Meet Little, Brown Spark

MEET LITTLE, BROWN SPARK

Tracy Behar

Vice President, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief

I joined Little, Brown in 2005 after working at Atria Books, Broadway Books, and HarperCollins. I oversee publishing across the Little, Brown Spark list, and as an editor, I acquire within the categories of health and medicine, science, social science, psychology, self-help, parenting, and reference. My books usually have a prescriptive element but they might also be narrative. Among the authors I’ve had the pleasure of working with are Josh Axe, Nicholas Christakis, Roy Peter Clark, Amy Cuddy, Joel Fuhrman, Arianna Huffington, Mark Hyman, Sue Johnson, Scott Jurek, Daniel Kahneman, Marie Kondo, Walter Mischel, David Perlmutter, John Ratey, William Sears, Donald and Lillian Stokes, Andrew Weil, and the Dalai Lama.

Talia Krohn

VP, Editorial Director

I joined Little Brown Spark in 2022 after sixteen years at Penguin Random House. I acquire primarily idea- and research-driven books in business and economics and in the behavioral and social sciences. I am particularly drawn to expert voices with unique insights that help us better understand ourselves, each other, and the ways in which we live and work. Books that I am proud to have published include: Zero to One, Brave, Not Perfect, Essentialism, The Lonely Century, Humor, Seriously, Acting with Power, It’s About Damn Time, Makers and Takers, Insight, The Happiness Advantage, The Power of Broke, and The Start-up of You. While I did not technically attend Stanford University, I have worked with many authors who did.

Marisa Vigilante

Senior Editor

I'm a senior editor who started with Little, Brown Spark in its founding year, 2018. I’ve been a book editor for more than a decade and currently acquire a range of health, diet, wellness, self-help, and lifestyle books. I look for innovative, iconoclastic nonfiction that helps people improve their lives, both prescriptive and narrative. I previously worked at Rodale Books and Penguin Random House, acquiring primarily for the Avery and Gotham imprints, and in the editorial departments of Random House Publishing Group. I've worked with several New York Times bestselling authors like Dave Asprey, Dr. Bill Davis, Lewis Howes, Jillian Michaels, and Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, as well as celebrities like fashion designer Zac Posen, musician Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, and superstar fitness trainer Tracy Anderson. Prior to entering the publishing world, I obtained a master’s degree in public health with a focus on health policy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Ian Straus

Associate Editor

I am an associate editor at Little, Brown Spark, where I work on a range of narrative and prescriptive nonfiction in categories including health, science, and psychology. I’m particularly drawn to books that make innovative ideas accessible, stories that find humanity in unusual places, and anything that makes the familiar seem strange. Highlights include You Can Stop Humming Now by Daniela Lamas, The Man Who Walked Backward by Ben Montgomery, and A Terrible Thing to Waste by Harriet Washington.

Karina Leon

Editorial Assistant

As an editorial assistant at Little, Brown Spark, I work on nonfiction books in the categories of health, science, business, self-help, psychology, and social science. I love books that challenge our current perspectives and inspire us to work towards a better reality. My previous publishing experience includes positions at Penguin Random House and Joyland Magazine. I earned my bachelor’s degree from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where I focused on literature and social and cultural analysis.

Jessica Chun

Senior Marketing Director

I have worked in publishing for over a decade with a focus on marketing nonfiction books that inspire and challenge readers. I have been with Little, Brown Spark since its launch in 2018. Previously, I worked at various imprints across Penguin Random House, including Dutton, Gotham Books, Avery, and Dorling Kindersley. At Spark I have the pleasure of working with some really amazing authors such as Daniel Kahneman, Marie Kondo, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Josh Axe, Dr. David Perlmuttter, Nicholas Christakis, Ingrid Fetell Lee, and many more.

Katherine Akey

Marketing Manager

I joined Little, Brown Spark and Voracious in 2021, with focus in marketing nonfiction books that inform and feed readers’ passions. At Little, Brown Spark, I’ve worked with incredible authors including Priya Fielding-Singh, Lara Bazelon, and Lyndsie Bourgon. Previously, I marketed ELT books at Oxford University Press and medical books at Thieme Medical Publishers. I have a master’s degree in Literature from the University of Colorado, and BAs in English and French.

Juliana Horbachevsky

Associate Director, Publicity

I am the publicity lead for Voracious and Little, Brown Spark, focusing on the cooking, lifestyle, health/wellness, science, and psychology/self-help categories. I’ve spearheaded publicity campaigns for bestselling authors including Nicholas Christakis, Bobby Flay, Josh Axe, Mark Hyman, David Perlmutter, Jillian Michaels, and Deepak Chopra. At Little, Brown, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside authors such as Christopher Kimball, Maida Heatter, Isaac Toups, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, and David Tamarkin. Previously, I worked in publicity at Penguin Random House, Abrams, and Simon & Schuster. A graduate of Loyola University Maryland, I earned my BA with majors in Writing and Marketing.

Lauren Ortiz

Publicist

I joined Little, Brown in 2020 as an Associate Publicist with our Little, Brown Spark and Voracious imprints to focus on lifestyle, cooking, health and wellness, science, and psychology titles. Prior to joining Little, Brown, I worked at NBCUniversal as a Page in NBCU’s Page Program and later as a publicity coordinator with NBC Entertainment, where I assisted in publicity campaigns for late night and prime time television shows including Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Law & Order: SVU, and The Blacklist. In my time at Little, Brown, I’ve had the opportunities of working with talented authors such as Nicholas Christakis, Christopher Kimball, J.M. Hirsch, and Shawn Stevenson. A graduate of Rutgers Business School – New Brunswick, I earned my BS in Business Marketing.

Fanta Diallo

Associate Publicist

As an Associate Publicist at Little, Brown Spark, and Voracious, I work on a range of illustrated and prescriptive nonfiction books in a variety of categories including health, popular science, entertainment, psychology, politics and culture. I'm a recent graduate from the University of Minnesota where I majored in Business Marketing and Strategic Communications with a minor in design. I am a book lover and female advocate. I want everything I do in life to eventually lead to the greater benefit of women, and specifically Black women. Showcasing people's stories and experiences is very important to me; making me particularly drawn to books that center women, POC and LBGTQ+ individuals at the cross-section of current events, politics and unknown social movements meant to spark larger civic conversations.