About

Howard and Fran Joslin both lost their first spouses to cancer in the same year. Two years later, they married each other, beginning life together with a total of seven children from their first marriages. Always open to new adventures, Howard planned to begin a PhD program just before Fran shattered her ankle during a family hike. Howard postponed his studies, but as Fran recovered they both sensed a new dream awakening.

They launched Authenticity Book House in 2014, hoping to give Christians with stories to tell a way to see their work in print. Fran began working for ABH just sixteen hours a week. Before long, she took over as president while Howard served as board chair and continued his full time job.

One day Fran sat at a Christian conference with a table full of ABH books, gazing around at other Christian publishers with their tables full of books. “God, why do you want us to do what everyone else is already doing?” Fran wondered.

She returned to the conference the next day to find an empty table. Someone had taken most of ABH’s books in the night. The few remaining books happened to be mini books published for pastor training conferences in Tanzania.

Through this incident, Fran discovered ABH’s niche. ABH authors would write for pastors unable to afford higher education. They would write small books teaching powerful theology in simple language.

After all, small books travel better. They fit comfortably in hands that never held a book of their own. They gradually accumulate to create libraries in churches with little more than four rickety walls. They may not yield royalties on earth, but they produce a flourishing harvest for God’s kingdom.