EXHIBIT 10.17


                             EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This Agreement of Employment is made and entered into by and between Thomas
Nelson, Inc., a Tennessee corporation, hereinafter referred to as "Employer",
and Mark Donald Schoenwald, hereinafter referred to as "Employee".

Employer desires to employ Employee in the capacity of Executive Vice President
& Chief Sales Officer, 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 Agreement shall be for a period of one (1) year commencing
     on July 12, 2004. After this one (1) year period, this Agreement will
     automatically renew every thirty (90) days unless cancelled by either
     party.

B.   EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION

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

C.   EMPLOYEE CONDUCT

     As Executive Vice President & Chief Sales Officer, Employee recognizes and
     understands his/her 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/her duties and
     obligations.  Further, Employee agrees to devote his/her full time and
     efforts to his/her employment with Employer.  Should Employee during the
     term of this Agreement fail to so devote his/her full working time and
     efforts to the benefit of Employer for any reason other than illness or
     disability, or should he/she 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/she 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/she
     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 that the Bible publishing industry and the
          religious book publishing industry combined comprise about 4% of the
          total publishing industry, and less than 1% of the total printing
          industry; therefore, Employee understands and agrees that this
          Employment Agreement is not unreasonably restrictive, and does not
          prohibit Employee from being employed in a lucrative career and from
          making a fair and honorable living.

          Employee recognizes and acknowledges that there are certain trade
          secrets related to Employer's Christian and Inspirational Books,
          Bibles, and Biblical Reference and Electronic Publishing, as well as
          the design, sale, and distribution of Bible Covers, 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/she holds a position of
          fiduciary privilege, and except as authorized in writing by Employer,
          he/she 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/her 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/she 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.

          Ownership of Work
          -----------------

          Employee recognizes and understands that he/she will hold for the
          benefit of Employer and disc lose fully to Employer, immediately upon
          origination or acquisition, any and all Works made, discovered,
          developed or secured, alone or jointly with others, during the term
          of his/her employment with Employer.  Employee further agrees that
          any Work prepared during the term of his/her employment is a "work
          made for hire" for all purposes of the United States Copyright Act.
          If, for any reason, all right, title and interest in and to a Work
          does not vest in Employer by operation of law, Employee hereby
          assigns to Employer the entire right, title and interest in and to
          the Work including without limitation, patents, trademarks, and the
          exclusive and perpetual copyright in and to the Work and the exclusive
          right to obtain and hold in its own name registrations and any other
          such protection and any extensions or renewals thereof.  Employee's
          execution of this Agreement shall be deemed an assignment thereof to
          Employer.  For the purpose of this Agreement, the term "Work" means
          any and all inventions, discoveries, improvements, developments and
          innovations whether patentable or not, software (including, without
          limitation, source and object code), patents, copyrights, trademarks
          and or original works of authorship, in any and all media or forms of
          expressions, now known or later discovered, conceived in whole or in
          part by the undersigned or through assistance of the undersigned
          which: (i) result from any work performed on behalf of Employer, or
          pursuant to a project suggested or directed by the Employer;
          (ii) relate in any manner to the existing or contemplated business of
          the Employer; or (iii) result from the use of the Employer's time,
          material, employees, equipment or facilities.

     (2)  Subsequent to Termination of Employment:

          Non-Competition
          ---------------

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

          (i)  He/she will not negotiate or enter into any contract with any
               author, writer, editor, designer, packager or other person who,
               at the time of termination, is under contract to (or is
               negotiating with) Employer or its parent, affiliates or
               subsidiaries, or with whom Employer or 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 any 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.

         (ii)  He/she will not attempt to procure, nor encourage others to
               procure, the employment of any employees 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 its parent, affiliates or subsidiaries during
               Employee's employment hereunder or the non-compete period
               hereunder.

        (iii)  He/she will not engage in publishing, producing or distributing
               Christian and Inspirational Books, Bibles, Electronic products,
               Bible Covers, Biblical Reference and Electronic products, as
               well as in the design, sale, and distribution of these products,
               nor divert to other companies any 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, (or who was
               published by Employer or its parent, affiliates or subsidiaries
               during the thirty (30) months prior to Employee's 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.

         (iv)  He/she 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/she will receive privileged information from
     Employer during his/her employment and that he/she will have substantial
     access to Employer's trade secrets, business information and personnel
     data.  In consideration of his/her 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 at law or in
     equity.

     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 Agreement enforceable by the said court.

F.   SEVERABILITY 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 final and
     complete 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.  The parties agree that this Agreement
     shall supersede and replace all previous contracts or agreements whether
     written or oral between Employer and Employee.

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.

This Agreement is made and entered into this 27th day of June, 2004.


ACCEPTED BY:                                     THOMAS NELSON, INC.


/s/ Mark Schoenwald                        By:    /s/ Michael S. Hyatt
-----------------------------                    --------------------------
Mark Schoenwald                            Name:      Michael S. Hyatt
                                                 --------------------------
                                           Title:     President & COO
                                                 --------------------------