EDITORIAL TRACK 2026
SESSION ONE
Editing Is a Superpower
Tips and tools for editing in Christian publishing, covering nonfiction, fiction, and children's books. How to work with authors, editors and writers to produce stellar manuscripts.
Margot Starbuck
Margot (rhymes with "Gogo") Starbuck is a New York Times bestselling writer who has written dozens of books and worked with publishers on hundreds of major publishing projects as a writer, editor, and coach. She's a graduate of Westmont College and Princeton Theological Seminary. Margot especially enjoys writing alongside athletes, entertainers, and overcomers. And she specializes in helping writers get published by equipping them to craft winning book proposals and books.
SESSION TWO
Using Style Guides: CWM and CMOS
Taylor Swift, AI, and Pangrams, Oh My! What’s New in CWMS5
Kim Tanner
Kim Tanner is passionate about the beauty and power of the written word. She is a senior production editor at Zondervan / HarperCollins Christian Publishing, where she has worked for twenty-three years. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
SESSION THREE
God's Great Big World: Creating A Publishing Community Reflective of the Kingdom
Adrienne chats with Katara about the landscape of publishing as it relates to diversity. What changes and challenges has Adrienne witnessed in her long publishing career? Why is diversity important? How can editors participate in making publishing look more like God's great big world.
Adrienne Ingrum
Adrienne Ingrum is Vice President and Senior Agent at Serendipity, the highly esteemed Black-owned literary agency. In her long career, she held VP editorial positions at Putnam, Crown/Random House, and the book chain Waldenbooks in the 1980s and ‘90s; led the start-up and publishing team for Black Issues Book Review magazine and served as lead consultant in the development of Black Expressions Book Club in the 1990s and early 2000s; then for 20 years, edited and acquired books on progressive spirituality as senior editor at FaithWords/Hachette, Callisto Media and Broadleaf Books. She’s been with Serendipity for two years and loves bringing authors and editors together.
SESSION FOUR
Overview of the Acquisitions Landscapes
What are we seeing in acquisitions: trends, challenges, and how to navigate the tough terrain.
Kathy R. Green
Kathy R. Green is a four-time author and conference speaker whose books have led to interviews on the Atlanta Live, TBN, and Daystar television networks. Kathy is also a publishing consultant, writing conference facilitator, and literary agent with Embolden Media Group. She has 15 years of experience in Christian publishing, specializing in nonfiction inspirational works. Kathy’s agent interests are featured in the September/October edition of Writer's Digest’s “Agent Round Up.”
Jillian Schlossberg
Since coming to Tyndale in 2014, Jillian Schlossberg has enjoyed partnering with a variety of bestselling authors, including Aundi Kolber, Kayla Craig, and Ashley Morgan Jackson, as well as Chuck DeGroat, Alicia Britt Chole, and Jessica Smartt. She loves to collaborate and develop a unique vision for each of her projects to help her authors reach their greatest potential. Jillian holds bachelor’s degrees in English literature and Spanish language from the University of Michigan. Jillian has an equally deep love for her husband, her three beautiful children, and any kind of taco.
SESSION FIVE
AI: To Use or Not To Use
Editorial and publishing executives share their positive and negative uses of AI. They share how AI has helped their teams and what we all need to watch out for with the new technology.
Christopher Hudson
Christopher Hudson is the author of 100 Names of God (Tyndale), The Most Significant Teachings of the Bible (Zondervan), and Visual Guide to Prayer (Tyndale). He is the President of Peachtree Publishing Services, a company dedicated to protecting and advancing God's Word by serving publishing partners and the body of Christ around the world as a trusted proofreading and editorial partner for Bibles and Bible-related content.
Olivia M. Cloud
Reverend Olivia M. Cloud is a writer, editor, and ordained minister who serves as a managing and associate editor of curriculum for the R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation in Nashville, Tennessee. She has worked extensively in Christian publishing, creating educational content and presenting video Bible study lessons for the organization.
SESSION SIX
Editorial Roundtable: Ask Anything
Bring your questions, challenges, and ideas to this interactive conversation with experienced editorial leaders. Submit questions in advance or ask them during the session as we continue discussions from earlier sessions and explore the topics that matter most to today's editors. We'll also hear perspectives from editors representing Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and beyond on what each generation wants the others to know about working together in Christian publishing.
Katara Washington Patton
Katara Washington Patton is the newly named Publisher at Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI) and is the former Executive Editor of the VOICES Collection by Our Daily Bread Publishing. She is also the author of nine Christian living and devotional books, including her forthcoming release, Faith of Our Teen Girls: Passing Belief from Mother to Daughter (Whitaker House, 2027). A publishing veteran, Katara has worked in the editorial and acquisitions departments of several publishing organizations, including Tyndale, Weekly Reader Corporation, Jet Magazine, McGraw-Hill, The African American Pulpit, and Christian Century Magazine. In 2014, she was named Nonfiction Editor of the Year by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA). A summa cum laude graduate of Dillard University, Katara earned a B.A. in Mass Communications and English. She holds a Master of Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, where she received the Outstanding Preaching Award. A native of Thibodaux, Louisiana, Katara lives on the South Side of Chicago with her husband, Derrick, and their teenage daughter.
TRACK LEAD
Katara Washington Patton
Katara Washington Patton is the newly named Publisher at Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI) and is the former Executive Editor of the VOICES Collection by Our Daily Bread Publishing. She is also the author of nine Christian living and devotional books, including her forthcoming release, Faith of Our Teen Girls: Passing Belief from Mother to Daughter (Whitaker House, 2027). A publishing veteran, Katara has worked in the editorial and acquisitions departments of several publishing organizations, including Tyndale, Weekly Reader Corporation, Jet Magazine, McGraw-Hill, The African American Pulpit, and Christian Century Magazine. In 2014, she was named Nonfiction Editor of the Year by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA). A summa cum laude graduate of Dillard University, Katara earned a B.A. in Mass Communications and English. She holds a Master of Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, where she received the Outstanding Preaching Award. A native of Thibodaux, Louisiana, Katara lives on the South Side of Chicago with her husband, Derrick, and their teenage daughter.
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