Nelson's Stielstra Sets Up Own Shop

by Lynn Garrett, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 3/28/2007

Greg Stielstra, v-p of marketing for the trade books division at Thomas Nelson, is leaving the company, effective March 30. Stielstra plans to open Pyromarketing Inc., an independent marketing firm that will be based in Nashville. Asked whether his departure had anything to do with Nelson's One Company initiative—which eliminates all of the company's imprints and will be in place by Monday—Stielstra said, "Not at all. I think it's absolutely the right thing to do." He cited his own "entrepreneurial spirit" as the reason to move on. "Corporations are all about process and conformity, but the market values innovation and creativity, and that's my sweet spot," Stielstra said.

Pyromarketing: The Four-Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them for Life is the title of Stielstra's 2005 book, published by Harper Business when he was senior marketing director at Zondervan. The book became the focus of controversy when Rick Warren objected to Stielstra's use of The Purpose-Driven Life promotional campaign—which Stielstra helped lead—as an example of "pyromarketing." Harper and Zondervan tried to force changes to the book, Stielstra resisted, Harper relented and Stielstra subsequently left Zondervan ("Pyro Goes Ahead; Warren Weighs In," Aug. 29, 2005). Stielstra went to Nelson in October 2005.

As for Stielstra's replacement, Nelson CEO Mike Hyatt told PW Daily, "We are interviewing a very exciting candidate later this week."