attending PUBLISHING INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

Alexandria Brown​

CEO & Publisher, Rising Action Publishing Company
Alex has ten years of experience in marketing and creative writing. Alex has a Bachelor’s in Communications with a major in Public Relations, a Master of Fine Arts - Creative Writing from the University of Gloucestershire, and is a Creative Writing Ph.D. Candidate currently at the University of Gloucestershire. She has two traditionally published nonfiction books. She’s a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Alex’s primary role is acquisitions and marketing as well as working with sub-agents on subsidiary rights.
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Amazon Publishing, KDP, and Amazon Advertising

Attendees being announced soon!
Amazon Publishing is a leading trade publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books with a mission to empower outstanding storytellers and connect them with readers worldwide. We publish emerging, bestselling and critically-acclaimed authors in digital, print, and audio formats. With Amazon’s drive for innovation and passion for books, we merge technology and art to support our authors and help their stories change the world.
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Ann Leslie Tuttle (via zoom)

Literary Agent, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
Ann Leslie Tuttle joined DG&B in 2017 after working for 20 years at Harlequin Books where she worked on an extensive and varied list of bestselling and award-winning titles in romance and women’s fiction. She received her B.A. degree from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from the University of Virginia. Helping to grow the careers of established and debut writers has always been Ann Leslie’s passion. Ann Leslie is especially seeking women’s fiction (e.g. relationships, family sagas, historical fiction and psychological thrillers) romance (e.g. romantic comedies, medical romance and contemporaries) and Southern Gothics on the adult fiction side as well as Middle Grade fiction and narrative nonfiction. Ann Leslie lives in New York City with her husband and young daughter, who is just discovering the magic of books and writing.

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Ann Rachelle

Director of Marketing & Outreach, Audio In Color
A seasoned marketing professional and owner of the Milk & Cookies Marketing firm, Ann is a trusted expert in both the marketing and literary worlds. She has over ten years experience as a television writer and book editor, and now specializes in supporting brands tailored to marginalized populations. Ann serves on the Board of Directors for the Audio in Color grant program, a 501c3 that provides funding to authors of color to produce and promote their first self-published audiobook production. 

In addition to her career pursuits, Ann is deeply dedicated to community service and volunteers with non-profit organizations focused on cancer research, autism awareness, and family resources.
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Annie Stone

Acquisitions Director, Podium Audio
Annie Stone has been working with authors and publishers on both developing great content and connecting books with audiences for more than a decade. Currently, Annie is an Acquisitions Director at Podium Publishing, where she acquires for both the audio and all-formats programs across a range of fiction and non-fiction genres. Most recently before Podium, Annie was Director of Content Acquisitions for YONDER, a serial fiction mobile reading app launched by the teams that created WEBTOON and Wattpad. Before joining YONDER, Annie was the Head of Business Development at BookBub, where her team helped authors and publishers all over the world leverage BookBub's marketing platform to reach new readers and find more fans. Annie has also worked as an editor of fiction for adults and young people at several major publishing groups, including Harlequin and HarperCollins. She can be found in Boston, Massachusetts with her eccentric cat and her large pile of books.

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dEB wERKSMAN

Editorial Director, Sourcebooks Casablanca​
Deb Werksman is the Editorial Director of Sourcebooks Casablanca. She previously ran her own publishing company. Werksman is the country's foremost editor of Jane Austen sequels, and acquires single title romance in all subgenres, as well as historical and women's fiction. Sourcebooks is an independent, women-led publisher bound together by the idea that Books. Change. Lives.

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Diana Pho

Executive Editor, Erewhon Books
Diana (she/her) is a Hugo Award-winning editor with over 15 years of experience across various areas of the publishing industry, most notably the Science Fiction Book Club and the Tor Publishing Group. Before landing at Erewhon, Diana served as Lead Creative Executive for Co-Productions & Partnerships at the podcast studio Realm Media. She has had the pleasure of working with household names like George R. R. Martin and the Robert Jordan estate for The Wheel of Time, as well as critically acclaimed writers such as Bethany C. Morrow, Lara Elena Donnelly, K. A. Doore, and Margaret Killjoy, among others. Books she has edited have won the Thriller Award (A.J. Hartley’s Steeplejack, for Best Young Adult), the Ditmar Award (Thoraiya Dyer’s Crossroads of Canopy, for Best Novel), the American Library Association’s Alex Award (P. Djeli Clark’s The Black God’s Drums), the Nebula Award (P. Djeli Clark’s Ring Shout & A Master of Djinn) and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year Selection (Marie Miranda Cruz’s Everlasting Nora, for Middle Grade).

Diana herself is also a two-time finalist for the Ignyte Award and a finalist for the Locus Award for her editorial work. She has a double Bachelor’s degree in English and Russian Literature from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s in Performance Studies from New York University. More than anything else, she appreciates a good cup of tea.​

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Flavia Viotti

Founder, Bookcase Literary Agency
Flavia Viotti, the founder of Bookcase Literary Agency, is driven, determined and quick to see business opportunities, while using her management skills to bring a breath of fresh air into the market. She has always been an aggressive and addictive reader and believes she has the best job in the world.

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Gray Tan

Founder, The Grayhawk Agency​
Gray Tan founded The Grayhawk Agency in 2008. They are a leading literary agency in Asia, representing over 200 foreign publishers and agents in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. They represent a select list of Asian authors in film/tv and translation, whose works have been licensed in over 30 countries and to production companies in Asia, Europe, and Hollywood.

Jannah McCowan

Senior Acquisitions Editor, Tantor Media, a division of Recorded Books​
Jannah McCowan started out as a bookseller and went on to work at a public library. In 2017 she received her graduate certificate in publishing from the Denver Publishing Institute. She started with Tantor Media in 2018 growing her acquisitions of both fiction and nonfiction titles. She acquires in all fiction subgenres, but especially loves sports romance.   ​
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Jenn Eschrich

Acquisitions Managing Editor, Tantor Media, a division of Recorded Books​
In her tenure with Tantor, Jenn has acquired the audio rights to over 2,000 books across all genres though her passion projects are thriller/suspense, psychology, and self-help.  
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Julie Braunschweiger

Senior Manager, Barnes & Noble Press, B&N’s self-publishing platform
Julie is responsible for day-to-day business operations, author outreach, promotions, and social media, as well as being closely aligned with top-line NOOK strategy. Previously, Julie spent four years in Los Angeles working in film and television. Before joining B&N, Julie was also the lead bookseller for a local, independent bookstore in Katonah, New York.​

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Katie Robinson

Executive Producer, Lyric Audiobooks
Katie has worked in the world of audiobooks for 8+ years. Prior to her work as a producer with Lyric, she was an acquisitions editor and social media manager with a boutique audiobook publisher. In that role, she oversaw the creation of a romance imprint, which is when her love of romance audio truly began. Now, she has produced over 350+ audiobooks, including Audie, Earphone, and SOVAS award-winners. She currently lives in the Niagara region (up in Canada) with her husband and chaotic rescue dog, collecting records, playing D&D, and rewatching period dramas far too many times. 

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KIMBERLY BROWER

President & ​Literary Agent, Brower Literary & Management
Kimberly fell in love with reading when she picked up her first Babysitter’s Club book at the age of seven (Super Special editions were her favorites) and hasn’t been able to get her nose out of a book since. She holds a BS in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge and received her JD from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. After spending a decade in the business world, it was kismet that she found herself in publishing. She takes great pride in her client list, from the debut authors to #1 NYT bestsellers, and likes to consider them all her favorite authors. She previously worked for over two years at a boutique literary agency before starting her own. After spending 14 years in California, she is thrilled to be back on the east coast. When not providing individual attention to her clients, Kimberly manages all of the day-to-day operations of the agency. This includes overseeing the management of the foreign, audio and all other subsidiary rights for all the authors in the agency. 

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leticia gomez

Editorial Director, Dafina Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing
​Leticia Gomez is the editorial director for Kensington Books and Dafina. Leticia is the Editorial Director for Dafina Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp., which focuses on high-quality fiction and nonfiction that centers on race, identity, and its impact on our experiences. Dafina’s carefully curated list is a home for dynamic stories that innovate and amplify voices too long ignored through books that entertain, challenge, and inspire. Launched in 2000 as the first African-American imprint, Dafina has led the market for more than twenty years in highlighting voices of color. Leticia is actively seeking to acquire multicultural fiction and nonfiction of all genres, including literary fiction, commercial fiction, historical fiction, romance, mystery, and narrative nonfiction of all genres with a focus on authors of color (BIPOC) hailing from all walks of life, as well as specific nonfiction projects for marginalized communities. In addition to her role at Kensington, Leticia is a prominent literary/film/television agent who specializes in bringing culturally diverse voices to the forefront. Savvy Literary is now an industry leader specializing in Self-help, Narrative Non-fiction, Memoir, True Crime, Suspense / Thriller, ​Spiritual / Inspirational, Political / Current Affairs, Family Drama, and the Young Adult market. Championing the work of minority writers continues to be a top priority for the agency.
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Liz Pelletier

Chief Executive Officer and Publisher, Entangled Publishing
Coming out of the dot com era, serial entrepreneur Liz Pelletier has more than thirty years of experience in software engineering, systems analysis, and business management. In 2011, Liz channeled her love of romantic fiction and co-founded Entangled Publishing. Her mission statement was simple: offer authors the highest royalties in the industry, combined with an agile publishing program, intense focus on quality, and market-driven analysis, in an effort to bridge the gap between traditional and self-publishing opportunities. Over the past ten years, Entangled has gone from a small start-up to mid-size romance publisher, with more than 2700 titles released to date and a majority hitting Amazon bestseller lists.
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louise fury

President & Literary Agent, The Fury Agency
The Fury Agency represents multiple authors whose books have hit the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and Der Spiegel bestseller lists.
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We work with each author to build the publishing career of their dreams and to expand their reach across platforms, formats and territories. Whether the goal is a traditional book deal, exploring subrights for a self-published title/s or mapping out a multi-platform approach for their business, our focus is on the needs of the author and monetizing multiple streams of revenue to expand the reach of each project and to build the author brand.
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lynn raposo

 Assistant Editor, Canary Street Press and Graydon House (formerly HQN)
​After starting out as a bookseller in 2016, Lynn Raposo went on to roles at Penguin Random House Canada, HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin, where she now works as an assistant editor for Canary Street Press. She studied English, French, and Professional Writing at the University of Toronto before completing her publishing certificate at Humber College. She enjoys fresh stories with a strong cast of characters and transportive settings, witty romcoms with unique hooks and genuine humor, and modern twists on classic tropes.
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mark gottlieb

​Literary Agent, ​Trident Media Group Literary Agency
My name is Mark Gottlieb and I am a vice president and literary agent at book publishing’s leading literary agency, Trident Media Group in New York City. I attended Emerson College and was President of its Publishing Club, establishing the Wilde Press. After graduating with a degree in writing, literature & publishing, I began my career with Penguin’s VP. My first position at Trident Media Group, was in foreign rights. I was EA to TMG’s Chairman and ran the Audio Department. I am currently working with my own client list, helping to manage and grow author careers with the unique resources available to TMG. I have ranked highly in our industry among literary agents in overall deals and other categories. 
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Marnye Young

Owner • Voice Artist • Producer, Audio Sorceress
Marnye Young is a SAG-AFTRA voice, stage, and screen actor and David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University MFA Grad. She is a multi SOVAS and Earphones Award Winning narrator/producer for New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling authors, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks and is the owner of Audio Sorceress a publishing and production house. Young has spent her life in the North and the South and has performed across the globe. She is a mompreneur residing in Connecticut with her design architect husband featured on This Old House and NOVA, her beautiful identical twin daughters who worked with Adam Driver on HBO’s Girls when they were little, and her golden retriever. When Young isn’t working she is fishing, watching NASCAR, raising chickens, doing crossword puzzles, running, "mom"ing, and trying to pay it forward.
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Michelle Grajkowski

Literary Agent​, 3 Seas Literary Agency
From the moment Michelle Grajkowski first opened the doors to the 3 Seas Literary Agency in August of 2000, she has been living her dream. (What could be better than surrounding yourself with amazing authors and their exciting and imaginative books?)  Since then, her agency has sold more than 900 books to all the major publishing houses, and has grown from one agent to five! 

Michelle’s client list includes New York Times Bestselling Authors Katie MacAlister, Cathy McDavid, Kerrelyn Sparks and C.L. Wilson. She primarily represents romance, women’s fiction, young adult and middle grade fiction along with select non-fiction projects with a terrific message.  She is currently looking for fantastic writers with a voice of their own.

When not curled up with a great manuscript, Michelle loves to spend time with her husband, children, and her crazy puppy who refuses to grow up.
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monique patterson

Vice President & Editorial Director, Bramble (The Tor Publishing Group)
​Since childhood, Patterson has been a fan of genre fiction. “I love—and grew up loving—fantasy, vampire and werewolf tales, all the fairy tales. I read so voraciously! And I got really intrigued by sci-fi when I saw The War of the Worlds movie. My sisters and I were little nerds.” Immediately after college, she began her publishing career at Avon in 1997 as an editorial assistant. Three years later, after moving up to assistant editor, she got a call from Jennifer Enderlin, then v-p, publisher, Griffin and SMP paperbacks. The two hit it off, and Patterson was invited to SMP to meet with Enderlin, SMP president Sally Richardson, the late Matthew Shear (then publisher of Griffin and SMP Paperbacks), and then-editor-in-chief George Witte. A couple of days later they offered Patterson a full editor position, and she has been at SMP ever since.
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rick bleiweiss

Editor, Blackstone Publishing
​Rick Bleiweiss has been a successful musician, songwriter, music producer, and record company executive. He has worked as a social activist and journalist and is currently a publishing executive. His novel Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives was selected as an Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense, as well as being chosen as one of the year’s Best New Debut Mystery Novels by Publishers Weekly. Rick lives in Ashland, Oregon, and is at work on his next Pignon Scorbion novel. Follow him and Scorbion at RickBleiweiss.com.

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stephanie phillips

​Literary Agent, SBR Media
​Stephanie Phillips is a born and bred southern girl. After graduating from High Point University, she’d gone from different careers including modeling, Mary Kay, publicist, blogger, radio show host, and then found her footing as an agent. With over two hundred clients and three times as many deals between her and her eight agents, she’s happy to see SBR Media is a force in the literary world. When not agenting, blogging, or reading, she spends time with her husband and two adorable kids in their Myrtle Beach home.

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