1931 – Zondervan is founded as a bookselling company in the Grand Rapids suburb of Grandville, Michigan by brothers Pat and Bernie Zondervan.

1933 – Women of the Old Testament, Zondervan's first book, is published.

  1973 – Zondervan first publishes the New International Version (NIV) New Testament in partnership with the International Bible Society.

1978 – Zondervan publishes the complete NIV Bible.
 
1986 – The New International Version of the Bible, for the first time, overtakes the King James Version as the #1 Bible translation.

1988 – Zondervan becomes a company of HarperCollinsPublishers, one of the world's largest publishing companies.

1989 – Zondervan's New Media division is formed to publish books and Bibles in electronic format, becoming the first in the industry to do so.
 
1992 – Zondervan stops publishing music to focus on its core areas of books, Bibles, new media, and gift products.

1995 – Zondervan acquires Editorial Vida, adding Spanish to the current English products.

1995 – Zondervan enters the World Wide Web with its first website.

1996 – Zondervan's award-winning Email Alert Service is launched to stay in close communication with consumers.

1997 – Zondervan begins producing digital Internet download editions of its audio publications.

1999 – Zondervan relaunches its children's product group as Zonderkidz. The leading publisher of children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks, Zonderkidz is also a leading publisher of children's books.

2000 – Zondervan releases the industry’s first two ebooks, including the first Christian book published exclusively in electronic format, Leonard Sweet’s The Dawn Mistaken for Dusk. Since that time, Zondervan continues to release additional ebook titles, many of which are consistently on the Palm Digital Media bestseller list.

2001 – Zondervan assumes all publishing responsibilities for Marshall Pickering, the HarperCollins UK evangelical imprint, as well as portions of Fount, its largely Anglican publishing list. These products are now under the Zondervan brand and sold by the Zondervan sales force worldwide.

2002 – Zondervan expands its ebook offerings further to include an electronic version of the bestselling and most trusted translation of the Bible—the New International Version.

2002 – Zondervan publishes The Purpose Driven® Life by Rick Warren, which goes on to sell more than 30 million copies.

2004 – Zonderkidz introduces the bestselling Faithgirlz!™ series for young girls, featuring characters Lily and Sophie, by author Nancy Rue.

2005 – Zondervan releases the complete version of Today’s New International Version (TNIV), the latest revision and updating of the NIV.



2006 – Zondervan begins hosting the National Pastors Convention as part of a larger initiative to better support ministry leaders.
• Youth Specialties is acquired, further cementing a 30-year partnership as resource providers to youth workers.
• The Africa Bible Commentary is released, illustrating Zondervan’s commitment to globally supporting Christians in 78 countries and 48 languages.
• Booksellers name Zondervan "Supplier of the Year" for the 7th time in its history, a record achievement.
• Zondervan and Inspired By Media Group release Inspired By... The Bible Experience, a dramatized audio Bible, featuring an all-star cast.
• Vida celebrates its 60th year of providing Spanish-speaking Christians with resources.
• Zondervan celebrates its 75th anniversary, publishing its history in the updated edition of The House of Zondervan.

2007 – Ever After by Karen Kingsbury wins the ECPA "Kip" Jordon Christian Book of the Year Award.
• Zondervan is the holder of seven Christian Book of the Year awards, the most of any publisher.
• With a total of 88 awards since 1978, Zondervan has more Christian Book Awards (formerly Gold Medallion Awards) for excellence in publishing than any other single publisher.
• Zondervan has been named CBA Supplier of the Year a record seven times.
• Zondervan is the recipient of the inaugural More from the Core Initiative and Innovation Award for exemplary retail partnership.
• Inspired By… The Bible Experience (complete Bible) is released, the most ambitious, critically-acclaimed audio presentation of the complete Bible ever produced. The combined Old and New Testaments feature a star-studded cast of 400 including 3 Oscar winners, 5 Golden Globe winners, 7 Emmy winners, and 23 Grammy winners.

Today Zondervan products are sold to domestic and international ministries and retail facilities, including independent Christian and general bookstores and chains, general merchandisers, direct sellers, and online e-tailers. Our products are available in nearly 200 languages in 60 countries.