Guest Post: Why IVP?

Why choose InterVarsity Press? – My Journey to Publication

Sharon Hastings

A household name

Looking back, my journey towards working with InterVarsity Press (IVP) really began in my family home during the 1980s. I used to lie on my parents’ bed looking up at their bookshelves, which were populated with volumes from important IVP series such as ‘The Bible Speaks Today’. I saw the IVP insignia on the spines of many volumes well-loved by my dad, and, importantly, on a book written by my uncle, Gordon McConville, a theologian whom I admired from a young age.

I went on to read some of these IVP titles for myself in my late teens, and, as a student, began to frequent the Christian bookshops in Belfast, where I saw that many ‘Christian Living’ titles were also published by IVP (including several on themes related to mental illness, which was gradually emerging as a major issue in my personal life).

Reputable and evangelical

When I began writing my own book, it was my desire that a well-regarded, Evangelical Christian publisher, preferably with an international reach, would see its potential. Although I did want my book to be accessible to non-Christians, I needed a publisher who would respect my faith and be willing to promote a book with a message of Christian hope. A quick glance around my own shelves reminded me that many evangelical authors whose work I had come to admire as an adult – including John Stott, John Piper, Stuart Briscoe and J.I. Packer – had been published by IVP.

A pragmatic approach

I was realistic, however: I knew that I had nothing like the stature of these writers and, as a first-time author, I fully expected that some of the ‘big-name’ Christian publishing houses might reject my work. I was willing to accept that I would need to approach several publishers, and that it might be a niche, perhaps local, publisher who would take on my project. One thing I did know was that I did not want to self-publish; the idea of employing a freelance editor, cover designer, proof-reader and so on was too daunting (and expensive), and I was not confident enough in my marketing ability.

The seed of hope

During early 2018, when I was in the throes of writing my first draft, I went to a ‘Handling the Word’ training course run by the Presbyterian Church for those who were thinking about preaching or leadership. An eager volunteer, I delivered a short sermon on ‘Building a Philippians 4:8 Toolkit’ to the group and shared a little of my own story. I must have mentioned that I was working on a book, because a young woman came to me afterwards and encouraged me to keep writing, telling me that a local friend of hers had recently got a contract with IVP. Sadly, I still don’t know the identity of her friend or his book, but I remember thinking that maybe – just maybe – if he could do it, so could I!

A recurring theme

I focused on finishing my manuscript without giving much further thought to seeking a publisher. (Inexperienced as I was, I thought that I would need to present a completed project; I had no concept of selling an ‘idea’ with a few chapters, a synopsis and a marketing plan at this stage.)

All the same, the name ‘IVP’ kept coming up for me as time moved on, and when – once I had written about 50,000 words – I did begin to think (and pray) in earnest about approaching a publisher, IVP was among the first to come to mind.

A standout story

In the end, it was one title in particular which spurred me to submit to IVP, and that was ‘A New Name: Grace and Healing for Anorexia’ by Emma Scrivener. As an ‘eating disorder survivor’ myself, I had read Emma’s book soon after IVP published it in 2012, and I was struck by its raw honesty, by the beauty (and humour) of Emma’s prose, and by the ultimate message of compassion and hope.

An example to follow

Even back then, I knew that, should I ever write my story, A New Name – from which I could draw so many parallels with my own life – would be my inspiration and model. (It was only once I was already on the way to publication that I discovered Emma’s second book, A New Day, also raw and honest but with so much practical theology underpinning it: I am already thinking about how I might follow her example with a similarly reflective book building on themes which emerged from Wrestling With My Thoughts.)

Making a connection

Although Emma is also from Northern Ireland, and whilst I felt like I knew her because of how much of herself she reveals in A New Name, we had never connected. However, I kept up to date with her blog and decided to try contacting her through its associated Facebook page. I explained that I admired her writing, and that I was a budding writer myself, also fighting mental illness. By this stage, I had a manuscript – a ‘handbook’ for the church about severe mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder) – and I asked her whether she would be interested in reading it.

I had no idea what to expect. I knew Emma was a busy mum and pastor’s wife, who was bound to have all kinds of pulls on her time, but she responded quickly and said that she would love to see it. Only two days after I had forwarded the manuscript, she replied again and told me that she felt the church needed my book, asking whether she could show it to her editor (Eleanor Trotter, at IVP).

A ‘God-appointment’

I was quite overwhelmed. I had hoped for some encouragement and maybe a few hints and tips on how to approach IVP; I certainly hadn’t anticipated getting my work read by a commissioning editor! But Eleanor read it (in a two-hour slot which unexpectedly became free on the day Emma sent the manuscript – a ‘God-appointment’, I came to believe) and quickly emailed me.

We talked the next day, and it was clear that Eleanor believed in my potential as a writer, even if the book needed some work. While offering no guarantees, she told me that she would support me in navigating the IVP application process. Suddenly, it felt like God might really have a vision for this book – that it might, like Emma’s, reach and change lives.

A new challenge!

Six weeks later, the submissions process was complete. My book was presented at various ‘Zoom’ meetings during summer 2018, and I got a call from Eleanor in September to say that there was good news – IVP intended to offer me a contract; however, there was a caveat – it was not exactly for the book which I had already written! Rather than a guide to severe mental illness, they wanted me to write my own story (bits of which had been used to illustrate the concepts in the ‘handbook’), much as I had considered doing eight years ago after reading A New Name.

It would be a challenge and I felt a little daunted, but by now I trusted the expertise and experience of the team at IVP and I really believed that God was behind their offer. I soon accepted, delighted to become an ‘IVP author’ alongside Emma, my Uncle Gordon, J.I. Packer and all those others whose work I had known since early childhood. Wrestling With My Thoughts was published in January 2020, and I have never looked back.