P u b l i s h e r s W e e k ly .

c o m

EAKER

ENGSTRAND

GEBRU

OBENAUF

HARWELL

2016

PW picks 45 members of the

publishing community who
have made a big splash early
in their careers and from
whom much more is expected

STAR

WATCH

Our colleagues passion for bringing readers

to our authors books inspires us.
We proudly congratulate
our PW Star Watch Finalist

Noah Eaker
and each of our 2016 Star Watch honorees

Maria Braeckel, Jason Henry,

Maria Middleton, Kate Napolitano,
Julian Pavia and Bria Sandford.

DK PUBLISHING

THE KNOPF DOUBLEDAY

PUBLISHING GROUP

STAR

WATCH
2016

Publishings

Brightest
Lights
L
PW is pleased to
announce the honorees
and finalists for the
second annual Star
Watch program

By Liz Hartman

ast year PW, in association with the Frankfurt Book Fair, launched the Star Watch program,
which recognizes the rising stars of our industry. This year, we received more than 300 nominees,
from which a team of judges from PW, the American Booksellers Association, the Association
of American Publishers, and the Frankfurt Book Fair chose 40 honorees and five finalists. Of
those five, one will be deemed a superstar and awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to the Frankfurt Book
Fair in October, courtesy of the fair.
The superstar will be revealed September 15 at a party in New York to celebrate all the honorees. Last
year, the superstar was announced ahead of the party; this year, were letting the suspense build.
What hasnt changed is the vast talent that emanates from these dedicated professionals, who represent
all facets of book publishing: literary agencies, bookstores, and every department found in publishing
houses, from production to publicity, art to editorial.
Among the honorees, theres Ariele Fredman, who demonstrates her publicity chops with digital stars
as well as traditionally published authors; Brianne Johnson, an agent who never gives up on clients; and
Bria Sandford, who is undaunted by working with authors who were presidential candidates.
The finalists (pictured on this supplements cover) are Noah Eaker, an executive editor at Random House
who has the Midas touch with debut authors; Vida Engstrand, director of communications at Kensington,
who is laser focused on advocating for authors; bookseller Wintaye Gebru, who made St. Louiss Left Bank
Books a part of the conversation about the police shooting of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson, Mo.; Andy
Harwell, whose editorial acumen has produced enviable successes at HarperCollins Childrens; and Eric
Obenauf, whose indie press, Two Dollar Radio, is as much a literary movement as a publishing company.
With unsurpassed professionalism and dedication to books and authors, these men and women uphold
one overarching principle: books matter. So read on and celebrate the bright future of publishing.

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

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HANNAH BENNETT
Managing Editor
RosettaBooks, New York

My team is phenomenal....
Together we find solutions,
discuss literature, and, when
were overloaded, read Zen
poetry.

oetry aside, there is nothing

Zen-like in Bennetts workaday world. When she
joined RosettaBooks in
2012, it published only backlist
e-books. Now, with a print frontlist
that she and her team built from
scratch, it is a bona fide trade nonfiction publisher. Weve got an efficient
and competitive program that Im
truly proud of, she says. Upcoming
on the list that she has forged is a book
by the radio talk show host Delilah
and a memoir by Dawit Habte, which
she describes as the harrowing story
of a brilliant Eritrean refugee who now
works for Bloomberg.
When Bennett is not working with
such high-profile experts as the legal
eagle Alan Dershowitz and the Silicon
Valley guru John Sculley, she gives her
time to the Womens National Book
Association, for which she has recently
taken on the role of president of the
New York City chapter. She is particularly excited about a women-in-comics
panel that she is organizing with Pen
+ Brush. Other un-Zen-like activities
include serving on the advisory board
of Rosetta and tweaking the draft of a
book that she just completed.

MARIA BRAECKEL

Associate Director of Publicity

Random House Publishing Group, New York

Maria is a homegrown talent who goes

above and beyond her responsibilities.
She represents all that is great at Random
House. Sally Marvin, senior v-p, director of publicity,
Random House

ince she began as an assistant in the Random

House publicity department in 2007,
Braeckel has been promoted six times. The reason for such a rapid rise isnt
hard to discern. Marvin says that Braeckel has not only been loosely connected to major campaigns: she has shepherded authors and books to awards and
bestseller lists.
Braeckels projects are a parade of hits. Among them are Adam Johnsons National
Book Awardwinning short story collection, Fortune Smiles; Elizabeth Strouts #1
bestseller, My Name is Lucy Barton; Lena Dunhams Not That Kind of Girl; Charles
Duhiggs Smarter, Better; and Curtis Sittenfelds new novel, Eligible. She considers
her work with Dunham a career highlight, citing the collaborative nature of the
project: We worked alongside passionate bookstore colleagues, partnered with
Planned Parenthood ... and organized writing roundtables with local nonprofits,
she says. Braeckel was particularly gratified by creating an opportunity for an
author to connect with a huge crowd on an authentic and personal level.

BRIGID BLACK

Senior Production Associate, Reprints

Hachette Book Group, New York

As chair of the AAPs Young to Publishing

committee, Brigid demonstrates great
skills that guide and facilitate numerous
events that bring together our young
industry professionals.
Tina Jordan, v-p, Association of American Publishers

ome may view the production department of

a publishing house as a service department, but thats not how Black sees
it. We actually make the books happen, she says. Noting that production
isnt for everyone, because you cant be afraid of numbers and you cant let
dates slip, Black says, Im the first person to see a sample book when it arrives at
the officehow cool is that? Also cool is that shes in charge of the multipleand
ongoingreprints for Hamilton: The Revolution, which is arguably as successful as
the blockbuster Broadway show.
Because production is behind-the-scenes, Black has earned her reputation beyond
HBG for her tireless work for AAPs Young to Publishing Group, where she is an
activist for diversity, ensuring that these challenging topics are addressed, the
AAPs Jordan says. Blacks manager at HBG, Judy Varon, says her commitment to
Young to Publishing and her job speaks volumes for her love of books and the
written word.

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danielle siess

HONOREES

HONOREES

SARAH CANTIN

JULIE BUNTIN

Senior Editor
Atria Books, New York

Director of Writing Programs

Catapult, New York

I love being in the trenches

with writers as they do the
hard and holy work of
storytelling.

At Catapult, we believe in the power of

empathy, of people telling their stories.

he literary press Catapult offers classes

to supplement its publishing revenue.
Founder and COO R. Andy Hunter
reports that after just one year, the
model is working only because Julie has established a program that will bring in $250,000 in revenue in 2016, of which
instructors receive 51%. The program held its first six-week workshop in May
2015, led by the Pen/Faulkner Awardwinning author James Hannaham. Since
then, 46 fiction and nonfiction workshops and 12 one-day master classes have
been led by a roster of diverse writers, including National Book Award finalists
Angela Flournoy and Mary Gaitskill.
Buntin is proud of the programs alumni, who have gone on to sell memoirs,
novels, short pieces, and be accepted into top-ranking M.F.A. programs, including
the Iowa Writers Workshop. Online classes were launched this summer, and,
Buntin says, I am absolutely thrilled to be able to bring our writing workshops
to students all over the world.
Buntins first book as an editor at the press, the graphic novel Flying Couch by
Amy Kurzweil, comes out this fall, and her own novel, Marlena, will be published
by Holt in spring 2017.

JOHN BYRD

CEO
Cinco Punto Press, El Paso, Tex.

The sweet thing about being an indie publisher is having a small list
that gives us the freedom to care deeply about each book.

hen Byrd joined the family business in 2004, he tackled the independent publishers biggest weakness: its business management
such unglamorous tasks as royalties, contracts, and accounts payable.
So, its no wonder that his secret pleasure is unpacking boxes at
book shows. Sitting at my desk, I sometimes lose track of the collaborative work of
creating books, he says. Unpacking those boxes and pitching the books to curious
readers reconnects me.
Byrds business skills came in handy during the Great
Recession. At that time, Cinco Puntos list was dominated
by illustrated childrens books and was hit hard by the
dramatic cuts to school and institutional budgets. Byrd
broadened the houses list to include young adult and
adult literature.
The expanded list can be seen in Cinco Puntos upcoming
titles, which include How to be Crippled and Naked, an
anthology of short fiction by writers with disabilities; Rani
Patel in Full Effect, Sonia Patels debut YA novel about a
Gujarati Indian girl; and a new series of bilingual board
books from Cynthia Weill.

antin sped from editorial

assistant to senior editor,
where she impressed colleagues by quickly establishing a relationship with one of the
lists most prolific and important
authors: Jennifer Weiner. If not for
Sarahs immense professionalism and
deep personal commitment, this
story might have ended differently
and led to a loss for the imprint, a
coworker says.
Cantin credits the people she took
the reins from, Greer Hendricks and
Sarah Durand, with giving her
wonderful support and mentorship. Now, having left the nest, she
describes her own style: I can be a
hands-off editor when thats an
authors preference, but at heart Im
a mama beara protective, empathetic cheer captain. Or, as a
coworker says: Like the best editors,
she sweats the small stuff. And the
big stuff.
Upcoming projects that Cantin is
cheering on are Weiners nonfiction
debut, Hungry Heart, a personal essay
collection; and Elliot Wakes Bad
Boy, a novel by and about a trans
man. And Cantin says: Look out for
Bed-Stuy Is Burning, a debut by
Brian Platzer that centers on a day in
Brooklyn when riots erupt over
issues of race and gentrification.

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

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PETER CARLAFTES
Publisher
Three Rooms Press, New York

I want to transform literature from something that

intimidates far too many
people into something that
is as necessary as a smartphone in the modern world.

hree years agoafter two

decades of working in
theater as a director,
playwright, and actor
Carlaftes, an author himself, joined
Three Rooms as codirector. In that
short span, he has transformed the
press, whose motto is cut-the-edge
creative, from a publisher of
emerging New York poets into a
global, inventive publisher of literary fiction, translations, memoir,
and creative nonfiction.
Carlaftess efforts havent gone
unnoticed, with titles receiving such
awards and recognition as the 2013
Arab American Book Award for
poetry for Hala Alyans Atrium. Tales
from the Eternal Caf, a collection of
stories by Janet Hamill, was one of
PWs best books of 2014, and Weird
Girl and Whats His Name, an
LGBTQ YA novel, was a 2015
finalist for both the Indiefab and
Kirkus Reviews book of the year.
Carlaftess colleagues also cite his
uncanny ability to commit major
writers to taking a chance with the
small press. For the forthcoming
This Way to the End Times: Classic
Tales of the Apocalypse, he personally
convinced its editor, SF grand master
Robert Silverberg, to come out of
retirement.

JAYA ANINDA CHATTERJEE

Associate Editor, World History,

Geopolitics & International Relations
Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.

My job enables me to identify, reach out to, and

encourage scholars, journalists, and policy analysts alike, to work
closely with them to develop their ideas into book projects. It is a joy
and a privilege to be so closely engaged with people and ideas.

fter receiving her master of arts in English and comparative literature from
Columbia University in 2009, Chatterjee joined Yale as an editorial
assistant. When she began acquiring books for the press, she was impressed
with the caliber of books that were published in the international relations
category but felt that there was room for more South Asian voices. Since then, she has
steadily built those offerings to include the Far Eastern Economic Review contributor
Bertil Lintners Great Game East, about the rivalry between China and India, and Salil
Tripathis The Colonel Who Would Not Repent, a Mumbai Press Club Redink Award
winner that tells the story of Bangladesh from its independence in 1947 to the present.
This fall will see North Koreas Hidden Revolution: How the Information Underground Is
Transforming a Closed Society by Jieun Baek. I am thrilled to be working with Jieun as
she becomes one of the leading voices on North Korea, Chatterjee says, unveiling
what life inside this seemingly impenetrable country looks like.
According to a colleague, Baek will be just as thrilled to work with Chatterjee, who
has wonas an underbidderat competitive auctions because the authors felt that she
understands their books so well and that she would be the consummate dedicated editor.

NICOLE DE JACKMO
Director of Publicity & Marketing
Quirk Books, Philadelphia

Quirk has reignited my passion for publishing. Were a small

but mighty crew; our jobs are much larger than our titles.

ith experience in both big and small houses at Simon &

Schuster and Running Press, De Jackmo is particularly passionate about the opportunity that Quirk affords her to work
with colleagues in the U.K. and Canada, as well as
in the United States. Each country has a different sensibility, she
says, so finding ways to bring attention to Quirk books domestically
and abroad involves creative problem-solving and teamwork.
Quirks president, Brett Cohen, says De Jackmo excels at creative
problem-solving and meets head-on the challenge of promoting
strikingly unconventional projects. He credits her with increasing
engagement and presence at trade and consumer shows, boosting
traffic on Quirks website, and pushing 11 of our books onto the New
York Times bestseller listin a list that includes just 25 new titles per year.
Since joining Quirk five years ago, De Jackmo has been leading the marketing
effort for the wildly successful Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children and its
sequels. The movie, based on the books, releases at the end of September, and
De Jackmo is excited to launch the tie-in titles and see how her longtime project
will be interpreted by Hollywood.

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chatterjee netmartin photography studio

HONOREES

HONOREES

JEANNINE DILLON

SALLY EKUS

In 30 years of bookselling, Ive only

worked with a few people who have
had the instincts, imagination, and
creativity of Jeannine Dillon. colleague

My ethics and loyalty to our clients

are of the utmost importance to me, as
are the relationships I have with editors.

Editorial Director, Race Point Publishing

Quarto Publishing Group, New York

Literary Agent, Co-owner

The Lisa Ekus Group, Hatfield, Mass.

ew can pinpoint their best day on the job, but Dillon

can. It was the day she received her first thank-you letter
from a cancer treatment center in Louisiana. The staff
told her that patients and their families were more
relaxed during chemo sessions when they were coloring in Color
Me Calm, the first book in the presss Color Me series. That was
by far my best day in publishing, she says.
For Color Me Calm, published at the early stage of the adult
coloring book craze, Dillon insisted on authenticity. She consulted art therapists to determine if there were shapes and colors
that could actually make a person feel calm. Each image in the
book was crafted both by the artist, Angela Porter, and art
therapist Lacy Mucklow. The tens of thousands of copies sold
in the series support Dillons belief that the selling point for
many is about finding tranquility.

n the seven years since Ekus joined this 34-year-old boutique culinary agency, she has doubled the author list,
brokering more than 80 book deals.
Sally Ekus is a woman with her hands and her heart
in the work she does, says a colleague. The work part of the
equation has given birth to such books as Meathead: The Science
of Great Barbecue and Grilling by Craig Meathead Goldwyn,
and The Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther. Ekus is
looking forward to finding a good home for a book she just
signed with Matthew Prescott, the senior food policy director
of the Humane Society of the United States.
The heart part is seen in Ekuss approach to her clients, to
whom she brings a passion to know them as whole beings,
she says, as well as her attitude in the office, where she nurtures
both the teams and individual strengths to achieve a warm,
productive, and efficient workplace, says a colleague.

warmly congratulates all the nominees for

2016s PW Star Watch

including our colleagues

Andrew
Harwell

Carrie
Thornton

HarperCollins
Childrens Books

Dey Street
Books
www.hc.com

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HONOREES

HANNAH ELNAN

ARIELE FREDMAN

Hannah on the prowl turns up consistently appealing authors, trends, and

book ideas.Gary Luke, president & publisher, Sasquatch

There is no ceiling that can contain

this dynamo publicist.colleague

Senior Editor
Sasquatch Books, Seattle

Assistant Director of Publicity

Atria Books, New York

arely a month after she joined Sasquatch, Elnans

prowl led her to the online and retail entrepreneur
Moorea Seal. Undaunted by a lack of response to her
initial pitch for The 52 Lists Project book, Elnan went
straight to the source, visiting Seal at her store and practically
signing her on the spot to a two-book deal. The book has sold
more than 100,000 copies since its modest first printing of
8,000 in 2015, and gave Sasquatch a 20% boost in revenue
making for its best year in a decade.
While Elnan is proud of the projects commercial success, she
is equally pleased to hear from users of the journal that it has
been a catalyst for them to achieve their dreams. And her dream
as well: I love working with authors over years and multiple
books while seeing their careers blossom, Elnan says. Now, the
two-book deal has become a three-book deal, with 52 Lists for
Happiness due out in September and a third title set for 2017.

escribing Fredman as equally adept at pitching

authors to traditional media and at organizing a
Snapchat rollout, a supervisor says, Ariele brings
to her job everything that a publicist should. In
2014, Fredman played a key role in the launch of Keywords
Press, the imprint dedicated to publishing stars of the digital
world, including Shane Dawson and Connor Franta.
Dawson recently followed up his 2015 hit, I Hate Myselfie,
with It Gets Worse, a second essay collection that has topped
bestseller lists. Fredman reports that a nice chunk of his continued sales come from the events that she has planned. Seeing
thousands of fans marching through a store to buy a paperback
is a hugely satisfying experience.
Fredman has made her mark with traditional authors as well.
She was the force behind the publicity surrounding Fredrik
Backmans A Man Called Ove. Getting to tour this year with
Backman was one of those is this my job? moments, she says.

Congratulates
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W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

S9

WAY TO GO
MAVERICK! I

HONOREES

JANET GEDDIS

Owner & Founder

Avid Bookshop, Athens, Ga.

This is the best thing Ive ever done with my life.

n 2007, Geddis decided that she really wanted to open
a bookstore so she did extensive her research and learned
that Athens was an ideal location. All signs pointed to
a likely success, but by then it was
2008 and the economy had collapsed.
The number of hurdles was insane,
almost comical, Geddis says.
But Geddis had been talking, blogging,
and tweeting about the bookstore for some
time. Folks in the book industry and in
Athens wanted a bookstore. So, with the
help of a very creative banker, people supporting the store, and community lender
loans modeled on the strategy employed
by Brooklyns Greenlight Bookstore, Geddis opened Avid in
2011 with three part-time staff members. Now, there are two
full-time staffers and six part-time, and for several years, Avid
has been named the favorite local business by a local weekly
newspaper.

KATE HALE

Senior Editor
National Geographic Kids Books, Washington, D.C.

I am most impressed with Hales ability to

approach every book with a long-term strategic
vision.Erica Green, v-p, editorial director, National
Geographic Kids

he year 2016 has been good to

Haleshe was promoted to
senior editor and got marriedand she has been good
for National Geographic Kids. Hale is the
editor of How to Speak Cat, now in its
fourth printing for which Hale not only
found a terrific author but also identified
an expert, a prominent veterinarian who
acted as a spokeswoman for the book on
NPR and elsewhere, noted Green.
With Temple Run, a finalist for the Childrens Book Council
Childrens Choice awards, Hale created the first book for the
press to be based on a popular mobile gaming app exploring
archeology, ancient history and geography. Its always nice
when a book sells well, but when combined with awards
wow it just makes you feel good, Hale says.
S10 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

HANNAH HARLOW
Assistant Director of Marketing
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston

patrick barry

HONOREES

I love connecting readers to

the right book wherever and
however possible.

t was meant to be. Right out of

college, Harlow was hired by Carla Gray at Houghton
Mifflin. Two years later, she was in New York, where
she worked for Harcourt until 2008, when she moved
to Uganda for a couple of years. Upon Harlows return to
Boston, Gray jumped at the opportunity to bring her back to
what was now Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hannah has
always brought a creative spark to everything, Gray says,
including managing the three-year onslaught of Tolkien
movie tie-in madness to providing masterful marketing campaigns for Randall Munroes What If? and Thing Explainer.
Harlow eagerly accepts the challenge of a constantly changing
marketplace, she says. In the mid-2000s bloggers were all the
rage, so she created a blog task force. Then book trailers and social
media were the new thing. Now she is masterminding a way to
use Instagram Stories to match books to readers.

RACHEL HECHT

Founder
Rachel Hecht Childrens Scouting, New York

Rachel Hecht has made a reputation for herself

as a thought leader with impeccable taste,
helping publishing clients from around the
world identify new trends and great talent.

John Baker, former colleague

fter earning her chops at Mary Anne Thompson

Associates and, earlier, Foundry Literary &
Media, Hecht fused her passions for childrens
literature and foreign rights to establish the first
childrens-and YA-focused scouting agency in the U.S., which
launched in June. A fervent advocate for childrens literature,
her mission, she says, is to ensure that great books are able
to reach young readers across the world.
Faced with the onslaught of the fall frenzy in publishing,
Hecht is undaunted, saying, I always look forward to the rush
of submissions and the opportunity to
identify emerging trends and connect
new voices with enthusiastic foreign
publishers. But what really electrifies her is encountering an outstanding new voice that makes me
jump up and want to share it with
readers everywhere, she says.

congratulates

Brigid Black
Senior Production Associate
on being named to

PWs
Star Watch
List

Grand Central Publishing

Hachette Audio
Hachette Books
Hachette Nashville
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Orbit
Perseus Books

hachettebookgroup.com

HONOREES

JASON HENRY

CONNIE HSU

Senior Designer
Dial Books for Young Readers, New York

My ambition is to honor our readers

by taking particular care to create
books that are not only beautiful in and of themselves, but that also have a deep respect for the
traditions of good typography and book making.

olleagues say Henrys design helped propel the

Ordinary People Change the World series, by Brad
Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos, onto bestseller
lists. Design department head Lauri Hornik says his
covers have a terrifically hard-to-achieve mix of exuberance
and restraint.
Earlier this year, Henry created a community project called
Books Beyond Borders that has gathered more than 1,000 childrens books and donated them to local institutions and a school
in Meru, Kenya, which received 170 books. Seeing photos of
the children holding books made Henry realize that the books
we make create the possibility of a life marked by a love of
learning. He adds, That not only creates opportunities for the
reader but a richer, more beautiful world for us all.

Senior Editor
Roaring Brook Press/First Second Books,
New York

In a time when publishing has

become more about the bottom line and less
about the artist, Connie looks for the correlation
and produces high-grossing classics in the
making. Ali McDonald, the Rights Factory

first-generation Chinese American, Hsu was raised

to pursue professions, not passions, she says.
Nevertheless, after earning a masters in journalism,
she dreamed about working at the New Yorker but
wound up at spin-off of TV Guide that folded. It was a stint
subbing at daycare that led her into childrens publishing.
Hsu developed a hunger for learning how to edit any
project, from picture books to novels. She finds the former
to be the most challenging format, she says, causing me to
sit with a 350-word text for hours, trying to unlock the
secret between a good book and a great one. She certainly
found a great one with Dan Santats 2015 Caldecott Medal
winner, The Adventures of a Beekly: The Unimaginary Friend.

CONGRATULATES OUR DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY AND MARKETING

NICOLE DE JACKMO
O N B E I N G N A M E D T O P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY S S TA R WAT C H L I S T

quirkbooks.com

HONOREES

SOPHIA HUSSAIN

BRIANNE JOHNSON

Bringing radical books to media is

the most exciting thing for me.

Lean in, you say? Brianne has been

leaning in her whole life, and her
impressive sales speak for themselves. former intern

Publicist
Verso Books, Brooklyn, N.Y.

s a publicist for the English-language radical press,

Hussain needs gritty determination. Versos books
range from left of liberal to communist, Hussain
says. Thus, a big part of her job is to get books
that espouse unpopular political ideas in front of the largest
readership possible.
Hussain cites Policing the Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to
Black Lives Matter as a movement-related book that garnered
much attention. She organized an event for it at the New York
Public Librarys Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture,
which she considers a career highlight.
Another book that requires creative publicity is Violent
Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move (Oct.). Author Reece Jones
argues that borders should be eliminated, an idea, Hussain
says, that is impossible for some people to imagine. She has
planned an event with the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture
and Urban Design.

Senior Agent
Writers House, New York

e call her Brianne the Shark Johnson, says

a former intern who is now one of Johnsons
clients, citing the agents tenacity and deep
knowledge of editors personal tastes.
Another client, Gary Pedler, lauds Johnsons spot-on why
didnt I think of that? feedback and perseverance in finding
a home for his book. After a year and several rounds of edits and
feedback, shes not giving up on him.
Johnson takes great pride in representing books that normalize
unique family structures, characters, and diversity. She recently
sold rights to Introducing Teddy, which features a transgender teddy
bear. The author, Jessica Walton, developed the book after her
father transitioned from male to female and she needed a resource
to explain this to her three-year-old son. Johnson calls the book
a glorious example of how not to be a jerk when someone tells
you something personal and sensitive about themselves.

Congratulates
PW S tar Watch Nomin ee

HANNAH
BENNETT
S ubm i t n o n f i c t i o n t o h e r a t
h b e n n e t t @ ro s e t t a b o o k s . c o m
V I S I T R O S E T TA B O O K S . C O M

HONOREES

CARMEN JOHNSON
Editorial Director
Little A and Day One, Seattle

In 2013, Carmen Johnson accomplished the unthinkable: she launched

Day One, a weekly literary journal that deserves a
place alongside n+1 and the Paris Review.
David Blum, publisher & editor-in-chief, Little A

e have one simple mission, Johnson says of

Day One: Publish the very best of emerging
talent and radically expand their readership.
Launched just shy of three years ago, the

MALLORY KASS

digital-only journal has published works from more than 80

emerging writers. Several, including Lauren Acampora,
Antonio Ruiz-Camacho, Doretta Lau, and Caroline Zancan,
have gone on to publish their first books. Others have won
awards and residencies, including the Pushcart Prize and the
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship.
Theres more. Johnsonwho says, I love starting new things
and finding ways to grow a writers audienceis also one of
the founding editors of Amazons literary imprint, Little A.
Notables on that list include Ben Greenman, Harold Schechter,
and A.L. Kennedy whose upcoming novel, Serious Sweet, has
been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, which thrills Johnson.
Sometimes I cant believe that my job is simply to find good
writers and publish them, she says.

allory is a fantastic contradiction, says Rachel

Griffiths, to whom she reports. She says Kasss
Senior Editor
literary instinctsincluding an obsession with
Scholastic, New York
Wharton and Waughhoned at Oxford, where
she
earned
a
masters
degree in English literature, are matched
I have a reputation for my over-the-top enthusiasm. I
with an equally voracious appetite for pop culture. When
gush to sales. I gush to marketing and publicity. I have,
Kass joined Scholastic as an editorial assistant, she made her
on occasion, called my mother to read her lines from
mark early on as a major creative force behind the smash
a manuscript thats breaking my heart.
worldwide hit, the 39 Clues series,
Griffiths says.
Since then, Kass has gone on to
acquire and edit Natalie Lloyds A
Snicker of Magic, which was a New York
A trusted name in editorial,
Times bestseller and Editors Choice
composition & digital resources
mention, received three starred reviews,
and was named an ALA Notable
Westchester is the only U.S. Employee-owned
Childrens Book. Working with Lloyd
Editorial, Composition, and Digital Conversion Provider
has expanded my heart three sizes,
Kass says.
Let Us Typeset a Previous Project
To the industry, shes Mallory Kass,
but to legions of fans she is Kass Morgan,
at No Cost!
the author of her own bestseller, The
(Offer available to new customers through November 30, 2016.)
100, which, with the two other novels
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S14 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

HONOREES

SHARON KUNZ

Media Engagement Manager

Globe Pequot, Guilford, Conn.

Sharon knows in her bones that

publishing is a relationship-driven
business. She can pick up the phone and make
needle-moving things happen.
Margaret Milnes, marketing director,

picture. Kunz was the force behind the media tour for Maajid
Nawazs Radical: My Journey Out of Islamist Extremism, which
included author appearances on Fresh Air and Anderson Cooper
360. It was gratifying, Kunz says, because the more people
who hear his story, the better off all of us will be.
On the immediate horizon is the launch of a new childrens
imprint, Muddy Boots, which includes a partnership with the
National Wildlife Federation to publish books starring the
groups mascot, Ranger Rick.

Globe Pequot

n less than three years with Globe

Pequot, Kunz has become a
respected and highly valued voice
at the table, says Milnes, who cites
her ability to quickly pivot between the
details of the everyday and the bigger

MATTHEW MARTZ

KATE HALE
PW STAR WATCH NOMINEE

Editorial Director
Crooked Lane Books, New York

Authors and readers

share things that we
are often unwilling or
unable to share with
those closest to us or
even with ourselves.
Books make this happen.
Publishing makes it happen on the
largest scale.

n fall 2015, after seven years at

Minotaur, St. Martins crime fiction
imprint, Martz was ready to explore
his entrepreneurial side and
launched the crime fiction press Crooked
Lane. A year later, he has published 35
titles, with plans to triple the list and
launch a new imprint in 2017.
This fall, Martz is jazzed about the bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staubs traditional mystery Something Buried, Something
Blue; Body on the Bayou, the second title in
Ellen Byrons Southern cozy series; and a
K-9 cop mystery by Margaret Mizushima,
Stalking Ground. Dana Kaye, who handles
the presss publicity, says its impossible
not to get wrapped up in Martzs excitement and zeal. Martz agrees that his fervor
helps drive the press, but adds, that, and
I start the coffee in the morning.

2016 National Geographic Partners, LLC.

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M S15

HONOREES

MARIA MIDDLETON

KRISTEN MILLER

I never got in trouble for anything

other than sneaking books under my
school desk. The True Confessions of Charlotte
Doyle was my bibleI wanted that girls hair!

What sets Kristen Miller apart is her

successful efforts to bring literature
and craft into communities where literature never
had a chance to be prioritized. Danika Isdahl,

Art Director
Random House Childrens Books, New York

Director of Programming & Development

Sarabande Books, Louisville, Ky.

publishing assistant, Sarabande

efore she joined Random House Childrens Books a

few months ago, Middleton was at Abrams, where
associate publisher Jody Mosley praised her leadership
skills and her ability to make sure that the design of
the books elevates the words and supports the books message.
A highlight at Abrams was working with Tom Angleberger
and Cece Bell, who she says are phenomenal individually but
are an impressive dynamic duo when they work together. In
her new post, she is thrilled to be working with Dave Eggers
on his just published contribution to the Save the Story series,
The Story of Captain Nemo, illustrated by Fabian Negrin.
Middleton is looking forward to collaborating with illustrator
R. Kikuo Johnson ahead of the fall 2017 release of The Stars
Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore, about a boy growing
up in Harlem who wants his imaginary world to be real.

arabandes mission is to publish works in genres that

are underrepresented, such as poetry, short fiction, and
essays. Miller was the lead editor for the highly praised
story collection You Should Pity Us Instead by Amy
Gustine and for Shawn Wens debut collection of prose poetry,
Twenty Minutes of Silence Followed by Applause. But the accomplishment that Miller, and her colleagues, believe sets her apart
is the establishment of the Sarabande Writing Labs, a series of
workshops for underserved communities in Louisville, now in
its third year.
Theres nothing that I am more proud of than the work
being accomplished through Sarabande Writing Labs that
extends a platform to the citys most vulnerable and traditionally silenced individuals, Miller says.

Writers House
Congratulates

PW Star Watch Nominee

Brianne Johnson, Agent

Writers House LLC, A Literary Agency | WritersHouse.com

S16 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

HONOREES

KATE NAPOLITANO

JULIAN PAVIA

Kate has an uncanny ability to

identify trends, to separate pretenders
from contenders, to understand what makes
a book wonderfully entertaining, as well as
aesthetically memorable.

Julian has a real nose for what

consumers are looking for in the sci-fi
space. He has emerged as an editorial star and
a wunderkind at spotting talent. colleague

Executive Editor
Crown, New York

Senior Editor
Blue Rider & Plume, New York

David Rosenthal, publisher, Blue Rider

hen Napolitano entered publishing, she had

two goals. The first was to find authors
with whom I could identify: young, eager,
savvy cultural commentators who werent
afraid to shake things up. Her other goal was to prove to
everyone that millennials do indeed buy books. She proved
her point. Many of the titles that she has acquiredsuch as
Farazmands Poorly Drawn Lines, Mamrie Harts You Deserve a
Drink, Reza and George Watskys How to Ruin Everything
have gone on to sell well.
This fall will see the fruition of a passion project, as
Napolitano calls it, with the publication of You Cant Touch My
Hair, by the comedian and WNYC podcaster Phoebe Robinson.

few years back, Pavia sent the spoken-word artist

and screenwriter Ernest Cline a note wondering
if he had ever thought of publishing a novel.
That note turned out to have a big influence on
Cline, who eventually responded, via agent Yfat Reiss Gendell,
with Ready Player One, a cult classic that has gone on to sell
1.2 million copies for Crown in the U.S., with foreign rights
sold in 40 territories.
Pavia also noticed a free serial on a website, got excited, and
mentioned it to agent David Fugate. The website belonged to
Andy Weir, and the serial was The Martian. Once Fugate
signed Weir and sold the book to Pavia, it quickly became a
sensation. The Ridley Scott film starring Matt Damon was
nominated for seven Oscars, and the book has sold more than
2.8 million copies.

CONGRATULATIONS
PW Star Watch Nominee

MALLORY KASS

Senior Editor, Scholastic Press

OCTOBER 2016

SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

APRIL 2017

HONOREES

WYNN RANKIN

BRIA SANDFORD

I work on a lot of books that make

people laugh, that speak to their
sense of humor, or help them connect with
friends. And thats just a great honor.

Theres a high that comes from

helping controversial figures on the
bleeding edge of the political process
communicate their messages.

ankin has indeed helped many people laughhe

works with Francesco Marciuliano on his hilarious
collections of cat poetry I Could Pee on This and now
I Could Pee on This, Too. I like to live in a world
where I speak to people that want to see cats write poems,
Rankin says.
Rankin recently took over the mantle of the Art Of series of
books in collaboration with Pixar, a longtime passion of his.
Chronicles close proximity to Pixar allows Rankin to meet with
their production team and have real development conversations with them to make the books come to fruition, he says,
adding that its kind of magic. Thats not just true for Pixar.
Rankin relishes the joy of working with authors who are
bursting with creative enthusiasm and want to connect with an
audience.

hough some might be daunted by editing books by

presidential candidates during campaign season,
Sandford calls editing Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina,
and Scott Walker a lot of fun. Not that its always
easy. Theres nothing I love more than the moment when an
author and I suddenly find the solution to a seemingly intractable framing or organization problem, she says.
Publisher Adrian Zackheim puts it another way: Like other
great editors who have far more experience, Bria combines the
insight and instincts to help her authors develop their big picture goals. Zackheim says Gen. Stanley McChrystal, whose
Team of Teams was a bestseller, and Brian Kilmeade, who wrote
the bestselling George Washingtons Secret Six and Thomas Jefferson
and the Tripoli Pirates, are among the prominent figures who
have benefited from this.

Editor
Chronicle Books, San Francisco

Editor
Portfolio & Sentinel, New York

Congratulations
TO OUR STAR & FRIEND, SHARON KUNZ
YOU INSPIRE US EVERY DAY!

S18 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

YOLANDA SCOTT

POUYA SHAHBAZIAN

We global citizens have a responsibility to make the world a better place,

and making books is the way I can effect change
in our society.

Pouya puts authors first and strives to

see that their works are adapted for
films that will actually get made. Peter Knapp, colleague

Associate Publisher & Editorial Director

Charlesbridge, Watertown, Mass.

ith a degree in Russian language and literature, and several interviews at Langley, Scott
was supposed to be a spy for the CIA, but it
didnt work out. Our national securitys loss
has been a gain for childrens publishing, particularly for
independent press Charlesbridge.
One project that Scott cant stop talking about is a picture
book from Juan Garcia Esquivel, whom she describes as the
father of space-age bachelor pad lounge music from the 1950s
and 1960s. It is truly a case of the right manuscript finding
the right editor, because Im a singer in the worlds only
Esquivel tribute band!
Scott is also on the board of the Childrens Book Council, and
she cofounded Childrens Books Boston, which provides a variety
of programming for stakeholders in childrens literature.

Director of Film & TV

New Leaf Literary & Media, New York

ollywood may have a reputation for being dismissive of the authors whose work gets adapted for
the big screen, but Shahbazian is an exception.
After various stints in the entertainment industry,
he has solidly crossed over to the book side as head of film and
TV at New Leaf, where the writing comes first. Knowing that
I can have an impact and help a manuscript or article or short
story find life in other mediums while remaining true to an
authors vision is very gratifying, he says.
Just as gratifying are the seven films that New Leaf has seen
produced in the past two and a half years under Shahbazians
leadership. Among them is the Divergent series, which went
from the initial deal to an actual green light of a big-budget
studio adaptation in less than 20 months, he says. Apparently
the Hollywood Reporter had it right in naming him to its Next
Gen 2013 35 under 35 list of industry up-and-comers.

The worlds largest community of readers

Congratulations
Cynthia!

courtney ann photography

HONOREES

HONOREES

CYNTHIA SHANNON

SAMANTHA SHAW

Cynthias impact on West Coast

publishing has been huge.
Katie Sheehan, senior communications manager, Berrett-Koehler

I am in solidarity with every reader,

she says, because we all share the
most important bond of all: a love of books.

hen Shannon left New York for San Francisco,

her friends warned her that she would be disappointed with the literary scene there and
would soon hurry back east. They couldnt
have been more wrong, she says. The Bay Area is a phenomenal place to be as the future of publishing unfolds. She has
taken an active role in bridging the worlds of books and
technologynot just as part of her job, but across the region.
In her day job, Shannon helps publishers and authors integrate
Goodreads into their promotional campaigns, from giveaways
to yearlong marketing strategies, and she helped launch the
sites Ask the Author feature. But thats just part of it. She sits
on several area boards, but what probably makes her most
popular are the happy hours that she arranges with local publishers such as Chronicle Books, HarperOne, and McSweeneys
in order to bring the publishing and digital worlds together.

haw brings a depth of experience to her job at Green

Apple, an independent bookstore. She held various
positions at Abraham Associates, Chronicle Books,
Copper Canyon Press, Graywolf Press, and Milkweed
Editions. Shaw isnt myopic about old, dead authors,
Chronicles Kevin Armstrong says. Shes an amazing supporter
of the current book world and reads a lot of genres and authors
others dont, like sci-fi, poetry, and YA. I love seeking her
recommendation.
Shaw takes pride in her diverse experience, such as working
events for big names like Cheryl Strayed, selling books to
Urban Outfitters, and packing boxes in a Midwestern warehouse. As Green Apples events publicist, she is excited about
the high-profile authors who visit, such as Colson Whitehead,
who is coming this fall, and is in thrall to the crowds energy
that ensues.

Author Marketing Specialist

Goodreads, San Francisco

S20 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

Bookseller
Green Apple Books, San Francisco

HONOREES

DANIELLE SMITH

NICOLE SULLIVAN

I believe in the difference the writers

and illustrators I work with are making
in the world.

It is vital to become a community

space, an experience, rather than just
a retail space.

books potential impact looms large in Smiths life.

Her son, she says, couldnt speak were it not for a
copy of Trucks Trucks Trucks by Peter Sis and many
readings over time which would bring his voice
back to us. There is her own childhood, too, clutching the
worn pages of Beverly Clearys Socks, to reinforce her belief that
books open worlds and change lives.
Each day I have the privilege of working with creators,
Smith says. Those creators consider themselves privileged, as
well. One of her first clients, Julie Falatko, credits Smith with
the successful debut of her picture book Snappsy the Alligator
(Did Not Ask to Be in This Book!). Thanks to her, Falatko says,
my book had an initial print run of 25,000 and was featured
in People magazine.
In only two years, Smith has closed 17 book deals for clients,
the bulk of which will see publication in 2017.

uring the seven years that Sullivan was home with

her children after a corporate career as a website
analyst, she had a lot of time to think. When the
owners of the local bookstore reached out to the
community to search for ways to save the store, Sullivan thought
about how she could help. She wrote a proposal for them with
various options, but in the end the store went out of business.
I was too far down the road at that point, Sullivan says. She
bought the building where the old bookstore was located, hired
an architect, and opened three years ago with just retail space.
Now BookBar features a garden patio, a reading room, and an
eight-top community table. And, of course, the wine bara
place to go and sit, have a glass of wine, read a book, and have
it not be weird, Sullivan says. We truly are a community
bookstore, she says, crediting that with year-over-year growth
of 20%.

Agent
Red Fox Literary, Shell Beach, Calif.

Owner
BookBar, Denver, Colo.

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M S21

HONOREES

CARRIE THORNTON
Editorial Director
Dey Street Books, New York

Thornton sets a standard for professionalism and thoughtfulness that we can all
aim to emulate.
Yfat Reiss Gendell, agent, Foundry Literary & Media

hornton considers herself lucky to have

played an integral role in the reboot and launch of two imprints:
first Three Rivers Press at Crown, and then Dey Street at
HarperCollins. There is something so exciting about creating a
mission statement and helping to design your imprints identity, she says.
Dey Streets list is broad, but, as a voracious reader of psychological suspense,
Thornton is jazzed about Claudia Rowes The Spider and the Fly, coming in
January. She is also committed to publishing books by musicians who speak
to my generation. To that end, this fall she will publish a memoir by Johnny
Marr, Set the Boy Free.
Thornton is passionate about her relationships with authors. Our jobs
our unusual, she says. We become intimately acquainted with writers as
we are asking them to bare their souls or offer up their expertise and personal
time. For her celebrity clients, there is an added layer. She is tasked with
having to explain a world that is foreign to them and guide them through
the publishing process. Gendell, an agent who has sold Thornton several
books, calls her an invaluable North Star to my clients.

ELIZABETH TURNBULL
Senior Editor
Light Messages, Durham, N.C.

I see myself as a midwife for books

I help the stories to be born. Its an
incredible privilege.

urnbull must be a busy midwife. In her

three years at the independent press, she
has birthed 20 debut authors, with 85% of them winning awards.
From 2013 to 2015, revenue grew by nearly 80%. All those
babies and she still finds time to serve on the executive board of the
Independent Book Publishers Association. She also organized the first Read
Local Book Festival in Durham last year.
While very pleased with the companys strong finances, Turnbull also
takes pride in the presss mission to publish meaningful works that tell
an engaging story. Whether its a thriller, a YA fantasy, a work of literary
fiction, or even an inspirational romance, shes looking for books that invite
the reader to peel back the layers and ask the hard questions. As an
example, she points to the recent publication of Rebecca Brewster Stevensons
Healing Maddie Brees, which delves into illness, faith, honesty, and isolation.
Its one of the most beautiful, brave books Ive ever read, she says.
Leading the editorial team at a small press means that Turnbull is involved
with a book from acquisition to postpublication, something that she
considers an incredible privilege.
S22 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

ALISON S. WEISS
Editor
Sky Pony Press, New York

Publishing is a business; blending

the thrill of an exceptional read
with the potential to break out
never grows old.

hen she landed an intern

position as a college sophomore, Weisss first reaction
was I can read childrens
books for a living. Three days later she was
explaining to her father that you have to
balance the quality of a project with salability.
A book may exhibit exquisite writing, but if
no one wants to buy it, it doesnt make sense
to pursue. A decade later, that is still the
mantra that drives her.
Georgia Morrissey, a former colleague,
credits Weiss with broadening the commercial reach of the Sky Pony list by
bringing in a mixture of critically acclaimed
authors, including Mike A. Lancaster,
Helene Dunbar, and Michelle Houts. Weiss
is behind the launch of the presss first
chapter book list, the cornerstone of which
is Project Droid, a series cowritten by the
internationally bestselling author Nancy
Krulik and her daughter, Amanda Burwasser,
and illustrated by Mike Moran.
Weiss likes to work with lesser-known
authors as well. I love championing something unusual and delicious, she says,
pointing to the forthcoming Timekeeper,
a gay fantasy set in an alternative Victorian
London.

FINALISTS

Noah Eaker
Executive Editor

Random House Publishing Group, New York

I love how often my days are totally surprising.

Any time the phone rings it could bring a new
piece of business that will change me as a
reader forever.

n 2008, less than six years after he joined Dial Press, a

young Eaker discovered an even younger Ta Obreht
and published her debut novel, The Tigers Wife. The
bestselling book was a National Book Award finalist
and won the U.K.s Orange Prize for Fiction, which
recognizes womens writing.
Susan Kamil, executive vice president and publisher
of Random House and the Dial Press, spotted Eakers
talent before he was officially hired. Even his readers report
as a candidate was superior to those with far more experience, she says. His insight into character, his innate
understanding of structure, his editorial strategy to improve
the material, his love of literature, was clear, and brilliant,
she adds.
You cant judge a book by its cover, but perhaps you can
judge an editor by his list. In Eakers case, his acquisitions
and projects continue to affirm Kamils initial impression of

him. In 2015, he again had a hit with a debut novel, the

widely praised and bestselling Among the Ten Thousand Things
by Julia Pierpont. Eaker doesnt only focus on fiction debuts.
He was the guiding force behind Son of a Gun, by Justin St.
Germain, winner of the 2013 Barnes & Noble Discover
Award in the nonfiction category; cultural critic Katie
Roiphes The Violet Hour; Thunderstruck & Other Stories, a collection by the National Book Award finalist Elizabeth
McKracken; and Get in Trouble, a collection by Kelly Link
that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
This year, Eaker says he is thrilled by the critical response
to Hisham Matars brilliant memoir, The Return: Fathers, Sons
and the Land In Between, about Matars journey home to his
native Libya in search of answers regarding his fathers
disappearance.
On the horizon are a number of projects that Eaker is
particularly excited about, including a historical thriller, The
Last Days of Night by Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning
screenwriter of The Imitation Game. March will bring The
Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley, the long-awaited new novel
from The Good Thief author Hannah Tinti about a father in
a New England fishing village who is trying to protect his
daughter from the legacy of his criminal past.
And, of course, there is a debut novel, which should come
as no surprise as Eaker describes himself as an editor who
finds the words first novel tantalizing and says the privilege of being able to pass that excitement on to other readers
never gets old. That privilege will be his again with The
Most Dangerous Place on Earth, by Lindsey Lee Johnson, set
in the hallways of a California high school.

Vida Engstrand
Director of Communications
Kensington Books, New York

We are here to be of service to readers, our

colleagues, and, above all, our authors.

A
Noah Eaker

t her first job in publishing, at a small literary

agency, Engstrand was struck by the industrys
us vs. them mentality, with agents and others
outside the houses doing everything they can
for authors while in-house staff was not consistently supportive of them. The antagonistic
dynamic isnt as strong now, she says, but it
left a strong impression on me back then. When she began
to work for publishing houses, she recalls, I brought with
me a very strong sense that there needed to be more
people inside the houses who were advocating for authors.
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M S23

FINALISTS

At Kensington, she is credited with developing a culture

of service. Whether Im pitching an authors book to
media, collaborating with a bookstore on an event, or
coming up with strategies for our sales reps to use, my job
is to do everything I can to support our authors careers,
Engstrand says.
One of her first goals as communications director was to
de-silo, as she puts it, the publicity and marketing departments to form one unified group. Engstrand felt that the
separate areas created redundancies and were essentially
running separate campaigns with inconsistent messaging
for the same book. As a single unit, she says, weve been
able to create areas of genre or audience-based specialization
within the department, which means our campaigns are
more effective and targeted.
The genre-based specialization will come in handy in
2017, with the launch of a science fiction imprint within
Kensingtons Lyrical Press line. The nonfiction list is
expanding as well, with new releases, including Running
with Raven, by Laura Lee Huttenbach, and a book by
M. William Phelps that Engstrand describes as a groundbreaking crime memoir.
Engstrand is also looking forward to working with firmly
established authors who are new to Kensington whom she
believes jumped to the press because they knew our reputation for partnering with authors on all levels and investing
in long-term career growth. Lindsay McKenna is one such
author, launching a new western/military veteran romance

Vida Engstrand

S24 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

series with Kensington in November. Others include Davis

Bunn, whose first novel with the press, Miramar Bay, will
publish in April. And shes excited to have the cozy mystery
writer Ellery Adams and the historical romance author
Madeline Hunter on upcoming lists.
But what thrills Engstrand most is every time Im able to
get an authors work into the hands of a new reader. Whenever
Im able to contribute in some way to the growth and continuation of an authors career, that makes me proud.

Wintaye Gebru
Manager

Left Bank Books, St. Louis

Meeting Wintaye [at Winter Institute 2016] and

talking to her just gave me so much hope
and optimism for the future of the bookselling
industry when someone like her is part of it.

Claire Kirch, contributing editor, PW

n the aftermath of the police shooting and killing of

Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August 2014, Left
Bank Books stood front and center in the communitys
response. Last year, in an article by Kirch, the stores
owners, Kris Kleindienst and Jarek Steel, were given
special recognition for exemplifying during a time of
crisis what an independent bookstore can and should
do to best serve its community. During the demonstrations
that roiled St. Louis, not only did Left Bank stay open when
other businesses were shutting down, but store personnel
created and posted online a reading list titled Black Lives
Matter. The suggested books were selected for those who
wanted to better understand the issues and set the incident
within a larger historical context.
Gebru, only four years out of college and already a store
manager, was instrumental in orchestrating the stores
response, creating the reading list, and working closely with
Kleindienst and Steel about educating the community. As
the press liaison, along with Steel, she was one of the two
public faces of the store. But Gebru prefers not to think of
these accomplishments as hers alone. Instead, she says, Ill
talk about how proud I am of being part of a bookstore that
has never shied away from its community. She adds, Its
missionand mineis to change conversations and change
people in ways that only a bookstore can.
Gebru cites the stores work with the Black Lives Matter
movement as a great example of this. In addition to the
expanding reading list that she helps curate and which now
has 77 titles on it, the store ships yard signs to individuals,

FINALISTS

Wintaye Gebru

churches, and neighborhood groups across the country. She

calls her involvement in this life-changing.
As the leader of the Ferguson Reads reading group for two
years, Gebru has received some pushback from people upset
that the store has taken such as strong stand, but she remains
undeterred. Using our voice in matters of social justice is a
core tenant of community bookselling, Gebru says.
In a less-charged arena, Gebru created and administers
Left Banks first-editions subscription program, This Just
In, which introduces debut authors, many from small
presses. Gebru enjoys championing these underrepresented
authors and giving them a boost so early in their careers.

always keeps in mind the kids who are desperately looking

for themselves in fiction, often at the same time that theyre
looking for that order or escapism.
In addition to his caring and empathy for his readers and
authors, Harwell is savvy. When he saw the success of Miss
Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, he had the notion that
there was room for more photographically illustrated horror
novels in the YA marketand he was right. He signed the
author Madeleine Roux to create what became the bestselling Asylum series.
Another success is Noelle Stevensons Nimona, a graphic
novel that was a National Book Award finalist, an Eisner
Award winner, and a bestseller. Harwell discovered Stevenson while she was still at the Maryland Institute College of
Art, posting early pages of her webcomic. I had previously
seen her pop-culture-skewering art online and knew that she
was a genius, says Harwell, who was immensely gratified
by the success of Nimona. Hell be working with Stevenson
again for a new graphic novel series, 4 Wizards, conceived
with Todd Casey and featuring the colorist Marta Laiho.
Harwell is just as eager to publish new fiction from Roux
and Adam Silvera. In addition to her Asylum series, Roux is
taking a turn for the gothic in her upcoming House of Furies.
Silvera, Harwell says, is probing the meaning of life and
death in the information age in his unconventional love
story They Both Die at the End.
The four colleagues who nominated Harwell wrote that
they see a very bright future in the childrens publishing

Andrew Harwell
Senior Editor

HarperCollins Childrens Books, New York

Nothing motivates me more than the fan

letters from kids and teens who say that a book
I work on improved their lives.

rowing up in Georgia, Harwell says, he not only

loved and devoured books but later realized he
needed them: From Goosebumps and Redwall
to Lois Duncan and Harry Potter, I especially
love genre stories, which allowed me to escape
my surroundings and find order in their clearly
definedif incredibly highstakes. Harwell

Andrew Harwell

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M S25

FINALISTS

industry for Andrew, with his blend of creativity, smarts, and

ability to inspire others. They also praised Harwells deep
involvement with the childrens books community.
Harwell sits on We Need Diverse Books Walter Grant
committee and has authored his own childrens book, Spider
Ring, which was named an International Literacy Association
Childrens Choice.

Eric Obenauf
Editorial Director

Two Dollar Radio, Columbus, Ohio

Our books and films arent for everyone. Our

work is for the disillusioned and disaffected,
the adventurous and independent spirits who
thirst for more, who push boundaries and like
to witness others test their limits. We know
were not alone. Lets make some noise.

Wurlitzer, Jay Neugeboren, Amy Koppelman, and Shane

Jones.
The forthcoming list features several titles about which
Obenauf is particularly excited, including Sirens, the first
work of nonfiction by acclaimed novelist Joshua Mohr, whose
first three novels were with Two Dollar Radio. A comic
Southern horror debut by J.D. Wilkes, the charismatic front
man of the Legendary Shack Shakers, a rockabilly/blues band
from Paducah, Ky., points to why the press is known for
category-averse books. Also on the horizon is the Englishlanguage debut of the Slovak writer Jana Beov, whose
book Seeing People Off won the European Union Prize for
Literature. And, lastly, Obenauf gives a shout out to an upcoming debut, Found Audio, that is the most unsettling and
mysterious project that has ever come across my desk.
As if thats not enough for a tiny press, Two Dollar Radio
also produces films. Whats really impressive, though, is that
Obenauf can do all this and maintain his sense of humor.
When asked to share additional thoughts on why he was
nominated for Star Watch, he replied, My hair?

Eric Obenauf & Eliza Wood-Obenauf, founders,

Two Dollar Radio

husband-and-wife team, a list of only five to six

books a year, and a base in Columbus, Ohio.
These are not what most would consider the elements of a strong foundation for a successful
publishing venture, yet Two Dollar Radio,
founded in 2005 by Eric Obenauf and his wife,
Eliza Wood-Obenauf, is just that. It is a very
small, very independent fish in a very big pondand it is
making disproportionate waves.
The Los Angeles Times called Two Dollar Radio one of the
very few publishers who provide the industry with an air of
possibility, the belief that the future was very much in play.
Publishing Perspectives dubbed Two Dollar Radio a budding
literary movement, and the Atlantic wrote that the press is
the publisher of some of the best gritty Americana novels
of the past decade.
Rather than use the overused descriptor carefully curated, the Obenaufs say on their website that Two Dollar
Radio functions on a no-bullets-wasted policyno fluff, no
coloring books or bathroom joke books. With over a decade
behind them, Obenauf says he is especially proud that weve
never sacrificed our vision or idealism in hopes of achieving
higher sales. Instead, they focus on what they characterize
as bold work: subversive, original, and highly creative.
Last year, Obenauf published Sarah Gerards Binary Star
and Carola Dibbells The Only Ones, both of which won
accolades and appeared on multiple best-books-of-the-year
lists. The press has also published such writers as Rudolph

S26 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

Eric Obenauf

Publishers Weekly thanks the amazing PW Star Watch sponsors

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