EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Theresa Collier, Publicity

If you're reading our little publishing blog, chances are you're already a lover of literature. But as a devotee of the printed word, do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at an independent book publishing company? How a jacket gets designed or how a manuscript becomes a book? For curious minds, there's no better way to learn the nuts and bolts of the book business than to meet the people behind the magic. That's where we step in.

If you've been following our employee spotlight series, you've already met some of the creative individuals responsible for bringing Overlook titles to the shelves of your favorite neighborhood bookstores. We've introduced editors, designers, marketers, and even our publisher Peter Mayer to highlight the ins-and-outs of the job of book production. Today we're thrilled to bring to the blog publicity pro and social media maven Theresa Collier to shed some light on her role as a publicist at Overlook.

Theresa hails from north eastern Pennsylvania, where she attended Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia and has been a New York native for more than two years. When she isn't coordinating author tours, writing press releases, or pitching story ideas to journalists, Theresa can be found whiling away her time in her tiny NYC kitchen. Please welcome Theresa!

OP: Describe your job in 140 characters or less.

TC: I've turned procrastination into a valid job: I read umpteen magazines, papers, blogs, even Twitter & Pinterest to stay up on news & trends.

OP: What are you currently reading?

TC: Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith, Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, and roughly 101 cookbooks. Those count, right?

OP: What is your favorite book that Overlook has published?

TC: Graphic Design by Milton Glaser and Deadline Artists ed John Avlon.

OP: If you didn't work in publishing, what would you be doing?

TC: Scheming a way to open a bakery or letterpress studio...preferably both.

OP: What is your favorite word (Can be in any language—bonus points if there is a funny/interesting story behind it).

TC: Pamplemousse. I love grapefruit. I love saying grapefruit en Français more.