Ron Hogan Email & Phone Number

I'm helping to bring more people to Friends Journal, a magazine/website that shares stories about the lives and experiences of contemporary Quakers, as well as QuakerSpeak, a video interview series that shines a light on various aspects of our traditions and how they inform our contemporary lives. Our aim is not just to connect with fellow Quakers, although that's certainly important—we also want to be a welcoming resource for anyone who's curious about our faith and the ways in which we practice it.

Initially launched as a zine in 1995, Beatrice.com quickly evolved into a showcase for author Q&As inspired by my fandom for the Paris Review interviews. In late 2003, as an increased freelance workload gave me less time to devote to interviewing, I switched to a blog format, which immediately exposed the site to an even larger audience.As a book blogger, I was recognized for my expertise in introducing readers to great books and great writers, and for taking a serious, considered approach to many forms of commercial fiction, from science fiction and fantasy to romance and women's fiction. I was a highly visible critic of the mainstream literary establishment's handling of these genres, but also respected by literary critics for my fairhandedness and willingness to focus on the books and the writing rather than the personality clashes. The blend of commentary and original reporting I became known for at GalleyCat has its origins in my posts here.Running my own website, I became skilled at using content management systems such as Movable Type and WordPress, and can easily acclimate myself to other CMS platforms. This is also where I began honing my experience in social media, establishing a following on Facebook and Twitter that could simultaneously call attention to my blog posts and hold my audience's attention between posts.Over the years, I've expanded beyond blogging to launch the "Life Stories"​ podcast, dedicated to interviews with memoir writers, and an experimental video series called "The Handsell with Ron Hogan"​ that used Tumblr and YouTube to showcase reading recommendations by authors and booksellers on location at independent bookstores.I've also curated literary events for a number of New York City venues, and I'm currently the co-host of the city's first (and only) ongoing reading series for romance writers, Lady Jane's Salon.

One of my most notable freelance gigs was as a contributing editor at the bookselling newsletter Shelf Awareness, where I provided coverage of literary events in the New York City area, and also wrote book reviews, author Q&As, and other features. I then became the line editor for the newsletter's book review section, working with approximately 20-25 freelancers to maintain the editorial calendar for five daily editions and two special editions of Shelf Awareness for Readers (Tuesdays and Fridays), which were dedicated exclusively to reviews and author-related features. I left this full-time freelance position to take the staff position at Regan Arts.During this time, I was also writing reviews and features for a number of other print and online publications, including Buzzfeed, The Daily Beast, Publishers Weekly, and The Dallas Morning News. For nearly a year, before the site was shuttered, I served as the literary correspondent for the USA Network's Character Approved website, showcasing notable American authors and publishers.

I have extensive public speaking experience, including presentations and panel discussions at venues such as the Association of American Publishers, BookExpo America, NYU Summer Publishing Institute, RT Booklovers Convention, Miami Book Fair, South Dakota Festival of Books, Writers League of Texas, Texas Book Festival, the Tucson Festival of Books, Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend, Book Blogger Convention, Alabama Book Festival, Southern Independent Booksellers Association, New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, Empire State Book Festival, James River Writers, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Small Press Book Fair, the Southern Festival of Books, O’Reilly Tools of Change, Unicorn Writers Conference, VA Festival of the Book, and on C-SPAN’s BookTV.

Greater New York City Area

I helped launch this book publishing company and define its editorial strategy over the first two years, pursuing strong, voice-driven material and powerful stories in both commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction. My titles included:• A CITY DREAMING by Daniel Polansky• THE SINGING BONE by Beth Hahn• THE BOOKS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE, edited by Bethanne Patrick• DEPTH by Lev AC Rosen (a Shamus Award finalist)• THE NAKEDS by Lisa Glatt• THE INVADERS by Karolina Waclawiak (a 2016 Tournament of Books finalist!)• ALLEGIANCE by Kermit Roosevelt (a Harper Lee Prize for Fiction finalist)• LOLITO by Ben Brooks• JIMMIE LEE & JAMES by Steve Fiffer and Adar Cohen• EMPIRE: THE UNAUTHORIZED UNTOLD STORY by Robert Ham

I help publishing companies and individual authors develop stronger connections with their readers through a consistent digital presence. I've developed two handbooks, "Creating an Online Presence" and "Promoting Yourself Through Social Media," explaining the basic principles of online self-promotion through websites, blogs, and other social media. Since 2012, I've been working with Bridget Marmion and her colleagues at Your Expert Nation.

I helped plot out the marketing of HMH's adult and children's fiction and nonfiction through digital channels, including the company's ongoing relationships with key online vendors, and working with authors to guide them in establishing their own online presences.

For just over four years, I wrote about the book publishing industry every Monday through Friday, offering a combination of news bulletins, original reporting, and commentary. During this time, GalleyCat was known as one of the most reliable sources for insights into the book publishing industry, and I was frequently asked by journalists at other publications to comment on publishing-related news stories.