2011: A Publishing Odyssey

By: Randall Payleitner, Acquisitions Editor

We are a generation of passionate participants. We don’t want a spot on the sideline or a seat in the back row. We don’t want to be shouted at via billboards or pop-up ads. We are looking for the perfect vocation with which we can change the world. We value our education. Our dreams are no longer limited by any geographical boundary; in fact, the whole world is now our neighbor. Some of us are lonely (even though we have upwards of 753 friends). We’re all crunched for time—we’d give anything for more minutes in more hours per day. We have been molded by and into our technology. Our spiritual journeys are now in full force. There are 78 million of us coming of age right now: We are the Millennial Generation.

So, you rightly ask: What in the world does this have to do with publishing? And specifically, publishing at Moody?

When D.L. Moody asked booksellers in 1894, “What have you in the way of helpful reading for young people?” the response he received was “Nothing.” So, Moody Publishers was founded with a primary vision of providing inexpensive books for young people.

It’s in our DNA to spark the next generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, we’re starting something new: A publishing team, here at Moody, creating for and made up of Millennials.

We, Millennials, value spiritual honesty. We crave encounters with God’s beauty or the surprise of experiencing Him for who He is. We demand authenticity—which is when our relationship with Jesus begins mattering for our whole lives (not just the easy or convenient parts). And we also see the importance of one-on-one relationships fostered through discipleship.

We, at Moody Publishers, believe God is at work in this generation, and we’re interested in learning how to best serve the Millennials. We don’t know everything that lies ahead, only God does, right? And we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Randall Payleitner is the Acquisitions Editor for the Millennial Generation Publishing Team at Moody Publishers. He is also a Millennial. You can follow him on Twitter @Payleitner