Editorial & Content Development: Track 2

Carol Johnson
Vice President/Editorial
Bethany House Publishers, a Division of Baker Publishing Group

The acquisition of novelist Janette Oke for Bethany House Publishers in 1978 was Carol’s first step in helping to establish Christian fiction as one of the most successful genres in the industry. Her husband, Gary Johnson, began building the publishing ministry of Bethany Fellowship in 1960, about the time Carol began typesetting in the Bethany printing division—on a Linotype machine where she completed her first editorial project! After completing college and marrying Gary, she eventually took up the editorial reins of the publishing house, and this included a commitment to finding novelists whose stories were interwoven with spiritual themes. Carol was instrumental in establishing the Christy Awards for Excellence in Christian Fiction in 2000 as well as the Christian Fiction Task Force, a group of publishers banding together to promote Christian fiction in CBA stores.