Dear Acquisitions Editors,

At Livingstone, we love acquisitions editors. Truly. Now, not in the sense that freelance writers love acquisitions editors because you are the gatekeepers of all things published. No, we love you because we understand your world.

We understand what you have to go through around the clock, month by month, year by year. We understand what it takes to sit at writers’ conferences hearing 15-minute pitches and hoping to find that “diamond in the rough” idea that just may be the next bestseller (and hoping for a bathroom break soon!).

Did you know that Livingstone exists to help publishers—folks like you who are looking for ideas to fill those slots in your lineup? Maybe you’ve got a book that was slated for a particular genre but the author isn’t delivering on time. Maybe another book project just isn’t coming through as you had hoped. At this time you may be trying to come up with yet another dynamite idea for Christmas for next year (or this year!). Or maybe you’re still looking for ideas for 2010 and beyond.

Livingstone’s motto, “Ideas to Marketplace,” is focused with you in mind. You see, while we can write, edit, design, and typeset (with more than 20 years of experience doing so), we also have a really good record of coming up with great ideas to help you get your job done.

For instance, maybe you didn’t know that the bestselling Life Application Study Bible (which started our company) was the brainchild of our owners along with our friend Ron Beers (who is currently at Tyndale House). Maybe you didn’t know that some of Zondervan’s bestselling Bibles (True Identity, True Images) were conceived by our team. Sticky Situations (a book we proposed and wrote for Tyndale House, volume 1 published in 1997 and still selling) has passed 100,000 copies sold. Another book 500 Questions & Answers from the Bible (Barbour, 2006) has already sold almost 94,000 copies after just six months.

Maybe you didn’t know that Livingstone products have won 11 Gold Medallion awards and been Gold Medallion finalists over 30 times?

In short, we can deliver what you need, when you need it, with top-notch quality. And we’ve got the ideas for you!

We don’t want you staying awake at night worrying about how to get your lineup filled and ready to roll. We are committed to getting God’s message out in a variety of forms and have worked on hundreds of Bibles, devotional products, study guides, trade books, curriculum, and reference products to help make that happen.

You won’t find our names on the covers. Like you, we help get the ideas out there and then quietly retreat to our desks while authors and publishers enjoy the credit.

And that’s why we love you!

Watch for a special e-mail from Christopher Ribaudo with some ideas for Christmas books—books we’ve conceived, books we can deliver from start to finish (some even this year if you’re really desperate!).

Ideas to Marketplace. That’s us. We’re here to help. Give us a call or drop an e-mail. We love to hear from you.

Love,
The Livingstone Team

Linda Taylor
Editorial Director at The Livingstone Corporation.