Meet the RP Editorial Team
Meet the RP Editorial Team
Shannon Connors Fabricant (she/her) is the Publisher of Running Press and is based in the New York office. She acquires a range of nonfiction books, decks, and ancillary products for adults, with a particular focus on body/mind/spirit, lifestyle, creative self-help and wellness, cocktail, gift, and select art titles. She is passionate about the intersection of content and package and is drawn to projects with distinct aesthetic visions, unique and authoritative voices, and a strong sense of place—as well as the possibility of living in multiple formats across lists. Her acquisitions include The Body Is a Doorway by Sophie Strand; Take Back the Magic and Mothers of Magic by Perdita Finn; Small Town Living by Erin Austen Abbott; Practical Magic by Nikki Van De Car; Queer Tarot by Ash + Chess; The Night School by Maia Toll; Everyday Tarot and Intuitive Manifesting by Brigit Esselmont; Art Hiding in New York by Lori Zimmer and Maria Krasinski; and In Session Cocktails by Steven Grasse and Adam Erace. Prior to joining Running Press in 2016, she was part of the editorial team at Abbeville Press, where she edited books on fine art, photography, and cocktails.
Jennifer Leczkowski (she/her) is Director of RP Minis and Licensing at Running Press and is based in the Philadelphia office. Jennifer joined the company two decades ago and has enjoyed a variety of editorial positions over the years, ranging from Associate Editor to Managing Editor to Director of our unique RP Minis line. Jennifer oversees the development and growth of the RP Minis list and of our licensing programs across the RP Minis, RP Adult, RP Kids, and RP Studio imprints.
Julie Matysik (she/her) is Editorial Director of Running Press Kids and is based in the Philadelphia office. She acquires books for young readers, from board book through young adult, with a focus on licensed publishing across age groups, mythology and story collections, seasonal titles, and books for young fans and broad audiences. Her acquisitions include the officially licensed Hello Kitty and Friends The Night Before Christmas; Sugar in Milk by New York Times bestselling author Thirty Umrigar and illustrated by Khoa Le; Pink Is for Boys by New York Times bestselling author Robb Pearlman and illustrated by Eda Kaban; The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by Lil Miss Hot Mess and illustrated by Olga de Dios; Joy to the World illustrated by Sara Gianassi; and more.
Cindy Sipala (she/her) is Editorial Director for RP Entertains at Running Press based in the Philadelphia office. Her passion for classic Hollywood has led to a robust series of film-related books, including the ultimate guide to film noir, Dark City by Turner Classic Movies host Eddie Muller; Hollywood Black by award-winning historian Donald Bogle; and This Was Hollywood, based on the viral Instagram account by Carla Valderrama. She’s always looking for authors who bring fresh perspectives to and tell the fascinating tales of not just film but entertainment and pop culture subjects in general. Her interest in more modern culture is seen in her management of Running Press’s long-standing Wizarding World series, our fabulous Britney Spears Oracle, and a must-have book on Chappell Roan. Cindy is also interested in pop culture-infused lifestyle books, like the Booze & Vinyl series published with André and Tenaya Darlington, and is pursuing fiction in the world of beloved brands.
Shannon Kelly (she/her) is an Executive Editor at Running Press overseeing editorial strategy for RP Inspires (self-help, wellness, mind/body/spirit, lifestyle, cocktail, gift) and RP Studio (card decks, guided journals, games, puzzles, interactive, stationery). She acquires books and other products for adults in those categories, as well as pop culture and humor, and is based in the New York office. She is drawn to offbeat points of view, voices with attitude or an edge, and modern takes on familiar subjects. Her acquisitions include the You Are a Badass® Guided Journal and You Are a Badass® Deck by Jen Sincero; Scam Goddess by Laci Mosley; Cat People by Hannah Hillam; You Have the Magic by Haley Hoffman Smith; Make Your Own Magic by amanda lovelace; Sip Me, Baby, One More Time by Ashley Gibson; No One Has Seen It All by Betty Halbreich; and Weed Witch by Sophie Saint Thomas. Prior to joining Running Press, she was on the editorial teams at Abrams and Viking Penguin, where she worked with authors including Ziwe, Johanna Basford, Elaine Welteroth, Abbi Jacobson, and Henry James Garrett.
Jordana Hawkins (she/her) is an Executive Editor and Licensing Manager at Running Press based in the Philadelphia office. She works primarily on RP’s licensing program with brands like Hello Kitty and Friends, Gudetama, Miffy, Smoko, Pusheen, and more. She also acquires a selection of non-licensed books in the pop culture, humor, lifestyle, cocktail, quirky self-help, and illustrated gift categories. Recent acquisitions include Tequila Mockingbird: 10th Anniversary Expanded Edition by Tim Federle; Bless Your Heart by Landon Bryant; The History Gossip by Katie Kennedy; Literary Cats Coloring Book by Andrew Shaffer; Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge by Erika Berlin; and Shop Cats of New York (Revised and Expanded) by Tamar Arslanian and Andrew Marttila.
Allison Cohen (she/her) is a Senior Editor at Running Press Kids based in the Philadelphia office. She acquires fiction and nonfiction in the picture book and young adult space, in addition to select middle grade nonfiction. Her acquisitions include My Afro is a Rising Sun by Yaram Yahu; How to Spot a Fairy by Sarah Glenn Marsh; The Junior Plant Lover’s Handbook by Molly Williams; 13 Days of Summer by Stephanie Kate Strohm; and The Invisible Wild by Nikki Van De Car, to name a few. Prior to joining Running Press Kids, she was a literary agent and represented both adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction.
Randall Lotowycz (he/him) is a Senior Editor at Running Press based in the New York office. He focuses on pop culture, humor, and licensed projects in both book and kit formats. He’s drawn to smart and lively adult nonfiction with unique and diverse voices championing fun and offbeat information, as well as the occasional children’s title. His acquisitions include TCM’s Hollywood Pride by Alonso Duralde; The De Palma Decade by Laurent Bouzereau; Oh, Bother: Winnie-the-Pooh Is Befuddled, Too by Jennie Egerdie; Peeing and Pooping in Space by Kiona Smith; Queer Mythology by Guido Sanchez; The Rocky Horror Cookbook by Kim Laidlaw; Strange and Unsung All-Stars of the DC Multiverse by Stephanie Williams; and the This is Fine Mini Kit by KC Green.
Kate Ellsworth (she/her) is an Editor at Running Press based in the New York office working across RP Adult, Studio, and Minis, with a particular focus on the RP Inspires and Studio lists. She acquires books and book-plus titles in art, design, lifestyle, wellness, body/mind/spirit, and personal and creative development. She is drawn to projects with an authentic voice and fresh perspective—especially those that weave a personal narrative with a broader message—and has a committed interest in works that address women’s issues and champion underrepresented voices. She is excited by projects that blur the lines between the categories in which she acquires, such as self-development guides for artists or lifestyle books with a touch of wellness. Across categories and formats, she is passionate about the interplay of content and package. Her titles include Ancient Myths and Legends Without Men by Dr. Mara Gold and Real Artists Wear Black by Danielle Krysa. Before joining Running Press, Kate was part of the team at Tanenbaum International Literary Agency, where she worked with authors on art/illustrated, nonfiction, fiction, and children’s books.
Maria Lourdes Riillo (she/her/ella) is an Associate Editor at Running Press based in the Philadelphia office. She acquires adult nonfiction with a primary focus on pop culture and entertainment and an emphasis on humor, theater, film, music, and licensed properties. She also occasionally works on lifestyle, personal growth, and gift titles. She is seeking inventive formats, interesting pop culture stories, bold voices, and original takes, and as a proud Latina, she is always looking for ways to increase diversity in publishing and expand access for underacknowledged peoples. Her favorite projects and acquisitions include Mattel’s Barbie IRL by Kristen Mulrooney and Barbie: The Official Cocktail Book by Ginny Landt; TCM’S Falling in Love at the Movies by Esther Zuckerman; History Hiding Around Broadway by Teale Dvornik; The Hirschfeld Broadway Tarot by Emily McGill; and The Borderlands Tarot/El Tarot de Tierra Fronterizas by Enid Baxter Ryce and Luis Cámara.
Madeleine Shalaby (she/her) is an Associate Editor at Running Press, where she is looking to acquire across the imprints in categories including pop culture and entertainment, fashion and style, food and drink, and licensed projects. Her dream list would include fashion and lifestyle with a fresh edge and celebrations of “guilty pleasures” (though she doesn’t believe in feeling guilty about pleasure). She loves anything decadent and glamorous—whatever that means to you! Madeleine is constantly working to champion underrepresented voices and encourages submissions by queer and BIPOC authors. Before starting at Running Press, Madeleine began her career in London at Hachette UK, where she worked on various commercial fiction teams throughout the company. Having recently repatriated, she’s based in the Philadelphia office and is delighted to be working from her hometown of brotherly love.
Anna Shura (she/her) is an Editorial Assistant at Running Press based in the New York office. She works across nonfiction adult titles, fiction children’s titles, and ancillary and licensed products. Ever a poetry lover and foodie, Anna is interested in lifestyle, creative self-help, gift, and pop culture titles championing art, music, and food and drink through passionate, diverse, and thoughtful voices. She also has a soft spot for anything cat related. Anna is proud to have recently earned her MS in Publishing from NYU, and prior to joining Running Press, she interned with editorial, marketing, and publicity teams at W.W. Norton and Hachette Books and Hachette Go and at DeFiore & Company Literary Agency.
Julianna Holshue (she/they) is an Editorial Assistant at Running Press assisting the editorial team in the Philadelphia office. She is drawn to children’s books, especially illustrated fiction and nonfiction with diverse storytelling from historically underrepresented voices. Outside of children’s books, she enjoys reading literary horror, wacky food history, and queer poetry. Prior to joining Running Press in 2024, she worked as a bookseller at Inkwood Books in Haddonfield, NJ. She still co-moderates their monthly horror book club.