Bridget Kinsella, PW alum, is joining Cleis Press and Viva Editions as marketing and publicity manager. In the newly created position, Kinsella, who has covered the book business for 17 years, will turn the tables and be pitching the media story ideas based on Cleis's and Viva's books. Felice Newman, Cleis cofounder and CFO, said, "Bridget Kinsella has a rare and valuable skill set that presents a whole new package to a publisher." Kinsella was enthusiastic about changing hats: "I am already immersed in media campaigns and working on a manuscript that, as a book trade journalist, I know will be a hot publishing news story," she said.
Cleis publishes books in the areas of sexuality, gay and lesbian studies, erotica, fiction, gender studies, and human rights; Viva Editions specializes in inspiration, personal growth, and lifestyle titles. The houses are based in Berkeley, Calif. Associate publisher Brenda Knight said the company saw a growth in sales of 56% in 2009.
Kinsella, a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism, is also the author of Visiting Life: Women Doing Time on the Outside (Harmony, 2007).
