ROUNDTABLE SESSION 2

11:10 AM - 12:00 PM

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Roundtable Session 1

Roundtable Session 3

Advice/relationship/self help

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Kathy Schnieder has been a literary agent at JRA/Jane Rotrosen Agency since 2017. Her long career in publishing has included managing an independent bookstore, overseeing publicity and marketing departments at major imprints, and holding publisher roles at Random House and HarperCollins. Having worked with bestselling and award-winning authors for decades on the publishing side, she brings her passion for authors and championing their work to her role as agent.

christian publishing

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Derek Reed, VP, Editorial Director at Harmony and Convergent, joined Penguin Random House in 2011 and has edited New York Times bestsellers including Richard Rohr, Leanne Morgan, John Mark Comer, George W. Bush, Ross Douthat, and more. He acquires personal development, mental health, social commentary, spirituality, and narrative nonfiction, leadership, pop culture, and sports, seeking authors with distinct voices, earned authority, and unique takes on living and seeking meaning in a complex world.

early readers/chapter books

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Siobhan Ciminera is the Vice President, Editorial Director for Simon Spotlight, managing licensed tie-in publishing and the Ready-to-Read beginning readers line. She’s edited hundreds of books for young readers including licensed novelty books, board books, storybooks, chapter books, and novels for children ages 0-12 for brands like Angelina Ballerina, Peanuts, and How to Train Your Dragon. She’s passionate about building a lifelong love of reading through stories tied to children’s favorite characters, brands, and interests.

LITERARY FICTION

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Rachel Sargent is an editor and writer based in New York City. She works at Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, where she acquires and edits literary and upmarket fiction as well as narrative and idea-driven nonfiction. She has previously worked as a reader for Adroit Journal and interned for Sonora Review. In 2017, she received an M.Phil. in Creative Writing from Trinity College Dublin, and her writing has appeared in Gulf Coast, The Belfield Literary Review, Banshee, and elsewhere.

MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Kathleen Harris has spent more than two decades leading editorial teams for high-profile publishing, media, and lifestyle brands. Before joining Zibby Media as executive editor, she was editor of RealSimple.com, editorial director at Levo, and deputy editor of The Knot, following an early career in Custom Publishing at Time Inc. She collaborated on several book projects centered on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Kathleen has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, HuffPost, and other national outlets.

mIDDLE GRADE GENRE

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Ammi-Joan Paquette is a Senior Literary Agent with Aevitas Creative Management, representing a wide range of children’s authors and illustrators, and a select list of authors writing for adults. Her clients’ books include New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, National Book Award winners, and many more. Joan is also the author of 21 books.

MIND/BODY/SPIRIT

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Over 20 years, Nana’s path through the industry has led from an independent children’s book publisher, to John Wiley & Sons, and to Callisto Media, where she built a self-help and trade-psychology publishing program from the ground up.Nana is proud to have worked with such authors as Dr. William W. Li (Eat to Beat Your Diet), Dr. Georgia Ede (Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind), Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum (The Nurture Revolution), Aja Barber (Consumed), Courtney B. Vance & Dr. Robin L. Smith (The Invisible Ache). She is also the current editor of the Octavia E. Butler franchise at Grand Central Publishing.

MYSTERY

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Kristin Sevick is an executive editor at Minotaur Books, part of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, where she acquires commercial fiction focused on crime and mystery. She’s worked with bestselling and award-winning authors including W. Bruce Cameron, Rachel Howzell Hall, T. Jefferson Parker, Spencer Quinn, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and more.

POP CULTURE/POP SCIENCE

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Jill Schwartzman joined Dutton in January 2012, acquiring platform, publicity, and voice-driven nonfiction including celebrity, pop culture, memoir, humor, music, biography, and narrative nonfiction. Recent Dutton titles include Nick Offerman’s bestselling Little Woodchucks and Des Linden’s Choosing to Run. Other New York Times bestsellers include Jeff Tweedy's How to Write One Song, Drew Barrymore’s Wildflower, Brooke Shields’s There Was a Little Girl, and more.

Subrights, Global media & licensing

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • As a key member of Writers House’s management board Cecilia de la Campa leads the global licensing team, overseeing international sales, translation deals, and new business initiatives focused on emerging technologies and the future of content creation Before joining Writers House in 2009, Cecelia spent several years at Simon & Schuster.

ROMANCE

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Katie Shea Boutillier joined the DMLA in 2011. As VP and Rights Director, she handles the agency’s translation and audio rights, in addition to agenting. Katie’s focus is commercial fiction for adult, YA, and crossover markets in romance (of all genres!), book club fiction, psychological/domestic suspense, thrillers, and coming-of-age stories.

ROMANTASY

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Sareer Khader has been an Editor at Berkley since 2019. She specializes in unique and immersive fantasy, atmospheric and genre-blending horror, elevated romance and book club fiction, and voices from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds. Sareer works with acclaimed authors such as Shelby Mahurin, Nick Medina, Emily Krempholtz, and Sarah Adler.

THRILLER

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Helen O’Hare is an Executive Editor at Little, Brown and Company, where she publishes clever and transporting mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime novels, as well as select romantasy, historical, and book club fiction. She previously held positions at G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Viking/Penguin, Other Press, and began as a bookseller at the Boulder Book Store and the Tattered Cover Book Stores.

ya REALISTIC

DISCUSSION LEADER

  • Simone Roberts-Payne is an Associate Editor at G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. She has supported many prominent projects and mentored for The Word: A Storytelling Sanctuary, the People of Color in Publishing Mentorship Program, and the CCNY publishing certificate. Simone was also a 2024 PW Star Watch honoree.