HONOREES
16 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ SEPTEMBER 9, 2019
JOSH MOSEY
Children’s book buyer
Baker Book House,
Grand Rapids, Mich.M
osey is “an
imagina-
tive, fun,
and inno-
vative children’s book
buyer,” says his manager,
Darron Schroeder, but
“what truly makes Josh a
unicorn to the Christian
book industry is that he
is a big idea thinker with
steadfast passion for kids,
their families, and
reading.” Under Mosey,
Schroeder notes, the chil-
dren’s department has
seen an 8% increase year-over-year for the past five years. Mosey
also initiated a summer-reading program and grew it from 25 kids
at its launch in 2007 to a whopping 1,871 for this past summer.
“It’s been awesome to see families come in and get excited about
reading,” Mosey says. Another brainchild of Mosey’s is Baker’s
Christian book club (similar to Scholastic’s), called Baker
Bookworms. He also has successfully integrated ABA children’s
books into the store alongside CBA titles. Mosey’s debut book,
3-Minute Prayers for Boys, was published in April, and he has other
books in the pipeline. He is a PAL member of the Society for
Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.DAVID MOENCH
Director of publicity
Del Rey, New York CityY
ou may not know David Moench’s name, but you certainly know his roster of
A-list authors, including George R.R. Martin, Terry Brooks, Justin Cronin,
Robin Hobb, Connie Willis, and Bryan Lee O’Malley, who “rely on and trust
his steadfast guidance,” says Susan Corcoran, senior v-p, director of publicity at
the Random House Group. “His strategic expertise has helped make Del Rey the premier
science fiction/fantasy imprints in publishing,” she adds. Corcoran also credits Moench with
being a significant architect in launching the careers of new talent such as Katherine Arden,
Pierce Brown, Peter V. Brett, Kevin Hearne, and Naomi Novik. When he’s not making his
authors the brightest stars in sci-fi and fantasy, he provides publicity strategies for Del Rey’s
growing portfolio of licenses, including Minecraft, Stranger Things, World of Warcraft, the
soon-to-be-launched Avatar publishing program, and the juggernaut that is Star Wars.
“Shrewd, levelheaded, wickedly funny, and kind, David’s unparalleled book publicity and
media expertise is matched only by his generosity to his colleagues, who cherish his wise
counsel on publicity campaigns and his unflagging support and collaboration,” Corcoran says.CARRIE MONTOYA
Manager, revisions and author care
Cognella, San DiegoI
n three and half years, Carrie Montoya rocketed from
intern to manager by the time she was 24. She was first
hired as an intern at SAGE Publications by Kassie Graves
(now editorial director at Cognella), who says, “I was
instantly impressed with her professionalism for a young stu-
dent, and her personal drive and passion to excel in everything
she did quickly, which landed her a full-time position as an
editorial assistant.” When Graves moved to Cognella, she kept
in touch with her and succeeded in recruiting her as a revisions
editor for the academic publishing company in March of 2016.
Eight months after that, and an impressive 50 revisions later,
Montoya was promoted to manager. Montoya, Graves says,
quickly picked up the company’s systems, internal lingo, and
procedures to work
with authors on
revisions that
“make their books
better and more
widely adoptable.”
She is the youngest
member of the
management team
and yet finds the
time to spearhead
the company’s stu-
dent-scholarship
program, Cognella
Cares.