Clarkson Potter

Aaron Wehner is Executive Vice President and Director of Business Development for the Crown Publishing Group, and Publisher of Clarkson Potter and Ten Speed Press. During his time in the Crown group, he has served as publishing lead on the acquisition and integration of Rodale Books and Compendium, co-founded the award-winning digital publication PUNCH (sold to Vox in 2021), launched the division’s illustrated licensing business, founded Ten Speed Graphic—the first dedicated adult graphic novel program within Penguin Random House—and launched Crown’s children’s imprint, Ten Speed Young Readers. Aaron oversees the publishing programs of such luminaries and brands as Ina Garten, Yotam Ottolenghi, Martha Stewart, Dolly Parton, Matty Matheson, Marie Kondo, Bryant Terry, Death & Co, and Dungeons & Dragons. On the executive team of Crown, he works closely with the group to shape ambitious, cross-imprint, and multi-book collaborations with the division’s incredible roster of authors.

Jill Flaxman, Senior Vice President and Deputy Publisher of Clarkson Potter and Ten Speed Press, oversees frontlist strategy and operations for the Potter and Ten Speed book programs. Prior to this role, her nearly thirty years at Penguin Random House have included six years as Director of Publishing Operations for the Crown Publishing Group, three years as Executive Director of Marketing for the group, and six years as Group Sales Director. She has worked on bestselling books from authors such as Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, George W. Bush, Ina Garten, Gillian Flynn, Deepak Chopra, Yotam Ottolenghi, and Marie Kondo, among many others. 

Francis Lam, Vice President and Editor in Chief, Clarkson Potter, acquires cookbooks with a strong sense of story and a deep appreciation of craft. His books include James Beard Award–winning titles such as Victuals by Ronni Lundy, Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Martin, and The Vegan Chinese Kitchen by Hannah Che, as well as New York Times bestsellers by Alison Roman, Chrissy Teigen, David Chang, Christina Tosi, Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard, Carla Lalli, and Tieghan Gerard. Among his recent titles are a cookbook by Dr. Jessica B. Harris that will describe the braiding of Indigenous, European, and African cultures that created American cuisine; a multigenerational memoir-cookbook by Kentucky Poet Laureate Crystal Wilkinson; and a groundbreaking cookbook of the Indigenous food cultures of what is now known as North America by Sean Sherman. The host of the public radio show and podcast The Splendid Table, Francis has also written for numerous publications. He is the recipient of six James Beard Awards and six IACP awards for his writing.

Angelin Adams, Editorial Director, Design and Culture, leads a team of editors who acquire and develop visually driven books in the genres of design, entertainment, and culture, as well as gift products (card decks, journals, stationery, trivia, and more). Her own list includes bestselling interior design books and gifts, such as Made for Living and Call It Home by Amber Lewis, Surf Shack by Nina Freudenberger, The Backyard Bird Journal by Amy Tan, The Fair Play Deck by Eve Rodsky, The Cheese Board Deck and The Wine and Cheese Board Deck by Meg Quinn, and Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice by Michelle Obama. She also works with the New York Times, the Mountain Gazette, Fifty-Nine Parks, and Death & Co. Angelin is interested in books that celebrate a culture, showcase an illustrated history, or give ideas for stylish living—and she’s always up for a good brainstorm.

Jennifer Sit, Editorial Director of Cookbooks, specializes in culinary-focused books, with a particular interest in next-generation authorities—authors with deep expertise, a generosity of spirit, and unique, strong voices who can connect to today’s home cooks and bartenders. She has acquired and edited more than fifteen New York Times bestsellers, numerous award winners, and a wide range of culinary tastemakers, including Molly Baz, Babs Costello, Maurizio Leo, Martha Stewart, Ali Slagle, Gina Homolka, Roy Choi, Nina Compton, Carolina Gelen, Bobby Flay, Calvin Eng, Yossy Arefi, Yotam Ottolenghi, Mark Bittman, and Pierre Thiam. She has a passion for the cocktail and wine space and was the editor of Aldo Sohm’s Wine Simple, in addition to Toby Maloney’s The Bartender’s Manifesto and Julia Momosé’s The Way of the Cocktail, both James Beard Award winners, and pop-culture crossovers such as Ariana Madix’s New York Times bestselling Single AF Cocktails; A Coupe of Thorns and Rosé; and The Eras Pour. Her forthcoming projects include cookbooks from Hannah Taylor, Tini Younger, Andy Baraghani, André Mack, Maxine Sharf, Pierce Abernathy, Solid Starts, and Eli Sussman.

Eric Klopfer, Publishing Director, Licensing, leads the entertainment-licensing initiative for the Clarkson Potter and Ten Speed Press imprints at Crown Publishing Group. He works closely with the publisher and the editorial and design teams to build existing licensing relationships as well as to identify and develop new and exciting partnerships. Before coming to Crown in 2023, Eric managed the illustrated entertainment list for the adult division of Abrams, where he worked since 2007, as Editorial Director, Entertainment. He acquired illustrated and narrative nonfiction titles across multiple categories, including film, television, animation, and gaming, and he edited several bestselling entertainment titles, among them The Wes Anderson Collection and The Sopranos Sessions. Eric has long-standing relationships with evergreen licensors including Hasbro, Paramount, and Marvel, and he is primarily interested in behind-the-scenes and oral-history books, biography, and/or works of cultural criticism covering contemporary and historic cinema, television, animation, gaming, and pop culture.

Emma Brodie, Executive Editor, began her career at Trient Media Group in 2011. She spent five years at Clarkson Potter, where she acquired humor titles including Awkwafina’s NYC, and pioneered the game list by developing Punderdome, Deal or Duel, Come as You Aren’t, and Jane Austen Tarot. From there, she spent three years at William Morrow, where she started Morrow Gift, an original line of gift books and stationery products including the #1 New York Times bestselling franchise, Strange Planet. Between 2020 and 2024, Emma worked as an Executive Editor, first at Voracious Books, where she published Head over Heels by Melissa Newman, The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas, and Emily in Paris: Paris J’Adore!, then at Chronicle Books, where she oversaw the gift and format list for the entire company. In 2024 she was thrilled to return to Clarkson Potter, where she acquires books and gift formats across the Culture, Entertainment, and Licensing programs. In 2021, Emma published her own novel, Songs in Ursa Major, which won an American Book Award; her second novel, Into the Blue, is due out from Ballantine in the summer of 2026. If her list were a Taylor Swift Era, it would be 1989. Emma gravitates toward buzzy pop culture that mixes nostalgic, perennial appeal with dynamic visuals, and innovative packaging. Content-wise, she is drawn toward any subject that lights people up—from humor and parody, to pop psychology and advice, to trivia and entertainment.

Susan Roxborough, Executive Editor, acquires and edits a wide range of illustrated books from narrative-driven cookbooks with a distinct voice to deep dives into single subjects to wellness and lifestyle books that help enrich our lives. Her list includes James Beard Award–winning books and New York Times bestsellers including Martha Stewart’s Martha: The Cookbook, Sally McKenney’s Sally’s Baking 101, Alexandra Stafford’s Pizza Night, Justine Doiron’s Justine Cooks, Nicola Lamb’s Sift, and Matthew Bounds’s Keep It Simple Y’all. Upcoming lists will include books from Cassie Yeung, Olivia Adriance, Mariam Daud, Lucie Franc de Ferriere, and U.S. Barista Champion Morgan Eckroth.

Layla Schlack, Senior Editor, acquires illustrated cooking and drinks books with a strong voice. She is equally enamored of personality-driven books with a sense of humor, like the forthcoming The Naughty Cookbook and narrative ones that tell stories of how region, culture, and history shape cuisine, like Masala y Maíz. Some of her recent acquisitions include books focused on weeknight cooking, global Jewish cuisine, and cozy drinks. Layla also works on single-subject books that take a smart approach to favorite ingredients or categories, including upcoming projects focusing on pumpkin and smoothies. Previously, Layla spent more than fifteen years as a magazine editor for award-winning publications including Wine Enthusiast and the beloved indie food outlet Whetstone. The through line in her work has been dedication to championing authors and helping them shape narratives in innovative ways.

Deanne Katz, Editor, acquires and edits design-forward lifestyle books and illustrated paper products, including journals, decks, puzzles, and games. Her authors and projects include deVOL’s The deVOL Kitchen, Rachel Ignotofsky’s What’s Inside a Flower? Puzzle, Deepak Chopra’s Q&A a Day for Everyday Enlightenment, Tara Schuster’s This Journal F*cking Works, and Blueberries for Sal Cookbook, published with the estate of Robert McCloskey. She also works on licensed gift products with brands including The New York Botanical Gardens, The World of Eric Carle, and David Sibley. Deanne is particularly interested in books about a specific culture, interior design books that celebrate beautiful living, and illustrated histories, as well as quirky and unusual paper products, spirituality and self-help decks, and self-help journals from nonfiction authors.

Harry Tunggal, Editor, acquires and edits illustrated books and paper products in the gift, design, entertainment, culture, humor, and lifestyle spaces. His authors and projects include Camilla d’Errico’s Pop Manga Stickerology, Lucy Claire Dunbar’s The Book of Gifts, Dr. Gordon Walker’s Dr. Fun Guy’s Mushroom Journal and Foraging Guide, Ethan Kross’s Chatter: The Workbook, Yoshi Yoshitani’s Oracle of the Divine, and Cory Everett’s We Pitch You a Movie Christmas. He also works on licensed publishing with brands including Dungeons & Dragons, Richard Scarry’s Busy World, The Moth, Star Trek, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Harry is especially interested in highly visual books that speak to cultural obsessions as well as gift products that are useful, fun, and timeless.

Darian Keels, Assistant Editor, studied culinary arts and literature at the University of Montana. She supports Clarkson Potter’s Editor in Chief, Francis Lam, in acquiring and developing cookbooks that focus on distinct authors, culinary traditions, and storytelling. Cookbooks she has assisted on include Sean Sherman’s Turtle Island, Alison Roman’s Something from Nothing, Dr. Jessica Harris’s Braided Heritage, Toni Tipton-Martin’s Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice, and Crystal Wilkinson’s Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts. She also assists Angelin Adams, Editorial Director of Design, Culture, and Gift, across Potter’s expansive list of illustrated design and lifestyle books and unique gift products, focusing primarily on projects in partnership with Wizards of the Coast. Now acquiring her own projects, Darian’s passion for food, writing, and culture is emboldened by the titles she works on at Clarkson Potter, and she is particularly interested in sharing the stories of underrepresented voices through foodways.

Briana James, Assistant Editor, works with Layla Schlack and Emma Brodie on cookbooks, gift products, and illustrated nonfiction for the Design, Entertainment, and Culture list. She joined Potter after working in children’s publishing and as an author-illustrator for magazines and paper products. Briana is especially interested in books about books, biographical nonfiction that showcases primary-source materials like notes and journals, and projects that celebrate visual storytelling.

Elaine Hennig joined Potter in 2023 as Editorial Assistant. She supports Editorial Director Jennifer Sit and Executive Editor Susan Roxborough on a wide range of cookbooks from authors including Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, Bobby Flay, Gina Homolka, Molly Baz, and Mimi Thorisson. She has assisted on projects such as Barbara Costello’s Every Day with Babs, Roy Choi’s The Choi of Cooking, Sally McKenney’s Sally’s Baking 101, and Hannah Taylor’s Measure with Your Heart. Elaine is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course, and prior to this, she worked for an advocacy nonprofit.

Marysarah Quinn is the Senior Vice President and Creative Director for Clarkson Potter, where she leads an award-winning team of artists, designers, and art directors. Clarkson Potter creates books and gift products that inspire and delight. Over the years, she has worked with some incredible creators including Ina Garten, David Chang, Melissa Clark, Johnny Miller, Toni Tipton-Martin, Eric Kim, Tom Colicchio, and Anita Yokota. Marysarah’s art direction and designs have been featured in PRINT magazine, IACP, ICP, the James Beard Awards, and AIGA. In her spare time, she loves sharing food, art, and our beautiful books with family and friends.

Allison Renzulli is the Vice President and Director of Marketing for Clarkson Potter and Ten Speed Press. She has worked in lifestyle publishing for nearly twenty years and has developed, executed, and managed campaigns for dozens of bestselling authors, including Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, Matty Matheson, Alison Roman, Dolly Parton, and more.

Katherine Tyler is Vice President and Director of Publicity and Brand Management, overseeing the publicity team for the Clarkson Potter, Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic, Ten Speed Young Readers, and 4 Color Books imprints. A twenty-year veteran of Penguin Random House, she has launched bestsellers across multiple categories from authors including Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dolly Parton, Sarah Fennel, Alison Roman, David Chang, Julius Roberts, Jimmy Chin, Meredith Hayden, the New York Times, Michelle Obama, and many more.

Rachel Berkowitz is Vice President and Director of Subsidiary Rights at the Crown Publishing Group, where she oversees domestic and foreign rights across all imprints. Rachel brings expertise in licensing across categories such as business, science, history, memoir, narrative nonfiction, self-help, cookery, gift, and both commercial and literary fiction. Since joining Crown in 2009, she has negotiated rights deals for a wide range of bestselling and influential authors, including Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, George W. Bush, Deepak Chopra, Ai Weiwei, Greg McKeown, Martha Stewart, Matty Matheson, Peter Attia, Gillian Flynn, Andy Weir, and the forthcoming Empyrean Graphic series by Rebecca Yarros. She and the rights team also represent CPG at major international book fairs. Prior to joining Crown, she was a literary book and film scout for more than a decade.