Allie Merola, Editor

Allie Merola acquires fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for Viking Penguin and Penguin Poets. She is interested in literary and upmarket fiction with a distinctive voice and pitch; mystery and suspense novels with complex, unusual characters and a strong sense of place; narrative, idea-driven, and multidisciplinary nonfiction and essays across a wide range of subjects—including youth…

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Jenn Houghton, Publishing Associate

Jenn Houghton (she/her) joined Viking Penguin in October 2021 and assists Brian Tart. She graduated with a Creative Writing B.A. from William Paterson University, which she earned while managing a retail business in Montclair, New Jersey. Moving on from small business, she entered the world of publishing with a passion for absurdist fiction, introspective narratives,…

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Ibrahim Ahmad, Executive Editor

Ibrahim Ahmad joined Viking as executive editor in 2021. His nonfiction interests include current affairs, politics, history, science and technology, biography, business, and pop culture. He also publishes an eclectic array of literary fiction and crime fiction, with a particular focus on incendiary, urgent voices that subvert and expand the existing literature. His first title…

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Nidhi Pugalia, Editor

Nidhi Pugalia joined Viking Penguin in 2019, after beginning her editorial career at Grand Central Publishing. In fiction, she is drawn to lyrical writing and propulsive plotting in the speculative, grounded science fiction/fantasy, and magical realism spaces with a particular emphasis on books that can cross with other categories like romance, historical fiction, psychological suspense,…

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Marie Michels, Editor

Marie Michels (she/her) joined Pamela Dorman Books in 2020. She’s looking for rom-coms that actually make her laugh out loud, and fiction ranging from commercial to book club. She’s drawn to characters with interesting jobs or hobbies, a skillful balance of grief and humor (think The Big Chill), and group dynamics, especially among friends and siblings.

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David Howe, Associate Editor

David Howe joined Dutton as an Associate Editor in 2024 and acquires a wide range of nonfiction. On the prescriptive side, he looks for books that lead to healthier lives or demystify transformative concepts for a broader audience, written by authors who combine rigorous research with commercial appeal. In narrative nonfiction, he’s most interested in…

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Lindsay Ribar, Contracts, Finance, and Subsidiary Rights Manager

Associate Editor Sarah Blumenstock joined Berkley in 2016. Prior to joining Berkley she sold foreign and domestic rights for Penguin Young Readers. Sarah acquires commercial women’s fiction and romance—both historical and contemporary. Some of her recent and upcoming titles include The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by New York Times bestselling author Lori Nelson Spielman, A Touch of Forever by USA Today bestselling author Jo Goodman, Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore and Faker by Sarah Smith.

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Mary Baker, Assistant Editor

Mary Baker (she/her) is an Assistant Editor at Berkley and a graduate of Emerson College. She joined the editorial team in 2021 after starting her career in Penguin’s subsidiary rights contracts department. Mary acquires swoony contemporary romance and romantic comedies, feel-good mysteries, fantasy of both the heart-poundingly romantic and heartwarmingly cozy varieties, and inventive book…

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Asiya Ahmed, Junior Designer 

Junior Designer Asiya Ahmed is a Black and South Asian Muslim creative, and currently lives in New York. A graduate with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations, she has a Certificate in Visualization and Design and worked as a graphic designer for four years before joining Kokila. She believes in transforming powerful narratives through literature and…

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