I am getting more and more concerned at the sacrifice of good servants and contacts in such sudden ways – to me this says much and it’s not at all good. It certainly seems to take the ‘Christian’ out of Christian book trade and Publishing.
I have to admit that in the past few months I have systematically been getting more and more disenchanted with our so called ‘Christian’book trade and ‘Christian’ publishing houses & suppliers.
If we cannot act it then we cannot preach it as it is by our actions that we are known. How we treat other people in times of crisis is surely a key thing in reflecting that.

Still they will be working closer with their distributor to the Christian trade, STL – thats good then.
However with the pricing/overpricing error going on with Zondervan product and STLD wasn’t it Ian that stepped in and made us all feel better and more assured on that one in the end? Though I fully acknowledge that it was working in tandem with STL, But for me there is a place for both surely, a without Ian there directly how would this have actaully played out? Just a concern.

Also it is worth pointing out that about 18 months/2 years ago Gardners also became a distributor for Zondervan? I’m assuming that was as distributor to the non-Christian trade because they seem to have a lot of their stock and I have to admit I tend to get my Zondervan books from them quite often – but then I do tend to use Gardners more than STL due to carrying the general stock as well as the Christian side.

I did not work much with Ian, but it was good to know he was there and available and from all reports and the few experiences I did have he served Zondervan and the Christian book trade well.
My prayers and hopes for a new job soon go out to you Ian.

I’ve never met you, Ian, but you will be in our prayers.

Part of the problem, I guess, is that Z are not a Christian publishing house: they’re just an imprint of HarperCollins, and for an organisation like HC it’s not about mission, it’s about money…