CHARLOTTE ABBOTT

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT particularly for non-fiction authors and journalists on subjects of memoir, business, current affairs, women’s studies, adoption, lesbian and gay studies, African American studies, mind/body/spirit, nature and the environment, and photography.

Charlotte Abbott is a publishing journalist and digital content strategist who has developed a large and loyal online community of authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians, book bloggers, and e-reading innovators, via weekly discussions on Twitter (#followreader). In her 20 years in the book industry, she has been a reporter and editor for Publishers Weekly, a publishing commentator on National Public Radio, a book critic supervising more than 1000 reviews a year, and an acquiring book editor at HarperCollins and Avon Books. Most recently, she has been advising authors and retailers on how to maximize their online visibility through strategic content development, including social media, blogs and traditional media. She is a board member of the Women’s Media Group and has served as a judge of several noted literary awards.

Email: abbcha@gmail.com
Twitter: @charabbott

PAULA BALZER

MOMMY BLOGGER, PARENTING, HOME DESIGN, MEMOIR WRITING

Paula Balzer covers parenting for New York Family Magazine and is their home design blogger. She has also written for Modern Bride, Writer’s Digest magazine and one of New York City’s largest parenting blogs, www.achildgrows.com. She is also a co-founder of adhocmom, a popular blog for freelancing moms. A lover of memoir, Paula is the author of Writing & Selling Your Memoir (Writer’s Digest Books/July 2011). She is a frequent speaker on the topic of memoir writing and teaches writing workshops in Northern New Jersey.

ANNE BARTHOLOMEW

ONLINE RETAIL, MARKETING, and CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
favorite categories include debut fiction, mystery & thrillers, cookbooks & food writing, memoir, young adult

Anne Bartholomew is a writer, editor, and bookseller with particular experience in online retail and content development at Amazon.com. Much of her work over the last five years has been focused on connecting authors with readers via custom marketing, interviews, reviews and social media. She is a graduate of Fordham University in New York, as well as the Denver Publishing Institute, and the Institute of Culinary Education. As a reader, her turn-to categories include debut fiction and mysteries, cookbooks, young adult, and memoir, but she’ll happily read anything that comes with a good recommendation.

DAVID CARRIERE

PUBLICITY, PR FOR ILLUSTRATED, NON-FICTION (ALL CATEGORIES) AND CHILDREN’S

With over twenty five years experience, David Carriere began his career publicizing books in 1986. He honed his professional techniques on both coasts of the United States at numerous publishers, including Chronicle Books in California and HarperCollins in New York where he served as Director of Marketing for four of the publishing houses imprints.

David has also worked on many children’s books since the 90′s, for everyone from big houses with big budgets, to self-published authors, including the launch of the classic French NICHOLAS series in the United States for Phaidon, and most recently achieving New York Times Bestsellers status for the innovative picture book BEE & ME, published by Accord.

In 1997, David launched his own publicity firm and is now nestled in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts where he has recently contributed to a number of bestselling campaigns from a variety of publishers including Lisa Alther’s recent chartbuster BLOOD FEUD, Globe Pequot Press, Sterling, and Meredith Books.

Also a writer, Carriere is the author of PUBLICITY: 7 STEPS TO PUBLICIZE JUST ABOUT ANYTHING which was published by Glitterati Incorporated in 2008, an experience which now allows the publicist/author to fully understand both sides of the publishing process.

Email: david@davidcarriere.org
Twitter: @acarridedrive

JACK COVERT/800CEOREAD

BUSINESS, RETAIL, SPECIAL SALES

Jack Covert is the President and Founder of 800-CEO-READ. In 1984, Jack was hired by the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops (an independent chain of bookstores in Milwaukee from 1927–2009) to promote business and computer books to the Milwaukee business community. Over the past decade, 800-CEO-READ has concentrated on selling business books while also spreading great business ideas via its daily blog, its monthly newsletter The Keen Thinker, the monthly publication of essays on ChangeThis, its annual Business Book Awards, and its yearly magazine In The Books. In 2010, 800-CEO-READ began a partnership with Inc. to publish and promote its Business Book Best Seller List. In 2012, 800-CEO-READ will offer an exciting new online service, KnowledgeBlocks, to help users save, organize, and customize their business information.

Jack grew that 3-shelf business book section of the store into a 7-million-dollar specialty business book retailer and has earned quite a reputation. “[I]n the world of business-book publishing . . . , his championship of obscure works has helped turn such books as The Goal into national bestsellers, and his monthly best seller list is a frequently cited standard.” Then–Doubleday/Currency editor Harriet Rubin described Covert “as not simply a bookseller—he’s a tracker and a prophet” (Inc., 1995).
In 2000, Jack began writing reviews of new and notable business books in a monthly, nationally syndicated column entitled “Jack Covert Selects.” Ultimately these reviews led him to collaborate on The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, a book that not only ranks the best business books, but also provides references to nearly 400 notable books for the business reader. The 100 Best has now been updated in paperback and reprinted in ten languages.

Email: Jack@800CEOREAD.com
Twitter: @JackCovert

RICH KELLEY

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT with special interest in science and technology, American literature; EMAIL MARKETING; SEO; SEM; SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING, SYSEMS INTEGRATION, WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Rich is President, Rich Performance Marketing and Strategic Partner, VP of YOUR EXPERT NATION

Rich’s thirty years in publishing include stints as editor, editorial director, director of subsidiary rights, marketing director, director of online services, and general manager. Having spent more than twenty years marketing books directly to consumer and specialty audiences, both in print and online, Rich specializes today in consulting in online marketing (including email, SEO/SEM, and analytics), social media marketing, and content development/marketing. Reader’s Almanac, the blog he currently curates for The Library of America regularly appears among the top 100 of the 16,000+ book blogs ranked by Technorati. Rich also frequently reports on trends at the intersection of tech and marketing for Publishing Trends.     READ MORE

Twitter: @rpmkel
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/richkelley
Facebook: facebook.com/richkelley

VICTORIA MEYER

MEDIA, PUBLICITY with special interest in LITERARY FICTION, NARRATIVE NONFICTION, POLITICS, CURRENT EVENTS, HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, MEMOIRS

Victoria is an experienced public relations and communications specialist who has spent her entire professional career in book publishing, most recently as VP, Executive Director of Publicity for Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint (1990–2010). In 2011 she became an independent publicist and established VM/PR. Known for her energy, creativity, strategic planning, and commitment to excellence, she has worked with countless best-selling, prize-winning and high-profile authors, consistently securing top national media attention. She has strategized with public figures, experts and writers to identify promotable aspects of their work and target opportunities, as well as to hone their message and strengthen their presentation.

She has also worked with many emerging writers to help them gain recognition and further their careers. Notable campaigns and NYT best-sellers include David McCullough’s John Adams, Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals, Walter Isaacson’s Einstein, Bob Woodward’s State of Denial, Chris Cleave’s Little Bee, A.J. Jacobs’ The Year of Living Biblically, and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Living History.

In a Publishers Weekly column (8/23/10), Victoria’s former colleague Beth Wareham wrote: “She has shaped the best of a generation of book promoters . . . . an iconic, singular intelligence that challenges and inspires all her publicists, authors, and colleagues.” Gerald Howard, Executive Editor of Doubleday, commented: “I worked with Victoria Meyer for 8 years at Viking Penguin, and with a sincere nod to all the great publicists I have had the privilege of working with since, she is unmatched in the industry in terms of cool and class and effectiveness.”

E-mail: vmeyer@nyc.rr.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriameyer33

LEE STERN

COOKBOOKS, ART & PHOTOGRAPHY, FICTION AND TRAVEL

Lee Stern has over 30 years experience in book publishing and retail. For over twenty years he bought all the cookbooks for more than 700 Barnes & Noble stores across the nation, helping to launch the cookbook careers of Emeril Lagasse, Rachel Ray, Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, and Giada DeLaurentis, among others.

 
 
 
 
 
Email: leestrn33@gmail.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lee-stern/2a/442/76b
Twitter: @mblgs33

JOHN TEWSLEY

HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, CURRENT EVENTS, EDITORIAL and MARKETING

John Tewsley is a 20 year book-selling and publishing veteran. A longtime non-fiction buyer for Borders, Tewsley is recognized as an industry expert in the history, biography, and current events categories. In addition to contributing to the success of major releases, Tewsley has an established record of maximizing mid-list and working closely with university presses and niche publishers. A graduate of the University of Denver Publishing Institute, Tewsley also holds an MA in English from Buffalo State.

Website: http://www.johntewsley.com/
Twitter: @HistorySection

JEANETTE ZWART

FICTION; LITERARY FICTION; NARRATIVE NON-FICTION;  ADULT, YA and CHILDREN’S BOOKS, SALES; MARKETING; AUTHOR TOURS

With over 20 years in general book publishing, much of it as Vice President of Sales responsible for independent retail and library jobber sales for such major publishers as Penguin USA and HarperCollins, Jeanette Zwart has a national reputation as someone who knows how to identify titles with the greatest potential for success in the retail and library channels, and for getting retailers to partner with the publisher  to set up a title for optimal sales.  She sees retailers, publishers and writers as working in tandem to find the right reader for every book.

Jeanette has worked on many bestsellers including Lauren Oliver’s Young Adult novels Before I Fall and Delirium; and Veronica Roth’s DIVERGENT trilogy.  Adult non-fiction titles she’s worked on include such non-fiction titles as It Worked For Me:  Lessons In Life and Leadership, Colin Powell’s inspirational lessons from a life of public service and leadership; diet and health books including the Dr. Atkins books; Mehment Oz’s You: The Owner’s Manual and  Drew Manning’s  Fit2Fat2Fit: The Unexpected Lessons from Gaining and Losing 75 lbs on Purpose (seen recently on Dr. Oz and other national media).

She has a special expertise in building mid-list and debut authors, and is proud of her contribution to the success of books like Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin; A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash; Canada by Richard Ford; Serena by Ron Rash; and Round House by Louise Erdrich.

Contact:  zwart.jeanette@gmail.com
Phone: 917-225-9450