Scholastic’s Sasha Quinton Opens People of Publishing Conference

Last week Sasha Quinton, President, Scholastic Children’s Book Group joined Mary McAveney, President and CEO, Abrams; and Dominique Raccah, President and CEO, Sourcebooks to open the American Literary Agents’ People of Publishing Conference. The women appeared as part of a panel titled “How She Leads,” moderated by Regina Brooks, President of the Association of American Literary Agents.

The opening session was made up of innovators, disruptors, and visionary women who are shaping publishing. Among the topics they discussed were what it means to be a female leader and why that matters, as well as how leaders can cultivate new generations of readers, respond to changing consumer behavior, and use emerging technologies responsibly to create growth opportunities.

“I’m inspired to be sitting alongside these extraordinary women today,” Quinton said during the panel. “As more women take seats on stages, in boardrooms, and in leadership roles, more will follow... We have so many examples of strong, successful, effective female leadership, and I believe we’ll continue to see that number grow.”

Later in the discussion, Quinton also noted that she’d like to see the industry make a real commitment to changing access and engagement, adding, “This is a highly solvable problem, and together we can make sure every child born in America has books. We can make sure all kids have the opportunity to love reading.”

This year’s theme, Growing Together, reflected the need to keep pace with changing reader habits, new technologies, and an increasingly complex marketplace, and also included a panel called “Managing Your List with Strategy and Intention, moderated by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Scholastic VP and Executive Editor, Trade.

Davis Pinkney spoke with Aram Fox, Agent with Massie, McQuilkin & Altman; Ashley Hong, Editor at Crown & Crown Currency; Emilia Rhodes, Executive Editor at Atria; and Monica Rodriguez, Director of Brand Management and Senior Agent at Context Literary Agency. They examined how agents and editors can evaluate, reshape, and optimize their lists to balance creative ambition, market realities, workload, and career goals.

“Conversations like these remind me how much we gain by sharing experience, questioning assumptions, and collaborating across our different roles to help us see possibilities we might otherwise miss,” Davis Pinkney said after the panel.

You can learn more about the event, which was held at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and brings together literary agents, editors, and other publishing professionals for meaningful networking, education, and professional development, here.