Michael Szczerban

VP, Publisher

I oversee the Voracious and Spark imprints at Little, Brown, which publish books that make life better. As an editor, my interests are driven by appetite and curiosity, and I love helping authors connect readers to their passions.

I have published numerous bestsellers and established several million-copy series that include Pete Souza’s photo books (Obama: An Intimate Portrait and others), cookbook programs from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street and Jeffrey Eisner, and Sarah Knight’s No F*cks Given Guides. Other projects include Wally Koval’s Accidentally Wes Anderson, Zach Klein’s Cabin Porn, and our half-century-old Ansel Adams program. My authors include Pamela Anderson, Bryan Ford, Sam Heughan, the estate of Johnny Cash, Vivian Howard, Marcus Samuelsson, Daniel Humm/Eleven Madison Park, Brad Leone, and Ayesha Curry. My books have won the Thurber Prize for American Humor and been finalists for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year and the National Book Critics Circle Award. 

Previously, I worked at Simon & Schuster, where I acquired Samin Nosrat’s mega-bestseller Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and helped develop the TED Books line. I then helped launch the Regan Arts imprint at Phaidon, and joined Little, Brown in 2014. We launched Voracious in 2019, and I was named publisher of Spark and Voracious in 2024.

I am a recipient of the Lawrence Peel Ashmead Editorial Award and a Publishers Weekly Star Watch honoree, and have written about our business for Poets & Writers. You can follow me on Instagram @foreverbeard.

Talia Krohn

VP, Editorial Director

I joined Little Brown Spark in 2022 after sixteen years at Penguin Random House. I acquire primarily idea- and research-driven books in business and economics and in the behavioral and social sciences. I am particularly drawn to expert voices with unique insights that help us better understand ourselves, each other, and the ways in which we live and work. Books that I am proud to have published include: Zero to One, Brave, Not Perfect, Essentialism, The Lonely Century, Humor, Seriously, Acting with Power, It’s About Damn Time, Makers and Takers, Insight,The Happiness Advantage, The Power of Broke, and The Start-up of You. While I did not technically attend Stanford University, I have worked with many authors who did.

Cara Bedick

Executive Editor

I joined Spark in 2024, with a focus on categories including health and wellness, self-help and personal growth, lifestyle, science, spirituality, and more. I am always on the lookout for original voices and emerging trends. Some of my recent titles include the #1 New York Times bestselling series Stay Curious and Keep Exploring by Emily Calandrelli and Roxie Nafousi’s international bestseller, Manifest. Other bestsellers and lead category titles to my name include Fit Men Cook by Kevin Curry, The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking, Chair Yoga by Kristin McGee, Wear It Well by Allison Bornstein, Intuitive Eating Every Day by Evelyn Tribole, The Mini ADHD Coach by Alice Gendron, Discover Your Dharma by Sahara Rose, and The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You by Lydia Fenet. I was most recently Editorial Director at Chronicle Prism, and previously held senior editorial roles at Touchstone and William Morrow.

Jessica Chun

Senior Marketing Director

I have been with Little, Brown Spark since its launch in 2018. I love working on books that inspire and challenge readers. Previously, I worked at various imprints across Penguin Random House, including Dutton, Gotham Books, Avery, and Dorling Kindersley. At Spark I have the pleasure of working with some really amazing authors such as Daniel Kahneman, Kerry Washington, Marie Kondo, Dr. Mark Hyman, Tricia Hersey, Dr. David Perlmuttter, Nicholas Christakis, Ingrid Fetell Lee, and many more.

Katherine Akey

Senior Marketing Manager

I joined Little, Brown Spark and Voracious in 2021, with focus in marketing nonfiction books that inform and feed readers’ passions. At Little, Brown Spark, I’ve worked with incredible authors including Lyndsie Bourgon, Arline Geronimus, Roy Peter Clark, and Priya Fielding-Singh. Previously, I marketed ELT books at Oxford University Press and medical books at Thieme Medical Publishers. I have a master’s degree in Literature from the University of Colorado, and BAs in English and French.

Juliana Horbachevsky

Director of Publicity

I am the publicity lead for Voracious and Little, Brown Spark, focusing on the cooking, lifestyle, health/wellness, science, and psychology/self-help categories. I’ve spearheaded publicity campaigns for bestselling authors including Nicholas Christakis, Bobby Flay, Josh Axe, Mark Hyman, David Perlmutter, Jillian Michaels, and Deepak Chopra. At Little, Brown, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside authors such as Christopher Kimball, Maida Heatter, Isaac Toups, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, and David Tamarkin. Previously, I worked in publicity at Penguin Random House, Abrams, and Simon & Schuster. A graduate of Loyola University Maryland, I earned my BA with majors in Writing and Marketing.

Lauren Ortiz

Publicity Manager

I joined Little, Brown in 2020 as an associate publicist with our Little, Brown Spark and Voracious. Now, as a publicity manager with the imprints, I spearhead campaigns for our lifestyle, cooking, health and wellness, business,  science, and psychology titles. Prior to joining Little, Brown, I worked at NBCUniversal as a Page in NBCU’s Page Program and later as a publicity coordinator with NBC Entertainment, where I assisted in publicity campaigns for late night- and prime-time television shows including Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. 

In my time at Little, Brown, I’ve had the opportunity to work with celebrities, influencers, and impactful thought-leaders from every corner of the world. Highlights include Sam Heughan, Leah Thomas, Arlan Hamilton, Hannah Ritchie, Marcela Valladolid, Christopher Kimball, and many more. In addition to my love of publicity, I am passionate about the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at HBG, as such, I serve as the co-lead of the Employees of Color ERG and on Carrie Bloxson’s DE&I Advisory Board.  A graduate of Rutgers Business School – New Brunswick, I earned my BS in Business Marketing. In my free time I love exploring and walking new neighborhoods, paint by the numbers, and traveling. 

Aayushi Agarwal

Publicity Assistant

I joined Little, Brown as a publicity assistant in 2023, after graduating from the University of Connecticut with a BA in English and Psychology. I mainly work as part of the Little, Brown Spark and Voracious imprints, focusing on lifestyle, cooking, health and wellness, science, and psychology. Previously, I have interned at Beacon Press and Barefoot Books.