PRESIDENT Julie Merberg began her publishing career 25 years ago as an editorial assistant at Simon & Schuster—which now handles sales and distribution for Downtown Bookworks. Many years as an editor and then as a packager led her to launch Downtown Bookworks as a book packaging company in 2005. But it was her experience as a mother of 4 boys that compelled her to start a children's publishing company with the mission of raising a new generation of book lovers. The list reflects her passions—science and nature, crafts, the arts (and her husband's passion—super heroes). Her in-house focus group helps to insure that every book has major kid appeal and does double-duty—educating while entertaining. Julie lives in Tribeca with her husband and their boys, and spends her weekdays running around downtown between home, work, and the kids' schools.
julie@downtownbookworks.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Working on infotainment titles such as the annual TIME for Kids Almanac has made history buff Sarah Parvis the go-to gal when it comes to all things trivia. She is also Downtown Bookworks’ resident puzzlemaster, having worked on hundreds of picture puzzles for LIFE magazine, TIME for Kids, and Sports Illustrated Kids. Before joining Downtown Bookworks, Sarah Parvis had a bustling freelance career as a writer, researcher, and photo editor (skills that have come in very handy!). She has written Ghost Towns, Haunted Hotels, Creepy Castles, The Quotable Feast, Good Girls Finish Last, and The Kennedy Mystique, and handled the photo research for projects ranging from science to Stetson hats to America’s First Ladies.
sarahp@downtownbookworks.com
ART DIRECTOR Georgia Rucker combines eye-catching color combos, pop-sensibility, and a love of legibility to create books with wide appeal. She designed the cover and interior for the successful and image-packed TIME for Kids Almanac (five years in a row), and several of the books she designed went on to become bestsellers including Kardashian Konfidential, and the highly illustrated 'tween health book Deal With It. In addition to art directing and designing for DTBW, Georgia's lively illustrations can be seen in a few of their titles: how-to illos for a few of the craft books, full-color creations for My Favorite Shoes, and breezy fashion spots for the Allegra Biscotti books. She loves working on books for a younger audience as she has two middle-grade kids of her own (who like to weigh in on first passes...).
g@grfix.com
EDITORIAL /MARKETING ASSISTANT Sara DiSalvo
sarad@downtownbookworks.com
info@downtownbookworks.com
info@downtownbookworks.com