about the big bad book blog

For grown-up Clint, click here.

Clint Greenleaf, CPA, started Greenleaf Book Group in 1997 after writing and publishing two books, selling foreign publication rights, and securing a multi-book contract with Adams Media. Now he’s a big-shot CEO, and he still gets to watch The Simpsons.

For grown-up Justin, click here.

Justin Branch oversees the consulting division of Greenleaf Book Group and lives under a large pile of books. (Don’t be fooled by that gruff, gun-wielding cowboy in the picture—he was a different man back then.) At Greenleaf, he identifies promising new titles and gives authors the tools they need to be successful in a retail environment. Justin joined the book industry after eight lively years in television production and marketing.

For grown-up Tanya, click here.

As Special Projects Manager, Tanya Hall handles a range of projects and initiatives that don’t fall neatly into other departments. Tanya also handles Greenleaf Book Group’s foreign rights program.

For grown-up Lari, click here.

Lari Bishop, Managing Editor for Greenleaf Book Group, is experienced in all aspects of the written word. She has a master’s degree in journalism, but loves novels—particularly those with stories about brave women escaping from harrowing adventures on horseback.

For grown-up Nathan, click here.

A publishing veteran originally educated in journalism and Spanish, Nathan Delacretaz has assumed the unlikely but highly enjoyable (his words, we promise) role of “all-purpose computer guy” at Greenleaf Book Group. Prior to Greenleaf, he was with Harcourt, where he occupied roles varying from international sales to graphic design.

For grown-up Kristen, click here.

Kristen Sears leads Greenleaf’s distribution department. Kristen ensures each new title is set up with the appropriate venues and presents books to buyers for local and national buys. She is responsible for fostering relationships with booksellers and wholesalers and also handles the development of special sales programs and new distribution channels. Kristen is known for her tendency to eat more than most men, her inability to sit still, and to occasionally break into a spontaneous dance number.

For grown-up Jay, click here.

As a four-time winner of Greenleaf’s seasonal “Young at Heart” plaque, Jay Hodges belies his years (and years) of experience with a childlike glee. Jay has a master’s degree in German literature with a minor in Norwegian, is a documentary filmmaker, and a former editor for Routledge and Penguin. When not indulging his creativity, Jay is fond of correcting the grammar of hapless passersby.

For grown-up Sheila, click here.

Sheila Parr is a designer at Greenleaf Book Group. She works to create book covers and layout designs that stand out in the market and attract readers. Her favorite things are fine point Sharpies and breakfast tacos.

For grown-up Lisa, click here.

Lisa Woods is a genius and Zen master. Her main responsibility at Greenleaf Book Group is epic battle against her nemesis, Darth HP LaserJet, using only a protective shield of Post-it notes and manuscript pages to protect her desk from Darth Jet. Between confrontations, she designs covers and interiors and lurks mysteriously in area bookstores.

For grown-up Ryan, click here.

Ryan Wheeler is the marketing manager at Greenleaf Book Group, where he manages all of our marketing programs, supervises our marketing representatives and staff, and manages each publisher’s marketing campaign in the highly competitive Big Bad Book World. Ryan reached Texas from his home state of Minnesota with courage and intestinal fortitude, the way the pioneers did it. However, now that he’s here, he mostly spends his time hunting out live music.

For grown-up Aaron, click here.

Aaron Hierholzer helps out with anything distribution-related at Greenleaf, which includes setting up new titles in various systems, handling book orders, and practicing dark arts you wouldn’t understand. Due to an abundance of (female) people at Greenleaf with phonetically identical first names, he is more commonly known as The Baron.

For grown-up Brian, click here.

Brian Viktorin is the CFO at Greenleaf Book Group, the person responsible for making sure our numbers make sense. He loves college football, live music, chips and queso, and the knowledge that he’ll soon be the recipient of the plaque on Jay’s wall. Brian’s dream has always been to play the guitar like Clapton, but he realizes the only instrument he’ll ever master is a calculator.

For grown-up Alan, click here.

As Production Manager at Greenleaf Book Group, Alan Grimes coordinates the editing, formatting, design, and printing of our books. He can convert between picas, points, and inches in a flash, and he loves the smell of books hot off the presses.

For grown-up Chris, click here.

Chris McRay is a Production Associate, overseeing projects as they progress through the editorial, design, and printing processes of book production. Previously our Print Buyer, Chris received his degree in International Relations but has since found his home to be in book production at Greenleaf Book Group.

For grown-up Matt, click here.

Between you and me, Matt Donnelley is only working at Greenleaf Book Group so he knows what books are coming out before anyone else does. To keep everyone from learning this secret, Matt’s day job is to work closely with authors as a Production Associate, helping to oversee the process of turning their raw manuscripts into finely-crafted masterpieces of literature art. He still sits on the floor to read his comic books. It’s the obvious choice. So are striped overalls.

For grown-up Katelynn, click here.

After spending four illustrious years in the music business, Katelynn Knutson decided helping authors get famous was just way more fun. As a Marketing Associate, Katelynn works closely with clients to help develop kick-ass marketing campaigns and stays up to date on emerging industry trends. When she’s not at Greenleaf, she can be found spending her life as an average twenty-something Austinite – reading, writing, drinking soy drinks, devouring b-fast tacos and making people laugh with (sometimes) inappropriate humor.

For grown-up Katie, click here.

Katie Steigman is an Associate Consultant at Greenleaf, which entails reviewing lots of books, talking on the phone, cruising the bestseller lists on Amazon.com, and doing whatever the other consultants tell her to do.  She is a Francophile, art history dork, and still has a serious sweet tooth.

For grown-up Jenn, click here.

Jenn McMurray is one of the Distribution Associates at Greenleaf. This means she can be found doing anything from sending out new submissions to publicity updates for all of our books to applying for new ISBNs. She loves hats, anything purple, and laughing. Some things never change.

For grown-up Theresa, click here.

Despite being a crime-fighting ninja, Theresa Reding is most proud of being an editor at Greenleaf Book Group. She is well versed in all twenty-six letters of the modern English alphabet and can usually be found up to her elbows in composed pages. She has escaped the box and now has a big window.

Auburn Rutledge is the Publishing Assistant at Greenleaf, a book nerd fulfilling her dreams of working in the publishing industry. She spends her days running around the office working with the different departments, and her nights at home curled up in bed working on her own labors of love: novels, screenplays, and (mostly) random bits of scribbling. When not writing, she sketches, reads comic books, watches films and daydreams. Sometimes all at once.