Meet GCP
Ben Sevier
Executive VP and Publisher
I’m Ben Sevier, the Executive Vice President and Publisher of Grand Central Publishing. I am responsible for all aspects of our publishing activities for Grand Central and its imprints, including Balance, Forever, Legacy Lit, and Twelve. In my twenty-five years in publishing, I have been an editorial assistant, an editor, an editor-in-chief, and a publisher, working closely at each level with creative art directors and designers, tireless publicists, innovative marketers, and brilliant editorial colleagues. The holistic view of the publishing process that I have been privileged to develop over the course of my years in the book business informs the Grand Central publishing process every day, and the excitement and enthusiasm that I witness over and over again within our group is the secret to Grand Central’s many successes. Prior to Grand Central, I was the Vice President and Publisher at Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, which followed editorial roles at Simon & Schuster, St. Martin’s Press, and HarperCollins Children’s Books. I have worked with the New York Times-bestselling novelists David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, Thomas Harris, Colleen Hoover, Nicholas Sparks, Jonathan Tropper, and Scott Turow, and directed the acquisition and publication of bestsellers by Sally Field, Nick Offerman, Drew Barrymore, Brooke Shields, Dr. William Li, Admiral William McRaven, neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, and theoretical physicist Sean Carroll. I grew up in California, and I now live in Manhattan with my wife and our children.
Beth deGuzman
Senior VP, Deputy Publisher
Let me come clean: I am a cliché. I’ve always been a bookworm. My favorites when I was growing up were The Arabian Nights and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, and later Agatha Christie’s mysteries, P.G. Wodehouse’s hilarious novels, and E.B. White’s essay collections. In college, I dreamed of landing a job that would pay me to read. Lucky for me, that dream job has been mine for decades. Finding great voices and great stories is as thrilling today as it was back when I was an Editorial Assistant, and how exciting that in my role as Digital and Paperback Publisher, I get to explore a variety of ways to share books with readers. I work hand in glove with Editorial, Publicity, Marketing, and Sales to whip up enthusiasm for our books, and occasionally I get to say “mid-roll” in ebook meetings. Add my leadership of the Editorial and Marketing/Publicity teams of Forever, our romance and women’s fiction imprint, and my own acquisitions in suspense/thiller, women’s fiction, historical fiction, and commercial nonfiction categories — well, like I said, a dream job.
Sean Desmond
VP and Publisher, Twelve
My twenty-three-year path in publishing has taken me from W.W. Norton to ICM, to St. Martin’s, to Crown and now to my current role as VP and Publisher for Twelve Books. The mission and boutique nature of Twelve is a publisher’s dream—Twelve is a terrific home for authors to receive excellent attention and every chance to succeed with their writing. I have worked on a number of major bestsellers including Decision Points by President George W. Bush, Russian Roulette by David Corn and Michael Isikoff, And the Good News Is… by Dana Perino, Tribe by Sebastian Junger, 13 Hours by Mitch Zuckoff, and Natural Causes by Barbara Ehrenreich. Other authors I have worked with include Michael Beschloss, Condoleezza Rice, Maureen Dowd, Charles Krauthammer, David Sanger, Alyssa Mastromonaco, William McRaven, John Dickerson, Michael Morell, Dan Pfeiffer, Russ Feingold, Max Brooks, Richard Wolffe, Ken Gormley, Mike Pesca, Henry Paulson, Peggy Noonan, Jack Hitt, Harold Ford, Jr., Brian Windhorst, Magic Johnson, Al Franken, Laszlo Bock, Robert McKee, Anne Kornblut, Chris Dodd, John Podesta, Glenn Greenwald, Stan Greenberg, Byron Dorgan, Kenny Mayne, Joe Conason, Johnnie Cochran, and Ralph Nader.
Krishan Trotman
VP and Publisher, Legacy Lit
Krishan Trotman is the Vice-President, Publisher of Legacy Lit. She joined Hachette Books in 2016. In 2020 she launched Legacy Lit, an imprint dedicated to books that give voice to issues, authors, and communities that have been marginalized, underserved, and overlooked. This includes BIPOC authors, all women, and any group that they believe deserves a spotlight. The imprint is committed to promoting equality, equity, and inclusion for all people. The books are bold, mission-driven commercial works. Social justice and empowerment are Trotman’s passion. She likes to work with authors who are candid, bold, and, in their own unique way, not afraid to shake things up.
Her authors have included a range of award-winning and New York Times bestsellers, including: congressman John Lewis’ Across That Bridge; journalist Stephanie Land’s Maid; MSNBC political analyst Malcolm Nance’s The Plot to Destroy Democracy; New York Times columnist Lindy West’s The Witches Are Coming and Shit Actually; UFC’s Mixed Martial Artist Paige VanZant’s Rise; Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad’s Proud; radio and TV host Zerlina Maxwell’s The End of White Politics; TV personality Ed Gordon’s Conversations in Black; journalist Talia Lavin’s Culture Warlords; Vanity Fair writer Nancy Jo Sales’ forthcoming memoir Nothing Personal; BRAVO’s Million Dollar Listing star Ryan Serhant’s Sell It Like Serhant and Big Money Energy; Morning Joe’s cohost Mika Brzezinski’s Earn It! and Comeback Careers; The Today Show’s cohost Al Roker’s You Look So Much Better in Person; and empowerment coach Gina DeVee’s The Audacity to Be Queen, to name a few.
Krishan has been featured in the New York Times, Essence Magazine, New York Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, Salon, Shondaland, Cheddar TV, MSN, CSPAN, and more. She is the self-described Beyoncé of Books, and mom to her son Bleu.
Nana Twumasi
VP and Publisher, Balance
My career in publishing grew from a genuine love of reading and acquiring knowledge—whether for enjoyment, or for learning, getting into a good book is a thoroughly gratifying experience. My 20-year (and counting) path through the industry has taken me from an independent children’s book publisher in Minnesota, to John Wiley & Sons, and on to Callisto Media, where I built a self-help and trade-psychology publishing program from the ground up, developing such titles as Retrain Your Brain, The Complex PTSD Workbook, and The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners. My focus is on health and wellness inside and out, for all the spaces life occupies, in all the forms and shapes it takes. As Publisher, I keep market analysis and consumers’ needs at the forefront of Balance’s publishing program. As an editor, I seek out a diverse range of authors whose work is steeped in research, education, and innovation — and who are dedicated to helping people be the best version of themselves.
Colin Dickerman
VP, Editorial Director, Nonfiction
I have, much to my astonishment, been working in publishing for over thirty years. I started as the receptionist at Alfred A. Knopf (where I actually had to use a Dictaphone) and moved on to Grove Atlantic. I’ve held senior editorial and management positions at Bloomsbury, Penguin Press, and Flatiron Books, where I helped launch the imprint as Editorial Director, and most recently at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. I have acquired and edited many bestselling and award-winning books and authors, including in recent years Promise Me, Dad by President Joe Biden, How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger, Boys in the Trees and Touched by the Sun by Carly Simon, The Deviant’s War by Eric Cervini, How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenberg, and The Fact of a Body by Alex Marzano-Lesnevich. At Bloomsbury I acquired and edited the multi-million copy bestsellers Schott’s Original Miscellany by Ben Schott and My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler, and I’ve had the great pleasure of editing the novelist Paul Beatty across multiple publishers, including Beatty’s Man Booker and National Book Critics Circle award-winning novel The Sellout for FSG. I’m currently acquiring across a wide range of categories, including pop culture, memoir, narrative history, and pop science. I grew up in Vermont and earned a B.A. in English from Amherst College.
Karen Kosztolnyik
VP, Editorial Director, Fiction
I began my career in book publishing after graduating from college and moving to New York. I worked at several houses, including John Wiley and Harlequin, before landing at Grand Central Publishing’s editorial team where I worked for ten years, before leaving for a stint at Gallery Books/Scout Press, a division of Simon and Schuster. I have since returned to GCP as VP, Editorial Director where I oversee Hardcover Fiction and manage a team of talented editors who primarily acquire fiction for the imprint. I also acquire a list of my own, and have been lucky to work with a number of tremendous authors on such titles as Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg, Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova, Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton, and novels by #1 New York Times bestseller Nicholas Sparks; and nonfiction projects Dewey by Vicki Myron, The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel, and Irena’s Children by Tilar Mazzeo. What excites me most about being in this business is discovering new storytellers whose voices can entertain, educate, and enlighten me as a reader. I’m a native Texan who now lives in Manhattan with my husband and son.
Lyssa Keusch
VP, Executive Editor
Having come from a family of doctors and science-oriented professionals, I was very proud to forge my own way as an English major in college. I began my editorial path at Avon Books then shifted over to William Morrow where I continued to work for more than three decades. While there I had the pleasure of launching the careers of #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn, whose beloved Bridgerton novels are the inspiration for the recent Shondaland/Netflix series, and #1 New York Times bestselling thriller author James Rollins (Kingdom of Bones). As my list developed, I published a range of other thriller writers, among them New York Times bestselling authors J.A. Jance (Nothing to Lose) and Gillian McAllister (Wrong Place Wrong Time); and multi-award-winning authors Alison Gaylin (The Collective), Sheena Kamal (The Lost Ones), Glen Erik Hamilton (Past Crimes), and highly acclaimed science-based thriller writer Alice Henderson (A Solitude of Wolverines). In 2023, I took the opportunity to join Grand Central and work with some of the house’s premier authors, among them Harlan Coben, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, and Steve Berry. In addition, I’m excited to continue developing new voices in popular fiction. I was born in Bangkok, Thailand but have spent the majority of my life in New York City, where I live with my husband and children, and still hope to find a perfect pad thai.
Suzanne O’Neill
VP, Executive Editor
I joined Grand Central in 2016. In more than two decades in publishing I have held editorial roles at Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. I specialize in Nonfiction, including Memoir, Biography, Humor, Women’s Issues, Pop History, Current Events, and Pop Culture (celebrity, music, film, television). Some of my critically acclaimed and bestselling books are Acid for the Children by Flea; I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson; Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me and Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling, Dad Is Fat and Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan, Sisters First by Barbara and Jenna Bush; Rod by Rod Stewart; and Me & Patsy Kickin’ Up Dust by Loretta Lynn. Upcoming books include titles by Rachel Bloom, Jamie Foxx, Andrew McCarthy and Sutton Foster; a biography of the fascinating and tumultuous relationship between Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh by Stephen Galloway; Stolen, a riveting memoir by Elizabeth Gilpin about herharrowing experience of psychological manipulation and abuse at a “therapeutic” boarding school for “troubled” teens;Rafa the Great, the story of how as a teenager, screenwriter Rafael Agustin accidentally discovered his family was undocumented and how he and his parents navigated their shared secret life; and Five Floors Up, a history of the NYC fire department through the eyes of a four-generation firefighting family by journalist Brian McDonald.
Leah Hultenschmidt
Publisher, Forever
I’m currently acquiring commercial women’s fiction and romance. My titles run the gamut from Regency romance to laugh-out-loud romantic comedies, from heart-wrenching women’s fiction to light beach reads. I’m particularly looking for #ownvoices contemporary romance; stories about mothers and daughters, sisters, or best friends for women in their 30s or 40s; a fun summer beach read; or WWI- or WWII-set historicals, especially if there is a dual time element along with juicy family secrets. Some of my current bestselling authors include Carolyn Brown, Grace Burrowes, Helena Hunting, Abby Jimenez, Natasha Lester, and Farrah Rochon. When not reading, I’m happiest travel planning, tending my terrace garden, or cheering on the Red Sox.
Amy Pierpont
Editor in Chief, Forever
I vividly recall sitting at my grandmother’s kitchen table waving around a Learn-to-Read book and protesting to all who would listen that I never wanted to learn how to read. Ever. I’m not sure what magic those brothers Grimm infused in that edition of Snow White and Rose Red, but from that moment on I knew I had to live my life surrounded by books. Flash forward a few decades, and here I am entering my twelfth year at Hachette, where we publish the best and brightest stars in romance and women’s fiction. As Editor-in-Chief of Forever, I’ve had the pleasure of guiding the publication of numerous home-grown successes and bestselling authors and as an editor, I’ve worked with New York Times bestselling authors such as Elizabeth Hoyt, Kristen Ashley, Mia Sheridan, Corinne Michaels, and Rachel Van Dyken. I’m looking for authors with vividly authentic voices who write stories that make me laugh or cry (or both) and I’m eager to find the next big breakout star in the genre.
Alex Logan
Executive Editor
My favorite night at home—and we’ve certainly had plenty of those—involves cracking open a new thriller and reading until the crack of dawn. However, I’m always on the lookout for intriguing fiction of any kind. I acquire primarily women’s fiction, historical fiction, thrillers/psychological suspense, and romance/rom com. For nonfiction, I’d love to be able to incorporate my own personal interests by adding heartwarming pet books and art history about well-known artists. Right now, it’s an honor to be the editor of mother-and-son New York Times bestselling authors Iris and Roy Johansen, and I’m so pleased that Nina Laurin’s Girl Last Seen has gone back to press fifteen times. In the near future, I’m looking forward to the publication of WWII women’s fiction from Kelly Bowen and Jaclyn Goldis and upcoming thrillers from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Allen and USA Today bestselling author Cate Holahan as well as Angela Marsons, who has sold over four million copies of her Detective Kim Stone series. And I’d like to give a special shout-out to my hardworking romance authors, including USA Today bestsellers Debbie Mason, Hope Ramsay, Annie Rains, and Melinda Curtis. It’s a thrill to discover new authors and help them find success, and I have always loved sharing my favorite books. After earning a journalism degree from Northwestern, I worked as a bookseller at Borders (remember them?) on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. I did not yet have the dream to come to New York City but I’m so glad that I did.
Karyn Marcus
Executive Editor
With a degree in philosophy, there was nothing to do except becoming a bartender—and then enter publishing. I spent some years working for a literary agent before going “editorial or bust.” Prior to joining Grand Central, I spent ten years at Simon & Schuster where I acquired and edited both bestselling and award-winning books, including Anna by Amy Odell, The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe, Keep It Moving by Twyla Tharp, The Lion in the Living Room by Abby Tucker, On Trails by Rob Moor, Sounds Like Me by Sara Bareilles, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley, and Seinfeldia by Jennifer Armstrong. At Grand Central, I acquire across a wide range of nonfiction including arts and culture, narrative nonfiction, upmarket self-help, biography, business, psychology, and memoir. I currently live in Brooklyn with my family and a dog named Bear.
Maddie Caldwell
Senior Editor
I am a senior editor at Grand Central Publishing, where I acquire primarily narrative nonfiction as well as the occasional novel. The best way to describe me is to say that I’m an escapist at heart. I grew up in a house in the woods on the side of a mountain in Wyoming, and reading was the first way she saw the world. Now that I have left the Rockies behind, I am drawn to strong voices that have feminism, identity, and diversity at the forefront and offer unique takes on recent history and our contemporary life, especially cultural criticism, true crime, science, history, investigative journalism, memoir, and personal essays. My list includes bestsellers The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe by Dr. Steven Novella and Save Yourself by Cameron Esposito, The Heir Affair by bestselling authors Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks, Out East by John Glynn, Too Much by Rachel Vorona Cote and the forthcoming We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper. Prior to joining Grand Central, I made stops at Weed Literary and Alfred A. Knopf.
Seema Mahanian
Senior Editor
I joined the Grand Central team in 2019 acquiring commercial and upmarket fiction as well as select narrative non-fiction and memoir. I’m especially interested in books that look at identity and contemporary life through diverse, often feminist lenses, and encourage me to think about the world in a new way. I love immersive and voice-driven fiction that offers a unique, clever take on classic tropes, and features complex female protagonists and inclusive points of view. Upcoming novels I’m thrilled to publish include Naima Coster’s What’s Mine and Yours, Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June and The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta. I’m also excited to be publishing Yusef Salaam’s forthcoming memoir, Better, Not Bitter. I’ve previously worked at Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, Scribner, and publishing start-up, Pronoun. I’ve worked with bestselling authors including Jojo Moyes, Parker Posey, and J. Ryan Stradal. Before editing books, I got my start by selling them at a small seaside bookstore in Australia, which actually sounds like the perfect beginning to a novel.
Junessa Viloria
Senior Editor, Forever
I’ve loved romance since probably before I should have, and I enjoy all forms of HEAs. I joined the Forever team in 2019, after spending eleven years at Penguin Random House, and I acquire all subgenres of romance and commercial women’s fiction. I love when stories make me feel things, whether they make me laugh out loud or sob uncontrollably, and stories that highlight women’s relationships and experiences, both modern and historical. I am particularly drawn to #ownvoices, fun romcoms with unique hooks, and emotional dramas about family, sisterhood, and friendships. Throughout my career, I have worked with many New York Times, and USA Today bestselling authors and I’ve been lucky enough to work with authors such as Mariah Stewart, K.A. Linde, Monica McCarty, Emily March, Christy Craig, Jenny Holiday, R.C. Ryan, among many others. When not immersed in romance, I love hanging out with my kids, watching football, and discovering new restaurants.
Madeleine Colavita
Editor, Forever
When it comes to romance, I’m a bit of a late-bloomer, having not discovered the genre until I was a publishing intern. But I’ve been making up for lost time, consuming every happily-ever-after I can get my hands on. Since joining the Forever team in 2013, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many bestselling and critically acclaimed writers including A.J. Pine, Tessa Bailey, Paula Quinn, Lauren Smith, Piper J. Drake, April Hunt, Cecilia Tan, and Carly Bloom, among others. As an Editor, I’m looking for fun, fresh, diverse voices across all subgenres of romance—especially historical, cowboy, small-town contemporary, and romantic suspense—as well as in romantic comedies and women’s fiction. I want to be surrounded by characters who mostly make me laugh, only occasionally make me cry, and always make me believe in true love. When not helping my authors craft HEAs, I enjoy baking, watching old movies, and needlepointing Christmas ornaments.
Hannah Robinson
Editor, GCP Balance
Like so many of my colleagues, as a child I always had my nose in a book; I also told anyone who would listen that I wanted to be a doctor, so perhaps it’s unsurprising that I found my way to health and wellness books. The cornerstones of my list are radically practical, audience-driven titles that speak to the diversity of our lived experiences and give readers concrete tools to live full, healthy, inspired lives. Since starting my career at Harper Wave in 2014 I’ve been fortunate to work with bestsellers, award-winners, and thought leaders from across the practical nonfiction spectrum, including Dr. David A. Kessler, Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar, Dr. Judy Ho, Caroline Dooner, and Christine Platt, among others. I’m always working to understand our readers and their needs through the lens of data, and my editorial interests include: self-help, women’s health, psychology and mental health, lifestyle, relationships, parenting, work and productivity, and spirituality, as well as fresh perspectives on nutrition and physical health. When I’m not reading you can find me on the dodgeball court or baking pies.
Kirsiah Depp
Associate Editor
I’ve been with Grand Central Publishing since 2017, but my love of books goes all the way back to first grade when I used to sneak Harry Potter books into my room to keep reading them because my mom just couldn’t keep reading out loud anymore. And since then, I’ve cultivated a love of commercial fiction that whisks me away on an amazing adventure. Which of course means I acquire and have on my list crime and psychological thrillers, historical and contemporary women’s fiction, and contemporary romance, and more! What they have in common is that they make me feel ALL the feels, and between you and me, if there’s that spark of magic in the story, all the better. Before joining GCP, I worked at HarperCollins and Penguin Random House, both in children’s and adult publishing, and I have a Master’s in Publishing from NYU and a Bachelor’s in Literary Studies from Bard College.
Elizabeth Kulhanek
Associate Editor
I got my start in publishing right here at Grand Central in 2014. As a reader and editor, I love compulsively readable stories that let me both escape the world and see it in a new light, and I’m drawn to strong voices, offbeat families, diverse perspectives, and dark humor. I’m looking for upmarket and commercial fiction, speculative fiction and genre-bending fantasy, and clever thrillers. I’m also interested in narrative non-fiction and memoir, and I have a soft spot for animal books, whether they’re heartwarming or hilarious. During my time at GCP, I’ve worked with New York Times bestselling authors like Sandra Brown, David Baldacci, Scott Turow, Nicholas Sparks, Min Jin Lee, and more. Recently published and upcoming titles I’m excited about include So We Can Glow and This Close to Okay by award-winning author Leesa Cross-Smith, Nala’s World by Dean Nicholson, Ice and Stone by New York Times bestselling author Marcia Muller, and reissues of Octavia E. Butler’s award-winning novels.
Sam Brody
Assistant Editor, Forever
I’m a hopeless romantic, so it’s no surprise I joined the Forever team in 2019. However, I started my publishing career on the agency side of the industry, where I learned just how many pieces go into making a book a success. While assisting Forever ed-in-chief Amy Pierpont, I’ve had the privilege of working with talented authors such as Alexis Hall, Amalie Howard, Elizabeth Hoyt, Manda Collins, Miranda Liasson, Sara Richardson, and Rachel Van Dyken. I’m currently looking for stories in all sub-genres of romance, women’s fiction, and historical & contemporary fiction, with a particular interest in works from queer and BIPOC voices and people of underrepresented genders and faiths. I’m drawn to the paranormal and fantastic as well as the untold eras of history, and I have soft spot for retellings, high-concept rom-coms, and unexpected genre mash-ups. The best ways to sweep me off my feet are an exciting hook, heartwrenching and emotional romance, fantastic friendships, and found family. When not reading or editing, I can usually be found singing (and pretending) my life is a musical or practicing for my future win on The Great British Bake Off.
Sabrina Flemming
Assistant Editor, Forever
My love of romance books began when I started sneaking them out of my mom’s room as a kid, and it hasn’t dwindled since! So after graduating from GSU’s creative writing program and moving across the country to gain editorial experience with publishing internships, I landed in my role as an Editorial Assistant to Leah Hultenschmidt and Alex Logan in the Forever team in 2019. I most enjoy reading books that allow me to explore a colorful tapestry of voices. When I’m not reading, I’m coming up with new dinner recipes in the kitchen or watching my latest K-drama obsession.
Amina Iro
Assistant Editor, Legacy Lit
Amina Iro is an Assistant Editor at Legacy Lit. She started her publishing career as an Editorial Assistant at Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, where she worked on titles by esteemed authors such as Cicely Tyson and Zora Neale Hurston. A writer and performance poet originally from Prince George’s County, MD, Amina was a 2020 Fellow for the Watering Hole Winter Writer’s Retreat. She has performed at venues in the US, England, Nigeria, and South Africa. Amina is a graduate of the First Wave program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied Neurobiology and English Creative Writing. She is interested in books with brave motifs that invite readers to the juncture of identity and social change. She is particularly passionate about books that illuminate the vastness of Black and queer life.
Rachael Kelly
Assistant Editor
I joined Grand Central Publishing in 2019 after graduating from Pace University’s M.S. in Publishing program. Originally from Canada, where I completed an undergraduate degree in journalism, I moved to New York to study, which led to internships at two literary agencies and a boutique publishing firm in the city. At GCP, I support Karen Kosztolnyik and Colin Dickerman, and am starting to build my own list. On the fiction side, I am particularly interested in commercial and upmarket women’s fiction across genres—books that combine rapid pacing with artistic prose, nuanced character development, and complex themes—but will admit that I have a soft spot for all things contemporary, romantic, and psychological (and anything involving magic). On the nonfiction side, I gravitate toward narrative nonfiction and memoir, especially works that reflect on art, culture, and the lasting effects of history.
Jacqueline Young
Assistant Editor
I joined GCP in 2019 after working at Palgrave Macmillan, having previously interned at HSG Literary and Frances Goldin Literary Agency. In 2017, I graduated from Hamilton College, where I majored in English and Economics before promptly forgetting everything I learned from the latter.
I enjoy nonfiction, especially narrative, with a pop culture, feminist, deeply reported journalistic, or sociological bent, as well as comedic or culturally relevant memoir. On the fiction side, I gravitate towards voice-driven, quirky or literary titles with a unique perspective. I support Suzanne O’Neill and Maddie Caldwell.
Natalie Bautista
Editorial & Marketing Assistant, Balance
Working with books has always been a dream of mine! After graduating college with a B.A.in Creative Writing, and taking a detour through a few other professional industries, I found myself coming back to what I’ve always been passionate about: amplifying the voices and stories of others. I managed to make an industry switch, and after interning with Folio Literary Management and Catapult, I eagerly accepted an Editorial & Marketing Assistant position with GCP Balance. I am passionate about perspectives that reflect the nuanced, in-between spaces that many of us occupy, and believe we can only be the best versions of ourselves (physically, emotionally, spiritually) when we honor and nurture these diverse facets of who we are.
Lauren Bello
Editorial Assistant
I am a recent alum of Pennsylvania State University where I graduated with a BA and MA in English, and was also an adjunct professor. I have worked at Centennial Leading Group as an executive assistant and been an editorial intern at The Philadelphia Art Museum. I enjoy nothing more than a great story and spend much of my free time reading a wide range of fiction, along with going to museums or catching a show. I currently live in Philadelphia but will be making the move to NYC in the near future. I report to Seema Mahanian and Wes Miller.
Ian Dorset
Editorial Assistant
My road into publishing was long and roundabout. After a stint trying (and failing) to make it in the punk music scene, my passion for books took me first into education, where I worked for several years as a high school English teacher for the NYCDOE. From there, it took me to the iconic Barnes and Noble at Union Square, where I worked launch events for writers ranging from Elizabeth Strout to Tom Segura. Finally, I finally made the leap into publishing, and I’m excited to now be part of the Grand Central team. I work in non-fiction, supporting Colin Dickerman and Karyn Marcus.
Grace Fischetti
Editorial Assistant
My love of reading began when my favorite local librarian, Stephanie, nurtured my passion for books. Since then, I have known I wanted to be part of the process that brings great stories to readers. After graduating from Boston University, I joined HBG as a publicity intern. My genre of choice has always been romance, so I am excited to now be a Forever team member, especially on the editorial side of things. Although I favor rom coms, I enjoy exploring women’s fiction, historical fiction, and narrative nonfiction titles. When I’m not reading romance, I’m probably watching a romantic movie or creating videos for BookTok about the genre. I assist Alex Logan and Madeleine Colavita.
Zohal Karimy
Editorial Assistant
My love for storytelling came from the bedtime stories that my parents would share with me about their journey to America after escaping the warfare in Afghanistan. Although unusual, the real-life stories they passed onto me as a child positively shaped the path I chose as an adult. Their words never left me. Now, I continue to seek stories that are told from unique perspectives that move me; whether it’s the author’s voice or the plot’s gripping narrative, I want to find the kind of stories that can change a person’s life in a remarkable way. It seemed only fitting to find an opening for the Editorial Assistant position at Twelve Books—an imprint that strives to share impactful stories from authors who offer unique perspectives. I am very fortunate to work with a team that wants to publish books that educate, inspire, and illuminate the public. I hope to continue in my path to becoming an Editor someday that provides a platform for diverse and marginalized voices that share unforgettable stories.