Kelly Young, Editorial Assistant
Kelly Young joined Portfolio, Thesis, and Sentinel as an Editorial Assistant in 2025. She is drawn to practical, insightful nonfiction that challenges conventional thought and sparks new ideas and ways of living. Before joining Portfolio, Kelly started her career as a copyeditor, which cemented her passion for working with innovative books that inspire readers.
Read MoreGabriel Rivera, Editorial Assistant
Gabriel Rivera joined Viking in February 2025 as an assistant to Elda Rotor. Born and raised in NYC, he graduated from CUNY Baruch College with a degree in journalism and political science. Before Penguin, Gabriel was an assistant director for an after-school program, where he was able to pursue his passion for education. His interests…
Read MoreTiara Kittrell, Editor
Tiara Kittrell is an editor, acquiring picture books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, and nonfiction across all categories for the Putnam Young Readers imprint. Prior to joining Penguin Random House, she was an associate editor at Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, where she had she acquired books by Alyssa Cole and Nia Davenport. Tiara first entered…
Read MoreRuoxi Chen, Executive Editor
Ruoxi Chen joined Putnam in 2024 and acquires genre-bending crossover speculative fiction for a general audience. She’s drawn to voice-driven, character-forward books that effortlessly slip between genres, worlds, and boundaries, and is looking for deeply specific stories with broad commercial potential that will find their exact reader regardless of what BISAC they live under.  Among…
Read MoreKim Sandve, Publishing Assistant
Kim Sandve is a publishing assistant at Viking Children’s Books. She began her publishing career as a member of the Writers House Intern Program. In May of 2023, Kim graduated from The College of New Jersey with a degree in communications studies (with a specialization in film studies!) and minors in English and creative writing.…
Read MoreMolly Donovan, Editorial Assistant
Molly Donovan joined Putnam in 2024. She enjoys upmarket commercial fiction across multiple genres, including speculative fiction, queer literature, and romance, layered with diverse cultural elements and experiences. Before joining Putnam, she worked at Springer Nature and Melville House, where she plucked Flux by Jinwoo Chong out of the slush pile, the first Indie Next pick for…
Read MoreBrianna Fairman, Assistant Editor
Brianna Fairman joined Putnam in 2024 and acquires a broad range of fiction across genres. She loves edgy, complex stories with a strong voice, and has a soft spot for brazen female characters, Gothic imagery, and themes of obsession and desire. Brianna is drawn towards curious and heartfelt nonfiction, including writing on science and nature,…
Read MoreLauren Ball, Publicist
Lauren joined Portfolio in January 2023 after working in the self-publishing and music industries. She is passionate about discovering ways to connect books with their readers and has worked with multiple New York Times bestselling titles including Ethan Mollick’s Co-Intelligence and Vivian Tu’s Rich AF.
Read MoreCaitlin O’Connell, Associate Editor
Caitlin O’Connell is the Associate Editor on the licensing team currently editing titles for Sonic the Hedgehog, Roald Dahl, SpongeBob, Garfield, and more. She is also the editor for a series of picture book biographies under the Who HQ brand and is open to select original middle grade and YA projects. When she is not…
Read MoreHan Zhang, Editor at Large
Han Zhang is working to introduce contemporary Chinese-language literary works to English readers. She has acquired and edited novels and story collections from award-winning international authors such as Zhang Yueran. As a journalist, she has written about the political and literary narratives that have shaped Chinese culture and identities for the New Yorker and the…
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