As the new CEO of the Nashville-based publisher, Mark Schoenwald intends to broaden the diversification begun under his predecessor, Michael Hyatt, who remains chairman of the board and will continue to represent the company in an ambassadorial role.

"We really no longer see ourselves as a book publisher," Scheonwald, 49, told Christian Retailing after the announcement of his promotion from chief operating officer. "We are really a content provider and want to deliver it in any format our consumers desire."

Schoenwald, who also retains the president's title he previously held, cited Nelson's live events and its digital publishing initiatives as ways in which the company was moving beyond traditional publishing, but said that it remained committed to the Christian retail channel.

"We have deployed by far the most resources in that area and will continue to do so," he said. "We have learned over time that our strength is the core Christian content. When we get outside of that and try to become something we are not, we really lose our competitive edge."

Hyatt said that launching Nelson into e-books and social media was one of the five most significant accomplishments of his near-six years as CEO. He said that the timing for the transition of leadership was good, with the company's fiscal year having closed recently with 6% growth over the previous 12 months.

While part of that was due to the runaway success of Todd Burpo's Heaven Is for Real, with more than a million copies sold, other areas—including children's books, gift books and Bibles—had seen significant growth, too, Schoenwald said.

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