Work, lately #01
Day-in-the-life notes from my work in book publishing, part two.
A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.
The year began the way publishing often does: all at once.
After the holidays, everything we had neatly placed in the mental folder of “after the holidays” returned to the desk. Campaigns needed motion, mailings needed finishing, announcements needed shaping and books were getting ready to meet their readers.
On my plate, the start of 2026 meant preparing for the release of Nina McConigley’s debut novel, How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder, and the reissue of her story collection, Cowboys and East Indians, both would enter bookstores on January 20th as she began a multi-stop tour. It also meant continuing the work on Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton, whose paperback released on February 24th1. That campaign began at the end of 2024 and, in the most beautiful way imaginable, has never really ended. The book would become an instant New York Times bestseller two-times over. I have author Q&A’s for both, sharing below in case you haven’t had a chance to read.
And now, we are moving toward the next stack of releases. My attention is shifting to end of Spring and Summer releases: The Edge of Space-Time by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein will hit stores on April 7th and DeKonstructing the Kardashians by MJ Corey will go on sale May 5th.
But before I tell you about April and beyond, here is what I was doing in January and February at work, lately.
January 2026
On Fire for God by Josiah Hesse goes on sale 1/13
The paperback release of Reboot by Justin Taylor is released on 1/13
How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder and Cowboys and East Indians by Nina McConigley goes on sale 1/20
Take it From Me by Alia Hanna Habib goes on sale 1/20
Fear and Fury by Dr. Heather Ann Thompson goes on sale 1/27
Announced the cover and title of James Spooner’s upcoming release, It Starts with Anger, on sale 8/4
Collaborated with the Denver Center of Performing Arts for a finished book social giveaway in support of Nina McConigley as they are the producers of her play, adapted from Cowboys and East Indians
Finished book mailing sent to influencers who requested to read, review and post about On Fire for God
Sent pitches to targeted U.S.-based non-profit organizations like STEMNoire and more in support of The Edge of Space-Time by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
More pitches sent, but this time to pop-culture influencers for DeKonstructing the Kardashians by MJ Corey
More pitches sent, this round was for Cat Love by Tomás Q. Morín (on sale 6/9) in which I targeted cat-focused influencers
February 2026
The Boundless Deep by Richard Holmes went on sale 2/10
The paperback of Raising Hare hits shelves on 2/24
With Bad Bunny dominating the pop-culture cycle because of his Super Bowl performance, it was perfect timing to bring a specific book back to the forefront: Mother Island: A Daughter Claims Puerto Rico by Jamie Figueroa. On a less than 24-hour turnaround time, I coached Jamie on creating a video unpacking Benito Bowl, an opportunity to show readers that she is a Puerto Rican voice they should feel safe reading
Began preparing for the pre-order campaign launch associated with Dekonstructing the Kardashians
Activated the paperback campaign for Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
Created bold and visually striking postcards for It Starts with Anger by James Spooner (on sale 8/4) to accompany the team to Emerald City ComicCon. These had a QR code in hopes of generating pre-orders.
Began reading Anti-Zionism by Ben Moser, on sale 9/22.
Worked with the author of Cat Love on cat thought bubbles that we could use on social media leading up to the publication of the book.
Substack for Writers Workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival
I am excited to share that I will be hosting a Substack for Writers workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival! If you are in the area, would love to see you. The workshop is free for all.
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Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.
Trade paperback campaigns don’t officially launch to the public until the book is actually on sale. This is because until the paperback is on sale, we focus on directing readers to the hardcover. This helps to ensure the hardcovers that are out in stores get bought before the paperback printing is released into the world.