Yates & Yates Author Coaching Bio
We teach and coach first time and veteran authors interested in advancing their careers, using our unparalleled experience, hard-won wisdom, and industry-leading strengths to help them reach their full potential.
With a collective 125 years in publishing, managing the careers of mega author brands, our publishing experience is unparalleled. Our business model has always been built on the concept of leading and shepherding our clients through the entire process, and beyond. Our expertise has been honed over decades as we’ve coached authors on platform growth, content development, book packaging, building and refining marketing plans, and managing the execution of all that. We’ve developed a reputation as being innovators in our industry. We have helped our clients publish more than 40 New York Times Bestsellers. Essentially, we help authors build publishing careers and maximize their influence.
Sealy Yates
Sealy is the founder and senior partner at Yates & Yates, LLP. He started the firm in 1969 less than a year after he graduated from UCLA law school. He earned a business degree from Baylor University prior to law school. He was first introduced to Christian publishing in 1973, and in 1974 he helped set up the trade association of Christian publishers, ECPA, and served that association as general counsel for 16 years before adding the role of “literary agent” to his work for his author clients. From the start, Sealy has seen his work in Christian publishing as a calling and ministry. He has had the privilege of serving Christian authors for almost 50 years, having served Chuck Swindoll, John Maxwell, David Jeremiah, Beth Moore and David Platt (among others) for decades.
Sealy has been blessed to serve many Christian organizations over the last 50 years in multiple capacities. He has been involved in serving Persecuted Christians around the world, including having served as Chairman of the Board for Open Doors International for 30 years. Sealy and Susan have been married for over 50 years and they have four adult children and ten grandchildren.
Matt Yates
Matt is a partner at Yates & Yates, LLP, and has been working with author clients alongside Sealy since joining the firm in 1995. Matt has an economics degree from Baylor University and a law degree from Pepperdine Law School. He has a focus on business and leadership books, including 34 million copy bestselling author John Maxwell, Mark Sanborn and Zig Ziglar, as well as pastors/bible teachers like Chris Hodges, Kevin Myers, Robert Morgan, and book projects for recording artists such as David Crowder and Lacey Sturm.
Matt is a drummer, Harley rider, former college lacrosse player, and sports enthusiast—he even used to be a sports agent. Matt and his wife Heidi have four daughters ages 16-21.
Curtis Yates
Curtis is a partner at Yates & Yates, LLP, having joined the firm in 1999. He graduated cum laude from Westmont College with a degree in economics and business, and then earned a law degree from Pepperdine University where he made Law Review. A lover of ideas and books, he is passionate about taking authors from good to great. He counts it a privilege to manage the careers of New York Times bestselling authors John and Stasi Eldredge, Beth Moore, David Platt, Jennie Allen, Jefferson Bethke, Jon Acuff, and Katie Davis.
A former college baseball player, Curtis loves baseball and golf, March Madness, live music, frisbee on the beach, and reading the Wall Street Journal. He and his wife, Karen, have three children.
Mike Salisbury
Mike started in publishing in 2005 and worked for Zondervan and David C Cook in their marketing divisions. He has led marketing campaigns for such authors as Shauna Niequist (Cold Tangerines), Ann Voskamp (One Thousand Gifts), Francis Chan (Erasing Hell), and Brennen Manning (All Is Grace). He believes that when it comes to book marketing, “Hope is not a strategy.”
In 2014, Mike joined Yates & Yates. Since then, he has worked with dozens of New York Times best-selling authors, including Jon Acuff and Jennie Allen, along with helping to launch the careers of authors like Sara Hagerty, Lindsay Teague Moreno, and Tanya Dalton. He views his role as an agent as both an advocate and counselor.
Mike is a former NCAA runner, competing at Grand Valley State University, and is a graduate of the MFA program at Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR. He lives with his wife and daughters along Michigan’s West Coast.
Karen Yates
Karen graduated from Westmont College in 1998 as an English major. She went on to work in the non-profit sector for 12 years as a Director of Communications, overseeing direct and online marketing efforts, fundraising funnels, receipt and donor relations, public relations, and product offerings. During that season, on the side, Karen would help the Yates & Yates team reviewing manuscripts, helping shape messages, sharpening marketing plans, cover direction, and platform coaching. Her first Yates & Yates project was in 2001, and she hasn’t looked back! Karen is responsible for discovering talents like Katie Davis Majors and Jennie Allen. She has also published multiple articles through Relevant Magazine, Christianity Today, and the Washington Post. Karen officially joined Yates & Yates in 2015 as literary agent.
As a right-brained INFJ and Enneagram 4 w 3, Karen brings a unique twist to the Yates & Yates team, offering intuition, ideation, leadership, and excellence in execution. In her spare time, she enjoys the mountains, pine trees, puzzling, playing piano, and she has been a worship leader at her church for over 20 years. She is married to Curtis, and together they have three teenage children.
