Livingstone Repositioned as an Idea House for Publishers

CAROL STREAM, IL – July 11, 2008 – Livingstone formally unveiled a new brand identity today that represents a major milestone in the company’s 20-year history and signifies the company’s refocusing to an idea house for religious publishers.

The new brand identity involves both internal and external changes to Livingstone.

Internal changes include a new strategic business plan, staff changes, enhanced product development and ideation strategy, increased client care, refinement of proposal development and re-design of creative production processes. Internal changes also include extending its service line with new ideation, branding, digital and marketing communication practices for publishers.

External changes involve the development and launch of Livingstone’s new logo and website at livingstonecorp.com. It also includes a new tagline: “Ideas to Marketplace™.” This tagline is Livingstone’s unique brand promise and is designed to express what drives Livingstone as a company, and what Livingstone makes possible for publishers.

“’Ideas to Marketplace’ is a fresh and up-to-date expression of Livingstone’s spirit and what we do,” says Christopher Ribaudo, Chief Brand and Marketing Strategist. “The emphasis signaled by the new brand identity represents a fuller, more complete expression of Livingstone’s essence, capabilities and story.”

Livingstone CEO, Bruce Barton, notes “Love for the Gospel, creativity and big ideas have always been central to Livingstone’s mission and vision.”  Co-Founder, Dave Veerman, says “We’re proud of our history of serving Christian publishers providing editorial, design, typesetting and project management. Now we are taking it to the next level.”

About Livingstone
Livingstone is an idea house providing print, web and new media solutions for publishers worldwide. Livingstone marks its 20th anniversary September 2008. To learn more about Livingstone, go to livingstonecorp.com.

CAROL STREAM, IL—June 17, 2008—Livingstone hired Christopher Ribaudo as its Chief Brand and Marketing Strategist. He is responsible for expanding Livingstone’s current portfolio of book production services to include new branding, integrated marketing communications and digital services for publishers. Ribaudo is also the chief architect for the re-branding of Livingstone.

“We are very grateful to have Christopher on our management team. His knowledge and experience will help improve our service to publishers, as well as redesign and position our company to face emerging challenges and opportunities in the future market environment,” said Bruce Barton, CEO of Livingstone.

Chief Creative Officer, Dave Veerman, noted, “Christopher brings a unique blend of marketing experience, creativity, and theological training to this position. He will certainly broaden and deepen our capabilities and resources as we continue to work in partnership with publishers, ministries, and others.”

Ribaudo has worked in consumer, technology, and non-profit environments. He was the brand and marketing communications strategist for such brands as Aloha Nui Bodyworks, TechXpress, People’s Self-Help Housing Corporation, and others. Additionally, he helped lead marketing and sales initiatives with The Grid, OneMain.com and Earthlink.

Ribaudo combines brand and marketing communication expertise and consulting experience with years of pastoral experience and theological education. He is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in America and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.

“It is exciting to be associated with such a respected company as Livingstone,” said Christopher Ribaudo. “With winds of change blowing through Christian publishing and larger publishing industry as a whole, it’s great being part of a team like Livingstone where there has been such a strong tradition of providing premium solutions for publishers’ needs. I look forward to continuing the tradition as we help publishers navigate the new media-oriented digital environment of publishing.”

About Livingstone
Livingstone specializes in book and Bible production, branding, digital and integrated marketing communication solutions for publisher’s print, Web, and new media needs. A recognized industry leader, Livingstone marks its 20th anniversary in September 2008. Livingstone’s new Web site will be launched in early July 2008.

Livingstone is an international idea house providing book and Bible production, branding, digital, media content and integrated marketing communications solutions for publishers across print, web and new media platforms. Livingstone marks its 20th anniversary in September 2008. Its new Web site will be launched in early July 2008.

In most evangelical publishing firms, acquisition editors are typically the ones charged with searching for new talent, cultivating relationships with authors and agents, entertaining new proposals, and purchasing a certain number of projects a year.

Acquisition editors function as key culture-shapers because what authors get contracts, what stories get admitted into the mainstream Christian publishing system, and what personalities get media platforms and distribution for their story is largely influenced by this virtually unseen and unknown group.

To a significant degree, in traditional marketing and increasingly in online communications, acquisition editors select the content that in turn shapes the ideas, opinions, attitudes, rhetoric and discourse within evangelical circles and the broader evangelical movement.

For these reasons, it’s interesting to ponder how acquisition editors do what they do. How do they sort through the glut of opportunities to identify the ones they want to invest in?

In a recent post, Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson, informally sketched out a two-criterion approach that included “brand equity” and “competitive advantage.” Building on this, I want to suggest two more criteria editors could use in assessing new opportunities: Gospel content and Gospel motivation.

Gospel Content

By Gospel content I’m suggesting that evangelical acquisition editors might evaluate business prospects with an eye to alignment with the actual biblical facts of the full Gospel.

For example, an acquisition editor could perform a Gospel risk-benefit analysis by asking how much and how well the proposed idea or concept reflects the Church’s historic Gospel message.

Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone are Gospel facts. But what about other Gospel facts beyond these—like foreknowledge, regeneration, faith and repentance, justification and sanctification, spiritual adoption, glorification and union with Christ?

How conscious are acquisition editors about these Gospel truths as they evaluate different manuscripts for content and quality?

From a theological and Kingdom perspective, the quality of an acquisition editor’s evaluation of authors and proposals is linked to the accuracy and quality of Gospel facts they possess and can apply. This understanding is a powerful precondition and influencer of an acquisition editor’s thinking and choices.

Gospel Motivation

In addition to Gospel content, I also suggest Gospel motivation be a selection criterion.

By this I mean acquisition editors would evaluate authors and proposals and the degree of alignment between how their content—directly or indirectly—motivates believers and how the Gospel does.

Watching my sons grumble when asked to clean their rooms one day reminded me of something I learned over time growing up. I remember times when I was asked to do a specific chore. I did it, but I did it with a grumbling and complaining spirit. I outwardly obeyed, but inwardly I was all about rebellion. I externally conformed while inwardly breaking the 1st and 5th Commandments. I was performing rather than living by faith and love.

The point is God desires disciples and not performers. He desires people who externally follow him because internally they are continuously rooted and transformed by Gospel grace.

When evaluating the risk-benefit profile of a particular author or book deal, acquisition editors could ask, “How does the author or content—directly or indirectly—motivate readers? Does it seem to rely on appeals to egotistic, pragmatic, emotional, sentimental, romantic, hedonistic, duty or private ethical motivations, or does it motivate believers to obedience flowing from heart gratitude to God and the joy of the Gospel in Christ?

Four Criteria for Acquisition Editors

Christian content that leaves out truths of the Gospel distorts it and loses Kingdom relevance. On the other hand, content about the Gospel’s message of grace that directly or indirectly motivates believers to live by performance or fear, instead of by grace, undermines the Great Commission.

For publishing houses concerned with providing content that is missional and Kingdom-focused, an acquisitions approach that includes brand equity, competitive advantage, Gospel content and Gospel motivation as its criteria may more effectively help you achieve your ministry goals and vision.