Patrick Nolan, Vice President and Publisher, Penguin Books

Megan Newman, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Avery and TarcherPerigee, joined Penguin in 2004 where her first acquisition was Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselsyn, MD. The book was not only a New York Times bestseller, but laid the foundation for Avery’s role as a leading publisher of cutting-edge books in the areas of health, science, psychology, education, and more. She also established Avery’s cookbook program.

Avery’s bestselling and award-winning authors include James Clear (Atomic Habits), Steve Silberman (Neurotribes), Dwayne Betts (A Question of Freedom), Brene Brown (Daring Greatly), The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (The Book of Joy), Angela Liddon (The Oh She Glows Cookbook), Adeena Sussman (Sababa), Joanne Lee Molinaro (The Korean Vegan Cookbook), Madeline Puckette (Wine Folly), Judson Brewer, MD (Unwinding Anxiety), and many more.

In 2018, she was also appointed the publisher of TarcherPerigee and helped spearhead the growth of the imprint. TarcherPerigee has long focused books in the areas of creativity, spirituality, personal growth and more. With books like The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, Attached by Amir Levine, Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab, Start Where You Are by Meera Lee Patel, and The Odd 1s Out and Burn After Writing franchises, TarcherPerigee has set the standard for books that inspire readers to rethink what’s possible.

Caroline joined the Penguin Publishing Group in 2009 and has been with Avery since 2015.

Her many best sellers include The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The End of Alzheimer’s by Dale Bredesen, Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer, The Beauty of What Remains by Steve Leder, The XX Brain by Lisa Mosconi, Mastering Diabetes by Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro, Fat Chance by Robert Lustig, The First 20 Minutes by Gretchen Reynolds, Mindset by Carol Dweck, and Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain by Sharon Begley.

She has worked at major imprints, most recently Random House and Ballantine, and her many other distinguished authors include Richard Davidson, Daniel Goleman, Dean Ornish, Tara Parker-Pope, Deborah Tannen, and Andrew Weil.

Lindsay Gordon is the Associate Publisher and Director of Marketing and Publicity for both Avery and TarcherPerigee. She has spent her career promoting and publicizing non-fiction authors and their books. As Associate Publisher Lindsay oversees all of the customized publicity and marketing campaigns aimed towards securing as much media as possible and effectively getting the books in front of consumers in new and innovative ways.

Lindsay has overseen and worked on the campaigns of numerous New York Times and national bestselling titles, including Atomic Habits by James Clear, Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means, The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Myth of Normal by Dr. Gabor Maté, The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon, Shabbat by Adeena Sussman, The XX Brain by Dr. Lisa Mosconi, Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free by Nedra Glover Tawwab, The Odd 1s Out by James Rallison and Unwinding Anxiety by Dr. Jud Brewer. Prior to joining Penguin Lindsay worked at the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group at Random House, Inc.

Lucia Watson, Editor-in-Chief of Avery, began her publishing career as an Editorial Assistant at Viking in 1998 and joined Avery in 2005. She has been instrumental to Avery’s robust growth over the last two decades, acquiring a diverse list in the categories of wellness, personal development, psychology, and cooking.

Her health and wellness bestsellers include books by Will Bulsiewicz, Ann and Jane Esselstyn, Terry Wahls, Stuart Brown, Alan Gordon and Alon Ziv, and Annie Grace, and her acquisition of the New York Times bestselling The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon put Avery on the map in the cookbook space. She has gone on to build Avery’s food list with many New York Times bestsellers and James Beard award winning authors, including Adeena Sussman, Jeanine Donofrio, Madeline Puckette, and Joanne Lee Molinaro.

Executive Editor Nina Shield joined TarcherPerigee and Avery in 2017 with a focus on prescriptive non-fiction. Nina acquires inspiration, self-improvement, personal growth, creativity, spirituality, wellness, workbook/journals, mental health, functional medicine, parenting, and cookbooks and nutritional resources.

Authors she has worked with include James Clear (New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits), John McWhorter (New York Times bestseller Nine Nasty Words), Ali Maffucci, Megan McNamee and Judy Delaware (New York Times bestseller Feeding Littles and Beyond), Gabor Maté, MD (New York Times bestseller The Myth of Normal), Bishop Michael Curry (Love is the Way), Alexandra Caspero and Whitney English (The Plant-Based Baby and Toddler), Jordan Reid and Erin Williams (The Big Fat Activity Book for Pregnant People, The Big Activity Book for Anxious People), Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde (How We Learn to Be Brave), Gabriela Herstik (Inner Witch), Kelly McGonigal (The Joy of Movement), Talia Pollock (Party in Your Plants), Kristy Shen (Quit Like a Millionaire), Jason Dearen (Kill Shot), Emily Winter (One Day Smarter), Matt McCarthy, MD (Superbugs), and Joe Saul-Sehy and Emily Guy Birken (Stacked).

Editor Hannah Steigmeyer joined Avery and TarcherPerigee in 2017 with a focus on nonfiction in the accessible science and health & wellness space.

She has a special interest in novel entrepreneurial approaches to science, technology, health, and business. Her upcoming books include Fasting Cancer by Valter Longo, PhD, Adaptable by Herman Pontzer, PhD, and Booster Shots by Adam Ratner, MD. She’s edited The Real Body Manual, The Complete Book of Pickleball, Secrets of Giants, Giving Hope, Fuel the Fire, and Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 6th edition and has worked with James Clear (New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits), Gabor Maté, MD (New York Times bestseller The Myth of Normal), Kelly McGonigal, PhD (The Joy of Movement), Judson Brewer, MD, PhD (New York Times bestseller Unwinding Anxiety), and Michael Oher (When Your Back’s Against the Wall).

She grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and graduated from Kenyon College where she double majored in English and Anthropology and minored in Russian Language and Literature.

Suzy Swartz joined Avery in 2017. She works with Lucia Watson on books like The Korean Vegan Cookbook by Joanne Lee Molinaro, The Alcohol Experiment by Annie Grace, Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, MD, Sababa by Adeena Sussman. Suzy’s first acquisition was the IACP Award-nominated The Zero-Waste Chef by Anne-Marie Bonneau, and she’s since edited The Gracias Madre Cookbook, Good & Sweet by Brian Levy, Unbottled Potential by Amanda Kuda, and Voilà Vegan by Amanda Bankert. She is interested in cookbooks, graphic memoirs, and personal growth and relationship books with a feminist bent. She is from the Bay Area.

Associate Editor Isabel McCarthy joined the Avery team in 2023. Isabel is looking to acquire cookbooks, as well as wellness and self-help titles.

She has a special interest in plant-forward and sustainable cooking and enjoys working on books where personal stories and food go hand in hand. In the wellness and self-help area, Isabel is focusing on mental health, women’s health, self-care, and sustainability.

Isabel began her full-time publishing career at W.W. Norton where she published a variety of food, nature, health, and lifestyle books. Originally from Pennsylvania, she graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a double major in Creative and Professional writing and a minor in International Studies.

Tracy Behar, SVP and Publisher of Avery and TarcherPerigee, joined Penguin in 2024. She was previously at Little, Brown and Company, where she served as VP, Publisher, and Editor in Chief of the imprint she founded, Little, Brown Spark.

She publishes in the categories of health, psychology, self-help, science, nature, and reference, and her roster of authors includes Mark Hyman, Andrew Weil, David Perlmutter, Kerry Washington, Daniel Kahneman, Nicholas Christakis, Sue Johnson, John Ratey, William Sears, and Roy Peter Clark. Many of her books have been #1 bestsellers and have garnered awards, including the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, and Books for a Better Life.

Farin Schlussel is the Director of Marketing for both Avery Books and TarcherPerigee. She has been with Avery since she began her publishing career in 2012. As the Director of Marketing, Farin executes and oversees bespoke campaigns using the most current marketing platforms and data to get books in front of the readers who need them. 

Farin has spearheaded the campaigns for the New York Times and national bestsellers Atomic Habits by James Clear, Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means The Myth of Normal by Dr. Gabor Maté, The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Neurotribes by Steve Silberman, and the breakout TikTok sensation Burn After Writing by Sharon Jones, among others. She has also worked on multiple projects with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, Adeena Sussman, Jeanine Donofrio, Rabbi Steve Leder, Bishop Michael Curry, Dr. Lisa Mosconi, Dr. Judson Brewer, Dr. Dale Bredesen, and Dr. Terry Wahls. When she is not cheerleading the latest Avery and TarcherPerigee titles, you can find her snuggling with her rescue dog, Penny, or seeing theatre.

Casey Maloney is the Director of Publicity for both Avery Books and TarcherPerigee. In addition to managing the publicity department and developing publicity strategies for both lists, Casey works directly with many Avery and TarcherPerigee authors and has orchestrated publicity campaigns for breakout bestselling books, including Atomic Habits by James Clear, Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, Neurotribes by Steve Silberman, The Odd 1s Out by James Rallison, Nine Nasty Words by John McWhorter, The End of Alzheimer’s by Dr. Dale Bredesen and many more.

Executive Editor Anna Paustenbach joined Avery in 2024. She was previously Executive Editor at HarperOne, where she published #1 New York Times bestsellers and national bestsellers including The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy, You Were Born for This by Chani Nicholas, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr. Julie Smith, Do Hard Things by Steve Magness, Master of Change by Brad Stulberg, and others. She acquires in the areas of self-help, research-backed books on better living, and progressive spirituality. Overall, Anna gets excited about fresh voices with their own spin on old wisdom.

Senior Editor Jacob Surpin joined Penguin in 2023, where he publishes a variety of prescriptive nonfiction, including self-help, big idea/big think, popular science, psychology, business, and high-performance titles. He is especially drawn to books with clear takeaways that approach familiar topics from unexpected angles. 

His authors so far have included researchers, thought leaders, platform-driven experts, and spiritual leaders. His upcoming books include The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher, Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Humanity by Sarah Parcak, How to Disagree Better by Julia Minson, and others.

Elisabeth Koyfman joined Avery and Tarcher Perigee as an Editorial Assistant in 2024. She earned her B.A. in English Literature from CUNY Baruch College and previously worked at magazines such as Poets & Writers and The New York Review of Books. Elisabeth is interested in prescriptive nonfiction, particularly in the categories of health, wellness, and behavioral psychology. She is especially fascinated by books that explore the workings of the mind and provide readers with tools to improve their daily lives.