Lucia Watson, Executive Editor

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Overview

At Avery we publish nonfiction that doesn’t just change the conversation, it changes lives. Our books span a broad range of categories: health and wellness, psychology, lifestyle, inspiration, personal finance, plant-based cookbooks, and more. Our hallmark is our authors, leading-edge experts and paradigm disrupters who include Nobel Peace Prize recipients, James Beard Award winners, and #1 New York Times bestsellers.

We have recently been proud to publish the #1 New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits by James Clear, which in 2021 was the bestselling nonfiction book in the country three years after publication. Other notable authors include Joanna Molinaro (The Korean Vegan Cookbook), Judson Brewer, MD, PhD (Unwinding Anxiety), Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, MD (Fiber Fueled), Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW (Daring Greatly), His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (The Book of Joy), Lisa Mosconi, PhD (The XX Brain) and Steve Silberman (NeuroTribes). We are likewise proud of our deep and bestselling backlist. Highlights include Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn, MD., The Wahls Protocol by Terry Wahls, MD., and perhaps the bestselling health and wellness book of all time: Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis Balch, soon to be in its 6th edition.

Meet the Team

Megan Newman, Senior Vice President and Publisher

Megan Newman, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Avery and TarcherPerigee, joined Penguin in 2004 where her first acquisition was Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselsyn, MD. The book was not only a New York Times bestseller, but laid the foundation for Avery’s role as a leading publisher of cutting-edge books in the areas of health, science, psychology, education, and more. She also established Avery’s cookbook program.

Avery’s bestselling and award-winning authors include James Clear (Atomic Habits), Steve Silberman (Neurotribes), Dwayne Betts (A Question of Freedom), Brene Brown (Daring Greatly), The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (The Book of Joy), Angela Liddon (The Oh She Glows Cookbook), Adeena Sussman (Sababa), Joanne Lee Molinaro (The Korean Vegan Cookbook), Madeline Puckette (Wine Folly), Judson Brewer, MD (Unwinding Anxiety), and many more.

In 2018, she was also appointed the publisher of TarcherPerigee and helped spearhead the growth of the imprint. TarcherPerigee has long focused books in the areas of creativity, spirituality, personal growth and more. With books like The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, Attached by Amir Levine, Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab, Start Where You Are by Meera Lee Patel, and The Odd 1s Out and Burn After Writing franchises, TarcherPerigee has set the standard for books that inspire readers to rethink what’s possible.

Lindsay Gordon, Associate Publisher, Director of Publicity and Marketing

Lindsay Gordon is the Associate Publisher and Director of Marketing and Publicity for both Avery and TarcherPerigee. She has spent her career promoting and publicizing non-fiction authors and their books. As Associate Publisher Lindsay oversees all of the customized publicity and marketing campaigns aimed towards securing as much media as possible and effectively getting the books in front of consumers in new and innovative ways.

Lindsay has overseen and worked on the campaigns of numerous New York Times and national bestselling titles, including Atomic Habits by James Clear, The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Myth of Normal by Dr. Gabor Maté, The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon, The XX Brain by Dr. Lisa Mosconi, I Beat the Odds by Michael Oher, Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free by Nedra Glover Tawwab, The Odd 1s Out by James Rallison and Unwinding Anxiety by Dr. Jud Brewer. Prior to joining Penguin Lindsay worked at the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group at Random House, Inc.

Lucia Watson, Executive Editor

Lucia Watson, Executive Editor, began her publishing career at Viking in 1999 and joined Avery in 2005.
Lucia acquires a diverse list of bestselling and award-winning health, psychology, science, parenting, graphic nonfiction, and cooking titles. Her New York Times bestselling nonfiction includes Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, and Marbles by Ellen Forney. She also edits Izabella Wentz, Terry Wahls, Robynne Chutkan, Annie Grace, and Sue Varma.

She has published many New York Times bestselling and James Beard award-winning cookbooks including The Korean Vegan Cookbook by Joanne Molinaro, the Love and Lemons cookbooks by Jeanine Donofrio, the Oh She Glows cookbooks by Angela Liddon, Be a Plant-Based Woman Warrior by Ann and Jane Esselstyn, Sababa and Shabbat by Adeena Sussman, and the Wine Folly books by Madeline Puckette (published in 25+ countries). Forthcoming cookbooks include new titles from Eden Grinshpan and Marcus Samuelsson.

Nina Shield, Executive Editor

Executive Editor Nina Shield joined TarcherPerigee and Avery in 2017 with a focus on prescriptive non-fiction. Nina acquires inspiration, self-improvement, personal growth, creativity, spirituality, wellness, workbook/journals, mental health, functional medicine, parenting, and cookbooks and nutritional resources.

Authors she has worked with include James Clear (New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits), John McWhorter (New York Times bestseller Nine Nasty Words), Ali Maffucci, Megan McNamee and Judy Delaware (New York Times bestseller Feeding Littles and Beyond), Gabor Maté, MD (New York Times bestseller The Myth of Normal), Bishop Michael Curry (Love is the Way), Alexandra Caspero and Whitney English (The Plant-Based Baby and Toddler), Jordan Reid and Erin Williams (The Big Fat Activity Book for Pregnant People, The Big Activity Book for Anxious People), Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde (How We Learn to Be Brave), Gabriela Herstik (Inner Witch), Kelly McGonigal (The Joy of Movement), Talia Pollock (Party in Your Plants), Kristy Shen (Quit Like a Millionaire), Jason Dearen (Kill Shot), Emily Winter (One Day Smarter), Matt McCarthy, MD (Superbugs), and Joe Saul-Sehy and Emily Guy Birken (Stacked).

Hannah Steigmeyer, Associate Editor

Associate Editor Hannah Steigmeyer joined Avery and TarcherPerigee in 2017 with a focus on nonfiction in the accessible science and health and wellness space.

She has a special interest in novel entrepreneurial approaches to science, technology, health, and business. She is the Editor of the upcoming The Complete Book of Pickleball, Secrets of Giants, Giving Hope, Fuel the Fire, and Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 6th edition and has worked with James Clear (New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits), Bishop Michael Curry (Love is the Way), Kelly McGonigal (The Joy of Movement), Dr. Jud Brewer (Unwinding Anxiety), and Michel Oher (When Your Back’s Against the Wall). She also assists Vice President and Publisher Megan Newman.

She grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and graduated from Kenyon College where she double majored in English and Anthropology and minored in Russian Language and Literature.