Publishers Weekly, in association with Frankfurter Buchmesse, is pleased to announce the PW Star Watch Honorees of the fifth annual PW Star Watch program. Fifty honorees from the U.S. and Canada were chosen for their trailblazing spirit, innovative problem-solving, and leadership qualities by a jury composed of editors and managers from Publishers Weekly, Frankfurter Buchmesse, and the American Booksellers Association.
“For the fifth year in a row, PW Star Watch has identified a new swath of innovators and motivators within the publishing and bookselling communities,” said Jim Milliot, editorial director of Publishers Weekly and PW Star Watch 2019 juror.
Literary agents, editors, sales specialists, publicists, designers, and others are among the honorees for 2019. For the first time, a bar owner and founder of a literary series, Denis Woychuk of KGB in New York’s Lower East Side, made the cut.
“Frankfurter Buchmesse is dedicated to growing and celebrating talent around the world,” said Thomas Minkus, v-p, emerging media and English language markets, Frankfurter Buchmesse. “We are proud to support all of the honorees over the last five years both in the U.S. and on a global stage.”
The 50 Honorees will be narrowed to a Top 5 select group who stood out among the honorees, to be announced and profiled in the September 2, 2019, issue of Publishers Weekly magazine.
One “Superstar” will be named at the PW Star Watch celebratory event at the Marquee nightclub in New York City on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A VIP reception for the honorees takes place just prior to the party.
The winner receives a sponsored trip to the Frankfurt Book Fair. The trip covers an all-access Business Club Ticket, which includes access to the Business Club at the fair, and conferences and matchmaking events at Frankfurter Buchmesse. The fair will be held from October 16 to 20, 2019.
The 2018 “Superstars” were the dynamic duo Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli, founders of Timbuktu Labs and creators of the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series. Previous Superstars include Gabriella Page-Fort, editorial director, AmazonCrossing (2017); Andrew (Harwell) Eliopulos, executive editor, HarperCollins (2016); and Helen Yentus, art director, Riverhead Books, the winner of the 2015 inaugural PW Star Watch.
Tickets to the PW Star Watch celebration are now available for purchase.
| Margot Atwell, Senior Director, Publishing, Kickstarter, PBC |
| Andrea Baird, Director of Marketing, Triumph Books and Chicago Review Press |
| Jennifer N. Baker, Creator and Host, Minorities in Publishing Podcast |
| Nicole Brinkley, Bookseller, Oblong Books and Music |
| Amanda and Rob Broder, Cofounders, Ripple Grove Press |
| Maddie Caldwell, Editor, Grand Central Publishing |
| Emily Day, Library Marketing Coordinator and YA Specialist, Macmillan |
| Marissa DeCuir, President, Partner, JKS Communications |
| Hannah Oliver Depp, Bookseller, Loyalty Bookstore |
| Andrea DeWerd, Marketing Director, Penguin Random House |
| Grace Doyle, Editorial Director, Thomas & Mercer (Amazon Publishing) |
| Orlando Dos Reis, Editor, Scholastic |
| Emily Folks, Publishing Sales Director, Andrews McMeel Publishing |
| Lynn Ford, Digital Marketing and PR Manager, C&T Publishing |
| Gina Gagliano, Publishing Director, Random House Graphic |
| Naomi Gibbs, Senior Editor, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Adria Goetz, Literary Manager, Martin Literary & Media Management |
| Jennifer Griffiths, Designer, Penguin Random House Canada |
| Greg Hunter, Editorial Director, Lerner Publishing Group |
| Lori Kilkelly, Agent and Owner, LK Literary Agency |
| Na Kim, Art Director, Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Kevin Kushman, Director, Blue Manatee Literacy Project |
| Justin Paul Lawrence, Sales Director, InterVarsity Press |
| Heather Luciano, Publisher, Elsevier |
| Bethany Marshall, Publishing Director, Morgan James Publishing |
| Lauren Maturo, Senior Publicist, Blackstone |
| Sara Megibow, Senior Agent, KT Literary, LLC |
| David Moench, Director of Publicity, Del Rey, Random House, Penguin Random House |
| Carrie Montoya, Manager, Revisions and Author Care, Cognella |
| Josh Mosey, Children's Book Buyer, Baker Book House |
| Amber Oliver, Acquiring Editor, Harper Collins and Harper Perennial |
| Kwanza Osajyefo, Cofounder, Creator, Author, BLACK |
| Andy Perham, Bookseller, Books Inc. |
| Beth Phelan, Literary Agent, Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency |
| Amelia Possanza, Assistant Director of Publicity, Flatiron Books |
| Jennifer Powell, Director of Rights and Co-editions, Scholastic |
| Joshua Redlich, Senior Publicist, Random House Children's Books |
| Clare Reeth, Director, Literary Affairs, 20th Century Fox/Disney |
| Benjamin Rosenthal, Executive Editor, HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books |
| Noëlle Santos, Founder and Bookseller, The Lit Bar |
| Brian Skulnik, Managing Editor, RosettaBooks |
| Clay Stafford, President, CEO, Founder, Killer Nashville |
| Taneka Stotts, Cofounder, Editor, Creator, Author, Beyond Press |
| Brent Taylor, Literary Agent, Triada US Literary Agency |
| Nick Thomas, Senior Editor, Levine Querido |
| Emily Tyler, Digital Product Manager, Rowman & Littlefield |
| Danny Vazquez, Acquiring Editor, Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Ivy Noelle Weir, Publicist and Marketing Manager, Quirk Books |
| Reid Welsh, Senior Analyst, Sales Business Development, Penguin Random House |
| Denis Woychuk, Founder, KGB Bar and Literary Series |
Correction: This article initially misspelled Andrea DeWerd's surname, and mistitled Lynn Ford and Andrea Baird.
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