BenBella

Glenn Yeffeth is Publisher of BenBella Books. Before BenBella, Glenn was a corporate strategist and marketer who ran companies in Chicago, London and Dallas. BenBella Books, named after Glenn’s children Benjamin and Isabella, was created in fit of hysterical optimism about the potential for an independent publisher in Dallas. Glenn has an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Chicago and a BA in History from Oberlin College. His favorite book is The DaVinci Mole, a little-known work by the eminent philosopher Dr. Ian Browne. More about Glenn can be found at LinkedIn. He can be reached at glenn@benbellabooks.com.

Yara Abuata is Production Manager and Book Designer of BenBella Books. She coordinates the schedule and manages the work flow of all BenBella titles so that edited manuscripts are turned into quality books. Yara works closely with our authors, proofreaders, typesetters, printers and distribution center to ensure that books are published in a timely manner. In addition, she designs book interiors. Yara holds a BA in English from the University of Texas at Austin. Yara’s favorite book is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. She can be reached at yara@benbellabooks.com.

Jennifer Canzoneri is Marketing Manager at BenBella Books. She facilities and oversees publicity campaigns for all of BenBella’s frontlist titles. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a BA in both History and English. She lives with her husband and dog in a suburb of Fort Worth and loves her job enough to commute every day. Jennifer’s favorite book is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, although she really should re-read it to make sure it’s as good as she remembers. She can be reached at jennifer@benbellabooks.com. (Please direct all media inquiries to Adrienne Lang, below.)

Debbie Harmsen is the Editor-in-Chief, General Non-Fiction, at BenBella Books. A publishing veteran, Debbie has worked for magazines, newspapers, and books, most recently editing travel guidebooks at Random House. While at Random House she won an award for her first edition of Fodor’s The Complete Guide to National Parks of the West. She has a masters in journalism from Northwestern University.

Debbie has taught college classes, including magazine editing, news reporting and writing, and creative writing. She loves all things Jane Austen, can never get enough of Paris, and thinks Chicago-style pizza is, hands-down, the best. A native Midwestern turned seasoned New Yorker, Debbie is happy to be back in Texas, home of her alma mater, Baylor University.

Aida Herrera is Administrative Manager of BenBella Books and handles the accounting, financial and HR issues. She has more than 15 years of experience in managing principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources, logistics and international trade. She has a BA in Business from the University of Mexico and a Certificate in Accounting from San Diego State University. Aida is also bilingual and can be reached at aida@benbellabooks.com

Adrienne Lang is a marketing associate. She facilities and oversees publicity campaigns for all of BenBella’s backlist titles. A proud native and fan of all things Kansas City, she somehow found herself in Fort Worth, where she graduated from Texas Christian University with a bachelor's degree in news-editorial journalism and a jaded view of the BCS bowl inner workings. She is hard-pressed to name a favorite book; specifically, she loves any tied with the Booker Prize. However, if forced, Adrienne would have to say The Giver by Lois Lowry. It changed her young, impressionable life. All media inquiries should be directed to Adrienne at (214) 750-3600 or via e-mail, adrienne@benbellabooks.com.

Leah Wilson is Editorial Director of BenBella Books, and oversees the successful production of BenBella’s line. Her responsibilities include working directly with authors editorially and coordinating cover content and design. Leah has a BA in Culture and Modern Fiction from Duke University and her favorite book is The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Leah can be reached at leah@benbellabooks.com.

Allison Bard is a freelance graphic designer for Benbella Books. Allison studied Communication Design at Texas Tech University and specializes in the publishing and leisure industries. These days you will find her in London, drinking tea, riding the tube, and pursuing a Masters Degree in Visual Culture at the University of Westminster. See her work at www.allisonbard.com.

Jodee Blanco advises BenBella on acquisitions, marketing and promotion. She is a seasoned publishing executive with 15 New York Times bestsellers to her credit, five of which reached number one. Jodee has worked with Academy Award winning actors, Emmy Award winning producers and Hall of Fame professional athletes. She is on the faculties of New York University and The University of Chicago. She is the author of The Complete Guide to Book Publicity and The Evolving Woman.For more information, please visit The Blanco Group

Lloyd J. Jassin serves as Counsel for BenBella Books. Lloyd is a well-known publishing attorney with significant expertise in book publishing, television, theater, new media, arts and entertainment clients on contract, licensing, copyright, trademark, unfair competition, libel, right of privacy and general corporate law matters. Besides individual and corporate clients, he also represents trade and industry groups such as the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). Lloyd has achieved national prominence with his book,The Copyright Permission and Libel Handbook, coauthored with Steven C. Schechter.

John Reinhardt has been designing books for BenBella since 2002. After several years as senior book designer at Irving Perkins Associates, John started John Reinhardt Book Design in 1992. He has been involved in book design/publishing since 1975 with nearly 1,700 books designed. John lives in Brookline, Vermont with his wife, Lynn. Find out more at www.bookdesign.com

Susan Schulman is BenBella Books foreign rights agent, and markets our books to publishers worldwide through her agency. Susan Schulman, A Literary Agency, is a boutique agency that represents fiction and nonfiction, playwrights and subsidiary film and translation rights for other agencies and publishers. The agency was founded in 1980 by Susan Schulman who, prior to establishing her own agency, was an agent at International Creative Management in the Literary Department. Prior to working at ICM, Susan taught History of the English Language and Linguistics as well as Renaissance Drama and American Literature courses on the college level. Additionally Susan served as Associate Publisher of Ohio University Press and acquired over 100 titles for the Press.

Stacia Seaman has more than fifteen years of experience in editing and proofreading nonfiction, including scholarly works, textbooks and popular nonfiction, and fiction, specializing in romance, mystery/suspense, science fiction/fantasy and contemporary fiction. Her background is in Slavic Languages and Literatures (M.A. University of Texas).

Ralph Voltz’s illustrations have appeared on more than 250 novel and book covers, and he has worked with a variety of agencies, companies and publishers including BenBella Books, National Geographic Publishing, GE, Coca Cola, Borders Books, Mac-Graw Hill, Oxford University Press, Saatchi & Saatchi, Campbell’s Soup, Department of Defense, BIC and BlueCross BlueShield. He earned both BFA and MFA degrees in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, and lives in Charlotte, NC, with his wife Laura and daughters Josephine and Carly. He is represented by Deborah Wolfe. See his work at www.ralphvoltz.com.

Laura Watkins is formerly the Vice President and Art Director for BenBella Books. She now heads up her own venture, Moxie Studio, offering print and web design, marketing and PR/publicity services. Laura has more than 15 years of marketing and communications experience, including working in high-tech, a publicly traded sales and marketing firm, and serving as the marketing director of a Division I athletics program. For more information, please visit www.moxiestudio.com.