Naren Aryal
(Posted on Friday, May 26, 2023)
As CEO of Amplify Publishing Group (APG), Naren advises industry experts and thought leaders on the opportunities and challenges that exist in the ever-evolving world of publishing. He launched the company with a single title in 2003 and guided it to what it is today—one of the fastest growing and most respected hybrid publishing companies in the world.
APG is home to five genre-focused imprints: Amplify Publishing, an imprint for business and thought leadership titles; RealClear Publishing, a joint venture with RealClearPolitics; Subplot Publishing, a home for excellent fiction; Mascot Kids, a space for children’s literature; and the flagship, multi-genre imprint, Mascot Books.
Prior to entering the world of books, Naren worked as a lawyer, advising technology companies in the Washington, DC, area. He is a frequent speaker on all things publishing, including content development, book production, retail distribution, marketing, and author branding.
Josh Linkner
(Posted on Friday, May 26, 2023)
Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million. He’s an internationally recognized expert on innovation and is the author of four books on the subject, including the New York Times bestsellers Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention.
Josh is passionate about starting and building companies. He’s the co-founder and managing partner of Muditā Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm, and was previously the CEO and founding partner of Detroit Venture Partners. Over the last thirty years, he’s helped over one hundred startups launch and scale.
Today, Josh serves as chairman and co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is a recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.
Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, father of four, and professional-level jazz guitarist.
Eric Schurenberg
(Posted on Friday, May 26, 2023)
Eric Schurenberg is a media executive and award-winning journalist now dedicated to fighting toxic misinformation and polarization. Among other related efforts, he co-hosts the podcast In Reality with Joan Donovan of Harvard’s Shorenstein Center.
Most recently, Eric was the CEO of Mansueto Ventures, the owner of Inc. and Fast Company media properties. Before becoming CEO, he was editor-in-chief of Inc., during which time the magazine won a National Magazine Award for general excellence. Before joining Inc., Eric was the founding editor of CBS MoneyWatch.com and the editor-in-chief of BNET.com for CBS Interactive.
Prior to CBS, Eric was managing editor of Money magazine, which won the Time Inc. Luce award for service journalism in each of the four years it was eligible. Other roles include deputy editor at Business 2.0, assistant managing editor at Fortune, and vice president at Goldman Sachs. He was a regular commentator on Nightly Business Report on PBS and Marketplace Radio on NPR, as well as a frequent guest on CNBC, CNN, Today,and Good Morning America.
Outside of work, Eric is a private pilot and club tennis player.
Mel Robbins
(Posted on Friday, May 26, 2023)
You can change your life and Mel Robbins will show you how.
Mel is in a category all her own. As one of the most widely booked and followed podcast hosts and authors in the world, she’s sought after by the world’s leading brands and medical professionals for her research-backed tools and motivation. And, at the same time, Mel has amassed millions of followers online, with her advice going viral online almost daily.
A New York Times bestselling author and self-publishing phenom, Mel’s work includes The High 5 Habit, The 5 Second Rule, and the #1 ranking The Mel Robbins Podcast. Her female-led media company produces provocative, life-changing content, with millions of books sold, billions of video views, and six #1 audiobooks on Audible. Her work has been translated into 41 languages and has changed the lives of millions of people worldwide.
And despite all that, Mel is one of the most down-to-earth and relatable people you’ll ever know. Probably because she learned everything she teaches the hard way: by first screwing up her own life, and out of necessity, discovering the tools and research that transformed her life and got her to where she is today.
Nina Spahn
(Posted on Friday, October 21, 2022)
Prior to moving to the Washington, DC, area and joining Amplify Publishing Group, Nina worked in editorial at a New York publishing house. There, she worked on multiple USA Today and New York Times bestsellers spanning a variety of genres. Nina now specializes in a number of narrative nonfiction genres including business, memoir, self-help, topical nonfiction, and essay collections, and oversees the full production department at APG. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BA in writing and a BA in communications and attended New York University’s Summer Publishing Institute before beginning her career in publishing.
Kristin Perry
(Posted on Friday, October 21, 2022)
Kristin ensures that the transition from manuscript to marketing is strategic and seamless, overseeing a variety of titles across multiple genres for Amplify Publishing Group. She is an expert on the industry and marketplace factors that contribute to a title’s success. A loyal reader of both fiction and nonfiction, she enjoys working on novels, memoirs, and everything in between. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in English and a BA in psychology.
Jess Cohn
(Posted on Friday, October 21, 2022)
Working with books is Jess’s dream job. Ever since she was little, she knew her passion in life was to help authors publish their stories. She graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a BFA in creative writing and a publishing certificate. Her concentration was in fiction, which helped her develop APG’s imprint Subplot. As acquisitions director, she spearheads the imprint while continuing to acquire a variety of excellent stories in many other genres. She loves spending her days reading manuscripts, chatting with authors about their work, and exploring the wonderful Northern Virginia area.
Ben Simpson
(Posted on Friday, October 21, 2022)
As acquisitions director at Amplify Publishing Group, Ben is responsible for communicating with a variety of authors about APG’s publishing services and the industry as a whole. He loves the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of genres and subject matters, and enjoys talking with authors about their goals and how APG can help achieve them. A native of Herndon, Virginia, and an avid reader of history books and comedy memoirs, he was thrilled by the opportunity to work in publishing in the same town he grew up in. He received his BA in communications with a concentration in media production and criticism from George Mason University.
Will Wolfslau
(Posted on Friday, April 14, 2023)
As editorial director at Amplify Publishing Group, Will helps our authors to develop and position their books for maximum impact. He draws on over a decade of experience in the publishing industry, having begun his career at storied literary publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux. He then joined Crown (a division of Penguin Random House) as an acquiring editor, where he worked with a Nobel Peace Prize winner and on a dozen New York Times bestsellers. A native of Southern California, he now lives in Brooklyn with his wife, daughter, and an elderly dachshund.
Lauren Magnussen
(Posted on Friday, October 21, 2022)
Lauren has been working and playing with the written word since she was only a few years old, and a love of the art and substance of the English language has been at the core of her personal and professional ambitions for decades. Since her early forays into the realm of writing, she has worked on all sides of the process: by furiously researching, analyzing, and copy editing, Lauren helps writers create polished, original books. She believes in the power of communication to get things done, and throws herself into every project to make sure it is better than when she began it. She has a BA in English from The College of William and Mary and is currently pursuing her MA at George Mason University.
Brandon Coward
(Posted on Friday, October 21, 2022)
Brandon is a veteran editor whose experience in publishing includes helping bring New York Times bestsellers of all kinds to life at a top New York publisher and literary agency. His favorite part about working with authors is making their dreams come true. Prior to entering the world of books, he helped lead the production and copyediting operations of a daily newspaper. In his spare time, he enjoys playing racquetball and taking his daughter to Washington Nationals baseball games.
Jenna Scafuri
(Posted on Friday, October 21, 2022)
Jenna is a seasoned editor and writer with a passion for turning ideas and manuscripts into printed books. With nearly fifteen years of experience in editing and publishing, Jenna specializes in advocating for her authors and making sure their unique voices are reflected in their prose. At Amplify Publishing Group, she enjoys guiding authors through every step of production and demystifying the publication process along the way. Jenna has a BA in English from Michigan State University, where she studied publishing, creative writing, and professional writing, and worked for several literary journals on campus. Before joining APG, her love of the written word led her to enjoy an editorial career in the fields of aviation/aerospace, corrections, and education.
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