Rebekah Nesbitt has resigned from her position of vice president, editor in chief at Howard Books. Nesbitt plans to spend more time with her family as well as pursue opportunities as a freelance editor.

“Becky joined Howard in 2009 and has been a tremendous asset in helping reshape our imprint into what it is today,” said Jonathan Merkh, Howard Books publisher. “Becky brought to Howard the ability to recruit and sign best-selling authors in both the Christian and general marketplace, including Dave Ramsey, Bobby Bowden, Karen Kingsbury, Frank Peretti, Tim Conway, Darryl Strawberry, Tosca Lee, and most recently Jay Sekulow and William Paul Young. Under her editorial direction, the division has made great strides in its fiction program while also publishing best-selling titles such as Invisible Thread, Waking Up in Heaven and Kisses From Katie, positioning Howard as one of the leading publishers for inspirational nonfiction.

“Becky has been both quick to respond to great opportunities and to shepherd authors with great warmth and professionalism,” Merkh added. “Howard authors have always been able to count on receiving expert editorial direction from Becky in every step of the publishing process.”

Nesbitt has agreed to stay with Howard through the end of the year or until a replacement has been hired. Howard Books has begun a search for her replacement.