan, keep all the profit until that investment is recouped, and the company then keeps 50 cents per book sold. Every title is also released as an ebook and distributed through Ingram. It accepts manuscripts in many genres and says it reviews them within about a week. Compare the total cost with Christian self-publishing companies before you sign anything. Manuscript FAQ.

24. Concordia Publishing House

Concordia Publishing House is the publishing arm of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, with commentaries, curriculum, Christian living books, and church music, all written to stay faithful to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. It accepts proposals for Christian living, youth and young adult, Bible studies, women’s resources, devotionals, resources for pastors, catechism and Lutheran identity, academic, and children’s books. Download its proposal form and email it with a writing sample and a detailed outline; incomplete proposals are not reviewed, and replies usually take eight to twelve weeks. Submission guidelines.

25. Harvest House Publishers

Harvest House is an evangelical publisher in Eugene, Oregon, with stories and inspirational books for children and adults. Harvest House does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, proposals, or self-published books. Instead it points writers to the Writers Edge manuscript service and to Christian writers’ conferences, where you can meet editors in person. Submission policy.

26. Thomas Nelson

Thomas Nelson, founded in Scotland more than two centuries ago and now part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing in Nashville, is one of the largest Bible and Christian book publishers in the world. Thomas Nelson does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, so you’ll need a literary agent. Its parent company also points writers to WestBow Press, a self-publishing service run with Author Solutions that sells publishing packages, which is a purchase, not a book deal. Submission policy.

27. Lifeway Christian Resources

Lifeway Christian Resources publishes Bible studies, Sunday school curriculum, magazines, and devotionals for local churches. Lifeway does not accept unsolicited manuscripts; its writing is done by assignment only. Curriculum writers are usually active members of Southern Baptist churches, and if you’d like to write for its Bible studies, magazines, or devotionals, start with the expression-of-interest form for that area. Writing for Lifeway.

28. Baylor University Press

Baylor University Press is the academic publishing arm of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, with new books in religion, Christian history, and related fields. Its titles go through peer review, so it suits scholars more than first-time trade authors. Contact the press through its website about its current acquisitions before you send a proposal. Baylor University Press.

29. Tyndale House

Tyndale House in Cambridge, England, is a research library and community for biblical scholarship, not a trade book publisher. Scholars can send articles to its peer-reviewed journal, Tyndale Bulletin, through Scholastica. If you’re looking for the Illinois publisher of the New Living Translation, that is a different company, Tyndale House Publishers. Tyndale House.

Names you may be looking for

Dancing With Bear Publishing

Dancing With Bear Publishing was a small Christian press that offered new writers high royalties. Its web address now forwards to an advertising page, so look for a current site before you send anything.

Conclusion

Publishing is still a numbers game, but it pays to aim each submission. Right now Zondervan (for its Reflective and Academic imprints), Wipf and Stock, Westminster John Knox, Paulist, CKN (clean fiction series), Herald Press, CrossLink, Crossway, Eerdmans, Upper Room Books, Dove, Abingdon, and Concordia all take work directly from writers. The big trade houses, such as Thomas Nelson, Bethany House, and FaithWords, need an agent, and Christian Faith Publishing is the one author-funded option on the list. Follow each publisher’s guidelines exactly, send to several at once where they allow it, and if you’d like to keep control of your book, read about the benefits of self-publishing or browse more publishing companies. Next up, you may want to explore a guide to conservative book publishers.