Stacy Creamer, Vice President & Publisher
Stacy Creamer, Vice President and Publisher of Touchstone, is responsible for the editorial and publishing activities of the imprint. Stacy is looking for commercial fiction—especially thrillers and mysteries—narrative nonfiction, and celebrity-driven projects.
Stacy has edited a diverse and high-profile list of authors that includes New York Times and national bestsellers such as Lance Armstrong's IT’S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE, EVERY SECOND COUNTS, and COMEBACK 2.0; Elizabeth Edwards’s SAVING GRACES and RESILIENCE; Kurt Eichenwald’s CONSPIRACY OF FOOLS, Christopher Reich’s RULES OF DECEPTION, Carolyn Jessup’s ESCAPE, Ed Viesturs’s NO SHORTCUTS TO THE TOP and K2; John McEnroe’s YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS, Dara Torres’s AGE IS JUST A NUMBER, Dr. Louis Aronne’s THE SKINNY, Lauren Weisberger’s THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, Rick Springfield’s LATE, LATE AT NIGHT, and Duff McKagan’s IT’S SO EASY. In 2009, she published Douglas Blackmon’s SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME, which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction that year. Her upcoming titles include cyclist David Millar’s RACING THROUGH THE DARK, Billy Idol’s DANCING WITH MYSELF, and debut novelist Douglas Brunt’s GHOSTS OF MANHATTAN.
Sally Kim, Editorial Director
Michelle Howry specializes in commercial nonfiction. Her books include theNew York Times bestsellers THE NEW ATKINS FOR A NEW YOU, pint-sized Hollywood diva Kristin Chenoweth’s autobiography A LITTLE BIT WICKED, and the BRO CODE franchise of books (with more than 1 million copies in print).
Michelle acquires platform-driven practical nonfiction in areas such as self-help, personal finance, psychology, relationships, and health, including books like: BEYOND THE SLING, a real-world guide to Attachment Parenting by Mayim Bialik (aka TV’s “Blossom”); OUR BODIES, OURSELVES, the classic women’s health series; and PALEOISTA, a women-only guide to the popular Paleo diet.
She also acquires narrative nonfiction in the categories of popular history, biography, popular science and technology, and some celebrity memoir, including: DANGEROUSLY FUNNY, a biography of the groundbreaking Smothers Brothers by NPR’s Fresh Air TV critic David Bianculli; THE GIRLS OF ATOMIC CITY, the true story of a “secret” town that was founded in Tennessee during WWII to help build the atomic bomb; and OFF BALANCE by Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu, revealing the often-dark underbelly of competitive gymnastics.
Michelle Howry, Senior Editor
Heather Lazare, Senior Editor
Heather Lazare joined Touchstone in August 2011 after six years in publishing working at the Crown Publishing Group and prior to that, the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Her main areas of acquisition are historical fiction, upmarket women’s fiction (book club books), narrative nonfiction, memoir, and humor/pop culture.
Heather has acquired and edited a range of fiction from New York Times bestselling and national bestselling authors including Michelle Moran’s MADAME TUSSAUD: A Novel of the French Revolution and Karleen Koen’s BEFORE VERSAILLES: A Novel of the Sun King. On the nonfiction front, she’s worked with human rights activist John Prendergast and actor Don Cheadle on their book THE ENOUGH MOMENT, and she’s edited former Time Out New York Comedy Editor Jane Borden’s I TOTALLY MEANT TO DO THAT.
Heather’s very excited to be working with Touchstone’s talented historical fiction authors Nancy Bilyeau, Kimberley Freeman, Julia Gregson, Anne Easter Smith, and commercial fiction novelist Victoria Christopher Murray. Heather has recently acquired Stephanie Lehmann’s novel ASTOR PLACE VINTAGE, set in 1907 and 2007 New York City, as well as Carolyn Turgeon’s novel THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL, a fairytale mash-up in which Rapunzel is Snow White’s evil stepmother. She’s also looking forward to reissuing the Catherine de Medici trilogy from the inimitable grand dame of historical fiction, Jean Plaidy.
Lauren Spiegel, Editor
Lauren Spiegel joined Touchstone in 2006. She is looking for crime fiction, thrillers and mysteries, pop culture, humor, celebrity-driven nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, and commercial women’s fiction.
Lauren's recent and upcoming projects include: LUTHER: THE CALLING, a standalone prequel to the BBC America TV series by Neil Cross, the Edgar Award-winning creator and sole writer of the show; THE SKELETON BOX by Anthony and Barry Award-winning mystery writer Bryan Gruley; THE HUNGER PAINS, a parody of THE HUNGER GAMES by The Harvard Lampoon; HYPERBOLE AND A HALF by Allie Brosh, an illustrated collection of humorous stories by the creator of the immensely popular blog of the same name; L.A. FADEAWAY, a roman a clef about life as an agent trainee at one of L.A.’s most powerful talent agencies, by Jordan Okun; IN THE WATER THEY CAN’T SEE YOU CRY, a memoir by seven-time Olympic medalist and model Amanda Beard; STREET FREAK: Money and Madness at Lehman Brothers by Jared Dillian, which was named one of the best books of 2011 by Bloomberg News; and DISCRETION, a legal thriller exploring the intersection of sex and power in D.C., by former federal sex crimes prosecutor Allison Leotta.
Kiele Raymond, Editorial Assistant
Kiele Raymond began her publishing career at Touchstone in 2011, after receiving her M.A. in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. She supports both Matthew Benjamin and Michelle Howry on a wide range of nonfiction, on titles such as PALEOISTA by Nell Stephenson and THE WOMAN WHO WASN’T THERE by Angelo Guglielmo and Robin Gaby Fisher.
Kiele is interested in narrative nonfiction (especially history and true crime), pop culture, and literary fiction. A New Hampshire native, she is also passionate about all things New England.
Matthew Benjamin, Senior Editor
Allegra Ben-Amotz, Editorial Assistant
Matthew Benjamin is primarily acquiring narrative and prescriptive non-fiction, investigative journalism, self-help, diet and fitness, men’s interest, celebrity, pop culture, sports, and selected illustrated books.
He has recently signed up three new books by Touchstone house author Bethenny Frankel, including her debut novel, SKINNYDIPPING; an inspirational business book from entrepreneur Marc Ecko; an honest and laugh-out-loud book of parenting tales by writer/producer Dan Bucatinsky called DOES THIS BABY MAKE ME LOOK STRAIGHT?; and an illustrated book of fashion and culture by the creators of the popular Tumblr blog FUCK YEAH MENSWEAR. Upcoming true-crime narratives include MOST WANTED, by the Massachusetts State Trooper responsible for indicting Whitey Bulger; GODS OF MISCHIEF, by a man currently in the Witness Protection program who infiltrated the infamous Vagos motorcycle gang; and THE WOMAN WHO WASN'T THERE, the mystifying and riveting story of a woman who fabricated a entirely new life after 9/11.
Sally Kim joined Touchstone as Editorial Director in March 2011, and will continue her focus on quality fiction with commercial appeal, along with some narrative nonfiction. Over sixteen years she has acquired and edited a wide range of fiction –literary thrillers, women's fiction, literary novels– including Gillian Flynn's SHARP OBJECTS (Edgar nominee), Lee Martin's THE BRIGHT FOREVER (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Justin Evans's A GOOD AND HAPPY CHILD and THE WHITE DEVIL, Leah Stewart's THE MYTH OF YOU AND ME, Jill Smolinski’s THE NEXT THING ON MY LIST, Jennifer Donnelly's THE TEA ROSE; and New York Times bestsellers such as Lisa Unger's BEAUTIFUL LIES, Allison Winn Scotch's TIME OF MY LIFE, and Will Lavender's OBEDIENCE. She also has edited New York Times bestselling authors Phillip Margolin, Cecelia Ahern, Kate White, and Rebecca Wells.
Her upcoming titles include Philippa Gregory’s THE KINGMAKER’S DAUGHTER; and debut novels THE WHITE FOREST by Adam McOmber, TRUTH IN ADVERTISING by New Yorker writer John Kenney, Rona Jaffe Award winner Holly Goddard Jones’s THE REMAINS, and Lucy Clarke’s RIDING SEAHORSES; and new novels by Jill Smolinski (OBJECTS OF MY AFFECTION), Leah Stewart (ELSEWHERE), Amy Shearn (THE DOUBLE LIFE OF JENNY LIPKIN), and MUST LOVE DOGS author Claire Cook (WALLFLOWER IN BLOOM).
Allegra Ben-Amotz came to Touchstone in July of 2010. She has managed a variety of backlist reissues including MANCHILD IN THE PROMISED LAND and WILD SWANS. She oversees THE S&S MEGA CROSSWORD PUZZLE SERIES and is the editor of the upcoming urban novels REAL WIFEYS: GET MONEY and DIAMOND LIFE, as well as Robert Byrne’s upcoming collection of humorous quotations. She is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course and previously worked as a foreign rights assistant at the Harold Ober Literary Agency.
She is interested in commercial women’s fiction, literary fiction, humor, pop culture, and narrative nonfiction.
Megan Reid, Editorial Assistant
Megan Reid joined Touchstone’s editorial team in 2011, after receiving her Master’s degree in English literature from The Ohio State University and interning for Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. Megan is the editor for Lori Armstrong’s latest mystery, DARK MERCY, and assists Stacy Creamer on her projects, including recent titles such as GHOSTS OF MANHATTAN by Douglas Brunt and RACING THROUGH THE DARK by David Millar.
Megan is interested in nonfiction, focusing on lifestyle, travel, and culture, as well as commercial women’s and historical fiction—especially books with a sci-fi/fantasy or romantic twist.
