MASTERING THE TRADE BOOK

Founding Director, Scholars to Storytellers

John is a historian and former journalist, who previously served as executive director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present (Knopf), a New York Times Notable Book of the Year for 2021, and Untapped: The Scramble for Africa's Oil (Harcourt). He has written for such publications as Newsweek, the New York Times, The Nation and the Washington Post, and has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Carnegie Corporation. As director of Scholars to Storytellers, he is passionate about helping academics to reach wider audiences.

Literary Agent, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner

Rachel Vogel has been in the industry for over 20 years, with stints at other literary agencies, a scouting agency, and a publishing house. She represents primarily nonfiction in the categories of history, science, memoir, pop culture, and current events. Her list consists of numerous New York Times and national bestsellers and award winners—including Amanda Montell, Mike Duncan, Adam Aleksic, Dr. Peter Hotez, and Dr. Kate Marvel. In all areas of nonfiction, Rachel looks for immersive storytelling and strives to help academics in all areas of expertise capture the attention of a trade audience.

Co-Founder, Trellis Literary Management

Allison Hunter began her publishing career in 2005 working for the Los Angeles-based literary publicity firm Kim-from-L.A, and was an agent at InkWell Management, the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, and Janklow & Nesbit before co-founding Trellis Literary Management in the fall of 2021. Allison is actively acquiring literary and commercial adult fiction and non-fiction. She loves working with journalists and with experts in their field, and is always looking for pop culture, women’s issues and for books that speak to the current cultural climate. Allison has a B.A. in American Studies and Creative Writing from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, she now lives in Austin, Texas, after over a decade in New York City. 

Former publisher, PublicAffairs Books

Clive Priddle is an editor and publisher who has had senior roles in the UK and the US, at HarperCollins, the Perseus Books Group and Hachette, most recently as publisher of the non-fiction imprint PublicAffairs. There he has edited and published four Nobel Prizewinning authors, and other non-fiction prizewinning writers including Esther Duflo, Kishore Mahbubani, Susan Williams, Ibram X Kendi,  Muhammad Yunus and Stephanie Kelton.

Literary Agent, Trellis Literary

Allison represents award-winning journalists, academics, and thought leaders, focusing on history, science, philosophy, medicine, cultural criticism, and outward-facing memoir. Her clients have been New York Times bestsellers and winners or finalists for the National Book Foundation Science + Literature Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN America Literary Award, the National Magazine Award, the Mark Lynton History Prize, and other honors.

Co-founder, Lavender Public Relations

Amelia brings over a decade of in-house publicity experience to her campaigns. Recent projects include the New York Times bestseller Book & Dagger: How Librarians and Scholars Became the Unlikely Spies of WWII by English professor Elyse Graham, the National Book Award longlisted memoir The Autobiography of H. Lan Thao Lam by Media Studies scholar Lana Lin, and So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color by creative writing professor Caro De Robertis. She has held posts at Little, Brown & Company, Touchstone Books and Flatiron Books, where she launched Melinda French Gates' memoir, The Moment of Lift.

Op-Ed Coach & Historian, University of Minnesota
A historian who successfully transitioned to public writing, David has published 600+ op-eds in outlets including the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Atlantic. He coaches academics on crafting timely, compelling opinion pieces that translate research into public discourse and build author platforms.

Founder, BOSS Cooperative

Billie Olds is the founder of BOSS Cooperative and a mentor to entrepreneurs building businesses on their own terms. With more than two decades of experience, she helps professionals—including academics—turn their deep expertise into clear, viable ventures. Known for her practical guidance and strategic insight, Billie specializes in helping people translate knowledge into sustainable, independent businesses.