Thomas Nelson announced yesterday it has signed a definitive purchase agreement for the acquisition of Integrity Publishers, the wholly-owned book-publishing subsidiary of Integrity Media. The transaction is scheduled to close Sept. 28. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

“We see many opportunities for continued growth, but these will require significant capital investment,” said Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Integrity Publishers Byron Williamson in a statement. “Once Mike Coleman, Integrity Media's chief executive officer, and I decided to seek outside investment, we carefully considered our options. Thomas Nelson quickly became the logical choice. With its ability to publish our authors in multiple formats, a dedicated sales force in every channel, a state-of-the-art distribution center, and its access to capital, we knew we had the right partner.”

Michael S. Hyatt, Nelson's chief executive officer, said that Coleman and Williamson had done “a remarkable job taking Integrity Publishers from start-up to its present position of prominence and influence in the field of evangelical publishing. We are committed to doing everything we can to continue to serve their authors and extend their influence.”

Williamson will be appointed executive vice president for strategic development at Nelson; Joey Paul, Integrity Publishers' senior vice president and publisher will report to Tami Heim, Nelson's executive vice president and chief publishing officer; Rob Birkhead, Integrity's senior vice president of marketing, will report to Jerry Park, Nelson's executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

Founded in 2001, Integrity Publishers is home to several best-selling authors, including David Jeremiah, Beth Moore, John Townsend, Henry Cloud, Gary Smalley, Emerson Eggerichs, Jerry Jenkins, Stephen Elkins and Max Lucado.

Integrity Media will continue to own and operate its other divisions including Integrity Music and INO Records. Both labels will continue to be distributed by Provident-Integrity Distribution to Christian retail accounts and Columbia Records/Sony-BMG Distribution to mainstream retail accounts.