Michael Hyatt

I am the President and Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the sixth largest trade book publishing company in the U.S. Our company is privately-held. I have worked at the company for a total of twelve years.



I began my publishing career at Word Publishing while a student at Baylor University. I worked at Word for a total of six years. In addition to serving as Vice President of Marketing at Thomas Nelson in the mid-80s, I also started my own publishing company, Wolgemuth & Hyatt, with my partner Robert Wolgemuth in 1986. Word eventually acquired our company in 1992.



I was a successful literary agent from 1992 until early 1998. I have also written four books, one of which landed on the New York Times bestseller list where it stayed for seven months.



I joined Thomas Nelson for the second time in 1998. Since that time I have worked in a variety of roles in both divisional and corporate management. I was promoted to President in February 2004 and CEO in August 2005. I also serve as Chairman of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).



This year, our company has placed nineteen books on the New York Times bestseller list—more than any other time in our history.



While I love my work, it is not the most important thing in my life. That position belongs to my family. I have been married to my wife, Gail, for twenty-eight years. We have five daughters and two grand daughters. We live outside of Nashville, Tennessee.



In my free time, I enjoy writing, running, golfing, fishing, and photography. I am a member of St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, Tennessee, where I have served as a deacon for almost 20 years.