What Readers Want
Angela James (Carina Press), Malle Vallik (Harlequin Enterprises Ltd), Sarah Wendell (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books LLC), Kassia Krozser (Booksquare.com)
All too often our understanding of what readers want is based on what we want ourselves, or outdated assumptions, or even worse—guesses. In this session, panelists will examine the state of the publishing industry through a reader-centric lens.
Angela James
Carina Press
Executive editor of Carina Press, Harlequin’s digital-only press, and veteran of the digital publishing industry, Angela James is a well-known advocate for digital publishing. James has enjoyed a long and varied publishing career that has included ownership of an independent editorial services business, work as a copy editor for electronic book and small press publisher, Ellora’s Cave, and executive editor for Samhain Publishing. James frequently travels to regional, national and international writing conferences to meet with authors and readers, and present workshops on digital publishing for both authors and readers of all genres of fiction.
Malle Vallik
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd
Malle Vallik is the Director of Digital Content & Social Media for Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. Her current focus is on establishing Harlequin as a leader in digital publishing for women. Her responsibilities include ebooks and downloadable audio. Harlequin leads the publishing industry by publishing its entire frontlist as ebooks as well as offering original editorial in programs like Spice Briefs, Silhouette Nocture Bites and Harlequin Historical Undone, enriched editions and prequels to many NYT bestsellers. Malle also concentrates on building Harlequin’s strong relationship with its consumer via social media like Myspace, Twitter, videos, podcasts, blogs and eHarlequin.com’s flourishing community.
Previous positions include editorial, sales and public relations. Malle is also the author of seven romance novels published under the pseudonym Molly Liholm. She is currently on the board of directors of the International Digital Publishing Forum and the National Association of College Textbook Stores New Media Solutions. She was selected “One of the Top 50 Women in Publishing” by BookBusiness Magazine, 2009.
Sarah Wendell
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books LLC
Sarah Wendell is co-author of Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels, and co-founder of Smart Bitches Trashy Books.com, one of the most popular blogs examining romance fiction. The web site specializes in reviewing romance novels, examining the history and future of the genre, and bemoaning the enormous prevalence of bodacious pectorals adorning male cover models.
Sarah has been seen on The Today Show, the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s Steven and Chris Show, and on Too Many Books. She has been quoted in People Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New York Post, USA Today, New Jersey Monthly, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Los Angeles Times Book Blog, Metro:New York, and Publishers Weekly.
Kassia Krozser
Booksquare.com
Kassia Krozser is the founder and primary voice for Booksquare.com, a website focused on dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism. She is also a founding partner at Medialoper.com—same love and skepticism applied to all entertainment media. Her work on both sites frequently focuses on how new technology impacts traditional media. She is a regular contributor to other publications.