Simon Element | Marysue Rucci Books | Simon Acumen
Richard Rhorer has led Simon Element since the launch of the imprint in 2021. As the founding publisher behind this venture, Richard and the Simon Element team have established a vibrant home for informative, instructive, and inspirational nonfiction that features bold, original design. Since the first books hit shelves in 2022, Simon Element titles have regularly appeared on the New York Times and many other bestseller lists.
Prior to his current role, Richard served as deputy publisher of Simon & Schuster for a decade. During this time, he orchestrated publication strategies and marketing campaigns for numerous bestselling books, including modern classics like Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat, Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty, Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski, and Contagious by Jonah Berger. During his years as deputy publisher, Richard also collaborated with Marysue Rucci to launch bestselling novels from acclaimed authors such as Laura Dave, Jessica Knoll, and Mathew Thomas. Richard and Marysue now work together to publish novels and narrative nonfiction under the Marysue Rucci Books imprimatur.
Richard's achievements extend beyond publishing, as he also developed and launched top-rated podcasts, Mobituaries with Mo Rocca and Unsung Science with David Pogue in partnership with CBS News. Prior to Simon & Schuster, Richard held a series of sales, marketing, and digital business development positions at HarperCollins and Macmillan.
Doris Cooper was named VP, Editor-in-Chief when Simon Element launched 2021. Before that, she was Editor-in-Chief of Clarkson Potter where she oversaw a publishing program that included #1 bestselling authors such as Ina Garten, Chrissy Teigen, and Gina Homolka, and award-winning books such as Toni Tipton-Martin's Jubilee and Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz. The bestselling and James Beard Award-winning authors Doris has published include Melissa Clark, Alison Roman, Martha Stewart, and Carla Lalli Music. Among her early titles at Element are The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread, the New York Times bestsellers JoyFull by Radhi Devlukia-Shetty and Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby; Cooking in Real Life by Lidey Heuck, which was named a Best Cookbook by Food & Wine, Epicurious, and Eater; and the USA TODAY bestseller 15 Lies Women Are Told at Work by NBCUniversal’s Chairman, Bonnie Hammer. Forthcoming titles include cookbooks from Tieghan Gerard, You Got This! by Diane Morrisey, and new design books from Nate Berkus and Erin Gates. As a senior editor at William Morrow, where Doris started her career, she acquired bell hooks’s All About Love and edited multiple volumes by Nikki Giovanni and the New York City Ballet. Her first publishing job was as an intern at Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Areas of Interest: Cooking, Health & Wellness, Home, Design, Behavioral Psychology, and Personal Development
Justin Schwartz joined Simon & Schuster in 2020 as vice president and executive editor. Justin’s publishing career spans thirty years, and his acquisitions include all-time bestsellers and classics such as The Whole30, which spent 116 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. He has published books by celebrity chefs, television personalities such as Drew and Jonathan Scott of Property Brothers, and blogging and social media superstars like New York Times bestsellers Binging with Babish by Andrew Rea and The Defined Dish by Alex Snodgrass. At Simon Element, Justin continues to enthusiastically publish in the lifestyle category with a focus on books that better lives and that are best portrayed through photography and other visually driven formats, including New York Times bestsellers Seriously, So Good by Carissa Stanton, Somebody Feed Phil the Book by Phil Rosenthal, Tasting History by Max Miller, Basics with Babish by Andrew Rea, and Salt Hank by Henry Laporte.
Areas of Interest: Cooking, Wine & Spirits, Health & Wellness, Spirituality, and Home
Leah Miller is a founding member of the Simon Element team. She began her editorial career at Free Press, and has worked at Atria, Harmony Books, Rodale Books, and Grand Central Publishing. Leah specializes in practical and narrative nonfiction that inspires, informs, and empowers readers to create change in their lives. She has edited and published award-winning and bestselling prescriptive and narrative nonfiction throughout her career, including books by Bill Nye, Vishen Lakhiani, Pedram Shojai, Dr. William Li, Joanne Huist Smith, Mira Bartók, Julia Scheeres, and many others. A graduate of Johns Hopkins, she lives in Westchester with her husband and two children.
Areas of Interest: Health, Wellness, Personal Transformation, Relationships, Parenting, Productivity, Inspiration
Samantha Weiner joined Simon Element as Executive Editor in 2022. With a keen eye for thought leaders at the forefront of cultural conversations, Samantha has worked with authors such as comedian Iliza Shlesinger; DJ Envy, cohost of The Breakfast Club; former star of The Bachelor and host of The Viall Files, dating expert Nick Viall; Scott Aukerman of Comedy Bang! Bang!; and Questlove. Samantha launched her publishing career at Abrams, where she rose from editorial assistant to executive editor and was a driving force in the expansion of their nonfiction list. At Abrams she was the editor of such breakout successes as Shea Serrano’s New York Times bestsellers The Rap Year Book and Basketball (and Other Things); Amanda Seales’s Small Doses; Complex Media’s much-coveted Complex Presents: Sneaker of the Year; and Why I March, a visual tour-de-force of the women’s movement today. At Simon Element, Samantha bridges the illustrated and non-illustrated lists. Her forthcoming titles include Go Higher by rap superstar Big Sean; How to Giggle by Paige Desorbo and Hannah Berner, cohosts of the podcast Giggly Squad; and a behind-the-scenes visual history of Blumhouse Productions’ impact on the horror genre. Samantha holds an MFA in creative writing from American University and has been a writing instructor at the Wharton School of Business.
Areas of Interest: Personal Development, Popular Culture, and Illustrated Reference
Lauren Marino joined Simon Element as Executive Editor in 2024. She came from the Hachette Book Group where her list included Super Gut by William Davis, Collective Illusions by Todd Rose, The Five Practices of Highly Resilient People, Dark Calories by Dr. Catherine Shanahan, and Lindy West’s Adult Braces. Throughout her career, she has always focused on nonfiction in myriad categories. As an editor at Penguin Random House she edited foundational works including The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow, Letters to a Young Brother by Hill Harper, Dark Nights of the Soul by Thomas Moore, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life by James Hollis, and The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler.
Areas of Interest: Health & Wellness, Psychology, Self-Help & Motivation, Parenting, and Relationships
Veronica (Ronnie) Alvarado is Senior Editor at Simon Element, where she champions authors who are bold innovators, visionaries, and disruptors who inspire readers to take action. Her list includes books in a diverse array of categories, including spirituality, communication, women’s health, memoir, and special illustrated projects. Notable titles include New York Times bestselling author Dr. Jolene Brighten’s Is This Normal?; the national bestseller 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg; the national bestseller The Astrology Advantage by Ophira and Tali Edut, aka the AstroTwins; and Women Living Deliciously by Sunday Times bestseller Florence Given. Ronnie began her career at Skyhorse Publishing and previously worked at Tiller Press. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Columbia Publishing Course.
Areas of Interest: Body, Mind, & Spirit; Personal Development; Health & Wellness; Memoir, and Cooking
Maria Espinosa began her career in publishing at Little, Brown and Company before joining Simon Element in 2023 as an Assistant Editor to Doris Cooper and Ronnie Alvarado. Maria is inspired by beautifully illustrated books in the lifestyle and gift space, as well as prescriptive nonfiction works, books on sexuality, wellness, and pop culture. She is particularly interested in acquiring projects that center marginalized voices and challenge our preconceived notions of the world. She graduated from Duke University with majors in international comparative studies and French, and a minor in art history. She speaks English, Spanish, and French.
Areas of Interest: Relationships & Sexuality, Personal Development, Health & Wellness, and Illustrated Reference
Katie McClimon is an editorial assistant to Emily Graff and Lauren Marino. Prior to joining Simon Element in 2022, she worked as a publishing assistant at powerHouse Books, and previously held internships at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret Literary Agency and New York City Center. She is particularly drawn to books on psychology and mental health, wellness, personal development, and memoir. Having worked in a wine store after college, she is also interested in books on wine. She graduated from Wesleyan University in 2020 with degrees in English and psychology.
Areas of Interest: Psychology, Personal Development, Memoir, Wine & Spirits, Cooking
Gina Navaroli joined Simon Element in 2022 as an Editorial Assistant to Justin Schwartz and Samantha Weiner. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism. She previously worked as an Publishing Assistant at MSNBC’s Know Your Value, where she wrote articles about empowering women in their professional and personal lives and transcribed interviews for Morning Joe cohost Mika Brzezinski. In 2022, she attended the NYU Summer Publishing Institute, which led to her current position at Simon & Schuster. She’s drawn to books on cooking, self-improvement, and pop culture.
Areas of Interest: Cooking, Health & Wellness, and Memoir
Erica Siudzinski joined Simon Element in November 2023 as an editorial assistant to Stephanie Hitchcock, after over a year at Atria Books. Prior to editorial, Erica worked in S&S sales assisting Gary Urda in the daily running of his office, as a bookseller and lead manager at her local indie bookstore on Long Island, and as an intern in the production department at W. W. Norton. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, with minors in Philosophy and Women and Gender Studies. She loves to read fiction with sharp and devastating prose, distinct voices, and morally dubious characters, and leftist nonfiction with underrepresented perspectives on social and political issues.
