Meriam Metoui, Associate Editor
Meriam Metoui (she/her) is an associate editor at Viking Children’s Books, where she primarily edits pictures books and graphic novels of all ages. She especially loves lyrical or funny picture books, grim and adventurous middle grade, and a wide variety of young adult too difficult to narrow down but knows that she can’t resist emotional…
Read MoreElizabeth Vogt, Associate Editor
Elizabeth (she/her) joined Penguin Classics in 2016 after brief stints in magazines and academic publishing. A life-long lover of classic literature (and life-long Penguin Classics superfan), Elizabeth has played a key role in bringing new contemporary voices to Penguin Classics, including Elif Batuman, Claire Vaye Watkins, Brandon Taylor, Joy Harjo, Rachel Syme, Kate Bolick, and…
Read MoreMonique Sterling, Senior Designer
Monique Sterling, senior designer at Philomel Books, joined the team in 2019. She holds a BFA in graphic design from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a minor in communication design. Before making the pivot to children’s publishing, she worked as a freelancer and full-time designer in several industries, including print, online education, advertising, marketing/promo,…
Read MoreRachael Kelly, Editor
Rachael Kelly is an Editor at Dutton acquiring commercial and upmarket/book club fiction across genres—stories that combine rapid pacing, nuanced character development, complex themes, and compelling hooks. She is building a list that prioritizes both voice and plot, and gravitates toward fiction that is romantic, escapist, suspenseful, mysterious, or psychological in nature, especially from authors…
Read MoreJoanna Ng, Editor
Joanna Ng joined TarcherPerigee in 2012, where she acquires and edits books in the areas of personal growth/self-help, popular psychology, creativity, and memoir. She enjoys working with a diverse range of authors who have compelling stories to tell and powerful insights to share—she is always learning something new from them.
Read MoreGnesis Villar, Editorial Assistant
Editorial Assistant Gnesis Villar joined Kokila in June 2021. Previously, she wrote reviews for the children’s department at Publisher’s Weekly, in addition to interning at Macmillan, Laura Dail Literary Agency, and Dial Books for Young Readers. She is a native New Yorker raised on cartoons, unlimited Internet access, and R-rated horror movies. She graduated from…
Read MoreGrace Layer, Associate Editor
Grace Layer joined Dutton in January 2021 and acquires both fiction and nonfiction. She’s looking for smart narrative nonfiction, including investigative journalism, popular science, travel/food narratives, and character-driven stories that bring an unknown piece of history to light or dive into a propulsive mystery. On the fiction side, she’s interested in upmarket, voice-driven novels with…
Read MoreLauren Appleton, Executive Editor
Lauren Appleton has been at TarcherPerigee since 2012, where she acquires a wide range of self-improvement titles, mainly for Millennials and Gen-Z. She is particularly interested in the areas of inspiration/motivation, pop-psychology, creativity, social justice, female empowerment, and anything that will improve your life or simply make you smile. A large portion of her list…
Read MoreTalia Benamy, Editor
Talia Benamy, editor at Philomel Books, joined Penguin Random House as an editorial assistant in 2013. She graduated with a BA in English from Cornell University. Talia is the editor of Cramm This Book: So You Know WTF Is Going On in the World Today by Olivia Seltzer, My Love for You Is Always by…
Read MoreJill Santopolo, Vice President & Publisher
Jill Santopolo is the vice president and publisher of Philomel. After seven years at HarperCollins, she joined Penguin Random House in 2009 and became associate publisher in 2018. She holds a BA in English literature from Columbia University and an MFA in writing for children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Jill is best…
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