Publishers Weekly, in association with Frankfurter Buchmesse, is pleased to announce the PW Star Watch Honorees of the fifth annual PW Star Watch program. Fifty honorees from the U.S. and Canada were chosen for their trailblazing spirit, innovative problem-solving, and leadership qualities by a jury composed of editors and managers from Publishers Weekly, Frankfurter Buchmesse, and the American Booksellers Association.

“For the fifth year in a row, PW Star Watch has identified a new swath of innovators and motivators within the publishing and bookselling communities,” said Jim Milliot, editorial director of Publishers Weekly and PW Star Watch 2019 juror.

Literary agents, editors, sales specialists, publicists, designers, and others are among the honorees for 2019. For the first time, a bar owner and founder of a literary series, Denis Woychuk of KGB in New York’s Lower East Side, made the cut.

“Frankfurter Buchmesse is dedicated to growing and celebrating talent around the world,” said Thomas Minkus, v-p, emerging media and English language markets, Frankfurter Buchmesse. “We are proud to support all of the honorees over the last five years both in the U.S. and on a global stage.”

The 50 Honorees will be narrowed to a Top 5 select group who stood out among the honorees, to be announced and profiled in the September 2, 2019, issue of Publishers Weekly magazine.

One “Superstar” will be named at the PW Star Watch celebratory event at the Marquee nightclub in New York City on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A VIP reception for the honorees takes place just prior to the party.

The winner receives a sponsored trip to the Frankfurt Book Fair. The trip covers an all-access Business Club Ticket, which includes access to the Business Club at the fair, and conferences and matchmaking events at Frankfurter Buchmesse. The fair will be held from October 16 to 20, 2019.

The 2018 “Superstars” were the dynamic duo Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli, founders of Timbuktu Labs and creators of the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series. Previous Superstars include Gabriella Page-Fort, editorial director, AmazonCrossing (2017); Andrew (Harwell) Eliopulos, executive editor, HarperCollins (2016); and Helen Yentus, art director, Riverhead Books, the winner of the 2015 inaugural PW Star Watch.

Tickets to the PW Star Watch celebration are now available for purchase.

PW Star Watch 2019 Honorees:

Margot Atwell, Senior Director, Publishing, Kickstarter, PBC

Andrea Baird, Director of Marketing, Triumph Books and Chicago Review Press

Jennifer N. Baker, Creator and Host, Minorities in Publishing Podcast

Nicole Brinkley, Bookseller, Oblong Books and Music

Amanda and Rob Broder, Cofounders, Ripple Grove Press

Maddie Caldwell, Editor, Grand Central Publishing

Emily Day, Library Marketing Coordinator and YA Specialist, Macmillan

Marissa DeCuir, President, Partner, JKS Communications

Hannah Oliver Depp, Bookseller, Loyalty Bookstore

Andrea DeWerd, Marketing Director, Penguin Random House

Grace Doyle, Editorial Director, Thomas & Mercer (Amazon Publishing)

Orlando Dos Reis, Editor, Scholastic

Emily Folks, Publishing Sales Director, Andrews McMeel Publishing

Lynn Ford, Digital Marketing and PR Manager, C&T Publishing

Gina Gagliano, Publishing Director, Random House Graphic

Naomi Gibbs, Senior Editor, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Adria Goetz, Literary Manager, Martin Literary & Media Management

Jennifer Griffiths, Designer, Penguin Random House Canada

Greg Hunter, Editorial Director, Lerner Publishing Group

Lori Kilkelly, Agent and Owner, LK Literary Agency

Na Kim, Art Director, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Kevin Kushman, Director, Blue Manatee Literacy Project

Justin Paul Lawrence, Sales Director, InterVarsity Press

Heather Luciano, Publisher, Elsevier

Bethany Marshall, Publishing Director, Morgan James Publishing

Lauren Maturo, Senior Publicist, Blackstone

Sara Megibow, Senior Agent, KT Literary, LLC

David Moench, Director of Publicity, Del Rey, Random House, Penguin Random House

Carrie Montoya, Manager, Revisions and Author Care, Cognella

Josh Mosey, Children's Book Buyer, Baker Book House

Amber Oliver, Acquiring Editor, Harper Collins and Harper Perennial

Kwanza Osajyefo, Cofounder, Creator, Author, BLACK

Andy Perham, Bookseller, Books Inc.

Beth Phelan, Literary Agent, Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency

Amelia Possanza, Assistant Director of Publicity, Flatiron Books

Jennifer Powell, Director of Rights and Co-editions, Scholastic

Joshua Redlich, Senior Publicist, Random House Children's Books

Clare Reeth, Director, Literary Affairs, 20th Century Fox/Disney

Benjamin Rosenthal, Executive Editor, HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books

Noëlle Santos, Founder and Bookseller, The Lit Bar

Brian Skulnik, Managing Editor, RosettaBooks

Clay Stafford, President, CEO, Founder, Killer Nashville

Taneka Stotts, Cofounder, Editor, Creator, Author, Beyond Press

Brent Taylor, Literary Agent, Triada US Literary Agency

Nick Thomas, Senior Editor, Levine Querido

Emily Tyler, Digital Product Manager, Rowman & Littlefield

Danny Vazquez, Acquiring Editor, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Ivy Noelle Weir, Publicist and Marketing Manager, Quirk Books

Reid Welsh, Senior Analyst, Sales Business Development, Penguin Random House

Denis Woychuk, Founder, KGB Bar and Literary Series

Correction: This article initially misspelled Andrea DeWerd's surname, and mistitled Lynn Ford and Andrea Baird.

s