EXHIBIT 10.17



                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT



This contract of Employment is made and entered into by and between Thomas
Nelson, Inc., a Tennessee corporation, hereinafter referred to as "Employer",
and Lee Gessner, hereinafter referred to as "Employee".

Employer desires to employ Employee in the capacity of Executive Vice President
of Thomas Nelson Publishing Division, with all principal powers, duties and
responsibilities attendant thereto, and such other duties as shall be requested
of Employee by Employer, and Employee desires to be so employed by Employer.
In consideration therefore, the parties mutually agree as follows:

A.  TERM OF AGREEMENT
    -----------------

    The term of this contract shall be for a period of one (1) year commencing
    on November 9, 2000 and thereafter shall automatically renew for additional
    sixty (60) day periods unless 1) cancelled upon sixty (60) days written
    notice by either party or 2) superseded by a new employment agreement.

B.  EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION
    ---------------------

    Employee's remuneration shall be as set forth in Schedule A attached to
    this Agreement and incorporated herein.

C.  EMPLOYEE CONDUCT
    ----------------

    As Executive Vice President of Thomas Nelson Publishing Division, Employee
    recognizes and understands his fiduciary relationship with and
    responsibilities to Employer.  Employee therefore promises to act always in
    good faith and in the best interests of Employer in the discharge of his
    duties and obligations.  Further, Employee agrees to devote his full time
    and efforts to his employment with Employer.  Should Employee during the
    term of this Agreement fail to so devote his full working time and efforts
    to the benefit of Employer for any reason other than illness or disability,
    or should he engage in any activity or business enterprise competing or
    conflicting with the business or activities of Employer, its subsidiaries,
    partners, or agents, or should he engage in any illegal or criminal conduct
    or acts of insubordination or moral turpitude (such as fornication,
    adultery, theft, embezzlement and/or fraud), or should he violate any of
    the terms and provisions of Subparagraph D(1) hereunder, then Employer, at
    its sole discretion, may terminate the employment of Employee immediately.
    All Employee's rights hereunder shall end upon such termination by Employer
    and Employee's only rights in such event shall be to receive all salary
    accrued through the date of termination.

D.  CONFIDENTIAL CLAUSES AND NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENT
    --------------------------------------------------

    Employee further agrees as follows:

    (1)  During Employment by Employer:

         Confidential Information

         Employee recognizes and acknowledges that there are certain trade
         secrets related to Employer's Bible, book, gift, and related
         businesses including, but not limited to, the names, royalties,
         account information and/or business relationships pertaining to
         Employer's artists, authors, writers, customers, and manufacturers,
         as well as certain information related to manufacturing schedules
         and procedures, new products, future plans, marketing practices,
         sales volumes of various products, and other items of Employer's
         businesses not specifically mentioned herein.

         Employee recognizes and understands that he holds a position of
         fiduciary privilege, and except as authorized in writing by Employer,
         he agrees during the term of this Agreement and thereafter to refrain
         from disclosing to any person, firm, corporation, partnership,
         association or other business entity, or to use for his own benefit,
         any trade secrets, unique business information, plans, products,
         manufacturing data, customer lists, author or artist lists, or any
         other confidential information relating to any and all ongoing
         business activities of Employer, or its parent company, or its
         subsidiaries the disclosure of which he knows, or in the exercise of
         reasonable care should have reason to know, may, can, or will be
         damaging or harmful to Employer's business activities or those of its
         parent company, affiliates, or subsidiaries, or which disclosure shall
         serve to direct or divert corporate opportunities, product sales,
         and/or profits away from Employer, its parent company, its affiliates,
         its subsidiaries, partners, or agents, to the person, firm,
         corporation, partnership, association, or the given entity to whom or
         to which such disclosure is made.

         Employer has all right to possession of, and all title in and to, all
         ideas, methods, plans, developments or improvements ("Proprietary
         Material") known by Employee which relate directly or indirectly to
         the business of Employer, whether acquired by Employee before or
         during his employment by Employer.  Nothing in this Section D shall be
         construed as requiring any communication or transfer to Employer
         where the Proprietary material is lawfully protected from disclosure
         as a trade secret of a third party or by any other lawful prohibition
         against such communication or transfer.

         Employee hereby assigns to Employer all his right, title and interest
         in and to all Proprietary Material, and any patents thereon or
         copyrights therein.  Employee will, on request of Employer, at any
         time during or following his employment, execute specific assignments
         (prepared by Employer) reflecting the assignment to the Employer or
         its nominee of the Properietary mateiral, as well as execute all
         patent and copyright applications and papers relating therto, and
         take all other lawful acts, which Employer deems necessary or
         advisable in connection therewith, including the giving of testimony.

         Employee will, on request of Employer, at any time during or following
         his employment, return to Employer any and all Employer property that
         he or any of his affiliates, relatives or persons under his control
         then has, or at any time has had, in his control.  Employee agrees
         that in the event he or any of his affiliates, relatives or persons
         under his control from time to time comes into possession of any
         Employer property at any time following his employement, he will or
         will cause such person, as the case may be, to immediately deliver to
         Employer any and all originals and copies of the same.

(2)  Subsequent to Termination of Employment:

     Non-Competition

     (i)   Employee agrees that he will not attempt to publish, produce, or sell
           any trade obok of religious or inspirational nature or Bible product
           or book project related to the Christian book industry, or any
           project of any author or artist under contract with, or published by
           Employer during the preceding three (3) years prior to termination,
           that in his knowledge was under consideraiton, in negotiation, or in
           the process of publication, or distribution by Employer at the time
           of the Employee's departure.

     Employee agrees that for a period extending two (2) years from the date of
     Employee's termination with Employer for any reason:

     (ii)  Whether for Employee's own account or for the account of any other
           person or company, he will not negotiate or enter into any contract
           with any artist, author, writer, editor, designer, packager or other
           person who, at the time of termination, is under contract to
           Employer, or its parent, affiliates or subsidiaries, or with whom
           Employer or its parent, affiliates or subsidiaries is negotiating
           at such time, or with whom Employer its parent, affiliates or
           subsidiaries enters into any contract or agreement during the
           non-compete period hereunder.  Employee further agrees not to
           negotiate or enter into contract with any of the above persons for
           a period of two (2) years following the expiration of any such
           person's contract with Employer or its parent, affiliates or
           subsidiaries.

     (iii) Whether for Employee's own account or for the account of any other
           person or company, he will not solicit or hire, nor encourage
           others to solicit or hire, whether as an employee, consultant,
           independent contractor or otherwise, any employees or consultants
           of Employer or its parent, affiliates or subsidiaries who are
           employed at the time of execution hereof, or such employees as may
           become employed by Employer or any of its subsidiaries during the
           non-compete period hereunder or in any manner induce or attempt to
           induce any employee or consultant of Employer to terminate his
           employment or engagement with Employer.

     (iv)  Whether for Employee's own account or for the account of any other
           person or company, he will not engage in publishing, producing or
           distributing Bibles, religious or inspirational books, or
           audio/video product, or religious or secular gift or stationery
           products, nor divert to other companies any artists, authors,
           writers, editors, designers, packagers, or any other person under
           contract with Employer or its parent, affiliates or subsidiaries or
           with whom Employer is negotiating at the time of termination, in
           any geographical region in which Employer or its parent, affiliates
           or subsidiaries conduct such business or sell such products both as
           of the time of execution hereof and throughout the non-compete
           period hereunder.

     (v)   He agrees never to make, utter, write, nor otherwise publish
           derogatory or defamatory statements which can, may, or do cause
           harm, whether intended or not, to the relationship between Employer
           or its parent, affiliates, or subsidiaries and any of their
           customers, personnel, producers, artists, authors, or writers.

E.  REMEDIES
    --------

    Employee acknowledges that he will receive privileged information from
    Employer during his employment and that he will have substantial access
    to Employer's trade secrets, business information and personnel data.
    In consideration of his employment and the privilege of access to
    Employer's trade secrets, information, business methods and procedures,
    and personnel data, Employee acknowledges that the restrictions contained
    within paragraph D are reasonable and necessary in order to preserve
    Employer's legitimate interests and that any violation thereof would
    result in irreparable injury to Employer for which monetary damages would
    be an inadequate remedy.  Therefore, Employee acknowledges and agrees
    that in the event of any violations thereof, Employer may seek from any
    court of competent jurisdiction preliminary and permanent injunctive relief
    as well as an equitable accounting of all Employee's profits or benefits
    arising out of such violation, which rights shall be cumulative and in
    addition to any other action or remedies to which Employer may be entitled.

    In the event that any Non-Competition provision of this Agreement shall be
    held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be, in any respect, an
    unreasonable restriction of Employee, then the court so holding may reduce
    the territory to which it pertains and/or the period of time to which it
    operates or effect any other change to the extent necessary to render the
    Non-Competition provisions and the Non-Disclosure of Information provisions
    of this Contract enforceable by the said court.

F.  WAIVERABILITY OF PROVISIONS
    ---------------------------

    In case any provision in this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or
    unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining
    provisions shall not in any way be affected nor impaired thereby and such
    provisions shall be enforced to the fullest extent possible in accordance
    with the mutual intent of the parties hereto.

G.  NON-WAIVER AGREEMENT
    --------------------

    No provision of this Agreement may be modified, waived or discharged
    unless such waiver, modification or discharge is agreed to in writing and
    is signed by the Employee and an officer of Employer.  No waiver by either
    party hereto of the other party's compliance with, or breach of, any
    condition or provision herein to be performed by said party shall
    constitute a simultaneous waiver of any other terms, provisions or
    conditions herein nor shall such waiver by either party constitute a
    continuing waiver of said pertinent term, provision, or condition
    subsequent thereto unless such continuation of waiver is agreed to in
    writing by the parties pursuant to the terms of this paragraph.

H.  WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATION
    -----------------------------

    This Agreement, including attachments, contains the entire agreement
    between the parties hereto and no agreements or representations, oral or
    otherwise, express or implied, with respect to the subject matter hereof
    have been made by either party which are not set forth expressly in this
    Agreement.

I.  APPLICABLE LAW
    --------------

    The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this
    Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee and the
    parties hereto submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of
    Davidson County, Tennessee which shall be the venue for resolution of any
    dispute arising herefrom.  The cost of any such litigation to enforce all
    or part of this Agreement, including without limitation, court costs and
    attorneys' fees, shall be paid by the party found to be in default
    hereunder or who is otherwise found to be acting or to have acted contrary
    to the terms hereof.

Agreement is made and entered into this 11th day of November, 2000.


ACCEPTED BY:                              THOMAS NELSON, INC.

/s/ Lee Gessner                     By:    /s/ Sam Moore
--------------------                      --------------------
Lee Gessner                         Name:      Sam Moore

						Title:     CEO
                                          --------------------