Putnam Team

Penguin: Because Reading Matters

Daphne Ming Durham, Executive Editor

Daphne Ming Durham joined Putnam in 2023 from MCD / Farrar, Straus & Giroux and publishes twisty, genre-blurring fiction with sharp edges, diverse perspectives, and spiky protagonists. She loves voice-driven, surprising novels that readers devour in one sitting, but come away having learned something—vivid, gripping stories that upend familiar tropes and push boundaries in crime,…

Read More

Gabriella Mongelli, Editor

Gabriella Mongelli joined Putnam in 2018 and acquires literary and smart upmarket fiction. She is drawn to projects that feature layered, ambitious storytelling, fresh perspectives that spark conversation, and have a strong sense of voice and lots of heart. From deeply braided family sagas and coming-of-self narratives to clever retellings and book club reads, she is…

Read More

Danielle Dieterich, Editor

Danielle Dieterich joined Putnam in 2015. She is interested in smart fiction with a page-turning quality and an unforgettable hook. In particular, she is drawn to suspense and psychological thrillers, as well as both contemporary and historical women’s fiction, and novels with distinctive voices, rich atmosphere, or a high-concept or speculative twist. From edgy thrillers…

Read More

Kate Dresser, Executive Editor

Kate Dresser joined Putnam in 2021, focusing on upmarket commercial fiction, especially romantic fiction for a mainstream reader.  Always looking for the surprising and the clever, Kate loves stories with a strong sense of place, female characters who save themselves from disaster, and tight narrative timelines. She edits New York Times bestsellers Sophie Cousens, Jenny…

Read More

Tara Singh Carlson, Executive Editor

Tara Singh Carlson joined Putnam in 2014 from Viking, Penguin. Her focus is on women’s fiction that hits that sweet spot between commercial and literary, including historical fiction and contemporary women’s stories that are either wildly entertaining or filled with heart. She loves strong female characters that inspire. She has edited New York Times bestsellers The Silent Wife by…

Read More

Michelle Howry, Executive Editor

Michelle Howry joined Putnam in 2018 and publishes an eclectic list of nonfiction – from the #1 New York Times bestseller I Really Needed This Today by Hoda Kotb; to the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Fair Play by Eve Rodsky; to the national bestseller Capote’s Women by Laurence Leamer; to true-crime historian and podcaster Kate Winkler Dawson’s acclaimed American Sherlock and Dr.…

Read More

Mark Tavani, VP, Executive Editor

Mark Tavani edits commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction. He works with authors Max Barry, C.J. Box, Rory Carroll, Robert Crais, Jeffery Deaver, Karen Dionne, Frederick Forsyth, Lisa Gardner, John McMahon, Fabian Nicieza, Lisa Scottoline, Chris Wilson, Josh Winning, and David Yoon, among others. He has edited numerous New York Times bestsellers, an Edgar Award winner,…

Read More

Alexis Welby, Vice President, Director of Publicity

Alexis Welby joined Putnam in 2011, and in addition to managing the imprint’s publicity team, she has overseen the campaigns for Cristina Alger, Chloe Benjamin, A. Scott Berg, Sue Grafton, Robert Jones, Jr., Jan Karon, Hoda Kotb, Jenny Lawson, Bobby Orr, Delia Owens, Dolly Parton, Kiley Reid, Burt Reynolds, and Lisa Scottoline, among others. After…

Read More

Ashley Pattison McClay, Vice President, Associate Publisher, Director of Marketing

Ashley Pattison McClay is Associate Publisher, Director of Marketing for Putnam. She has been with Putnam since 2015, and with Penguin Random House since 2010. Prior to that she worked at Henry Holt & Company. Since joining Putnam, Ashley has overseen marketing campaigns for franchise bestsellers including John Sandford, Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, C.J. Box,…

Read More

Benjamin Lee, VP, Associate Publisher of Paperbacks

Ben Lee joined Dutton, Putnam, and Berkley as Vice President, Associate Publisher of paperbacks in March 2015. He oversees the paperback conversion program for all of Dutton and Putnam’s books. Prior to joining Dutton, Putnam, and Berkley, Ben was most recently VP, Associate Publisher of Atria Books at Simon & Schuster, overseeing campaigns for many New York Times bestselling authors including Brad Thor, Jennifer Weiner, Vince Flynn, Theresa Caputo, Rachael Ray and Buddy Valastro.

Read More