Celebrating Our 2025 PW Star Watch Honorees
We’re proud to spotlight our Penguin Random House colleagues who are being honored in Publishers Weekly’s Annual Star Watch Program for their outstanding contributions to the publishing industry.
This year, four of our colleagues are PW Star Watch honorees, including our very own Helen Rouner, who was selected as the PW Star Watch Superstar of 2025! All of the honorees were profiled in PW Star Watch 2025, and you can read their profiles here.
Congratulations on your incredible work and achievements!
Helen Rouner (©Timothy O’Connell)
Superstar: Helen Rouner, Editor, Penguin Press
Penguin Press editor Helen Rouner is the archetypal publishing professional. She is dedicated, enthusiastic, and excels at her work, which is why she’s Publisher’s Weekly’s 2025 Star Watch Superstar. “It still, sometimes, seems incredible to me, that being an editor is a job,” she says. “There’s such a lively community, however imperiled we are. As long as people are reading, as long as there is an industry, I want to be here.”
In his letter nominating Rouner for Star Watch, Scott Moyers, president and publisher of Penguin Press, wrote, “She is the very definition of a rising star,” noting that she has been promoted three times in less than four years, moving from editorial assistant to editor, “a meteoric ascent as editorial timelines go.” He also praised her for having “already acquired an impressive core list of books” and for being “a formidably impressive advocate for her authors’ work in the world.”
Read more in her PW profile here.
Leslie Calhoun
Honoree: Leslie Calhoun, Associate Editor, Ink & Willow
Years in publishing: 8
First job: Piano teacher
Favorite book read this year: GO AS A RIVER by Shelley Read
What advice would you give to someone interested in joining the industry today?
Practice adaptability and hone an eagerness and willingness to learn and keep learning. Additionally, keep front of mind your passion and love for books and your motivation for why you do what you do. The daily grind of emails and admin work can often create tunnel vision, so it’s helpful to remember the joy of the bigger picture.
Calhoun was nominated by Susan Tjaden, VP and executive editor at Penguin Random House, who describes the nominee as creative, diligent, and collaborative. “Leslie single-handedly runs the day-to-day operation of an entire imprint, demonstrating remarkable reliability and a strong work ethic,” Tjaden says. “Despite having her art and production teams change three times in recent years, due to corporate reorganizations, Leslie has shown incredible adaptability by learning new systems and expectations with each new team.”
Pilar Garcia-Brown
Honoree: Pilar Garcia-Brown, Senior Editor Dutton
Years in publishing: 11
First job: College dining services and Safewalk, escorting people home late at night, equipped with a neon vest and walkie-talkie
Favorite book read this year: STATE CHAMP by Hilary Plum
What advice would you give to someone interested in joining the industry today?
Don’t be afraid to send a cold email and talk to as many people as you can to broaden your understanding of the industry. You’ll learn that there are so many different ways to be a part of a book’s life; you could be the perfect fit for a job you didn’t even know existed.
What advice would you give to a new-to-publishing you?
I would tell myself to ask lots of questions, to manage the little details but not get too bogged down in them, and to step away and read something you love when your brain feels foggy.
Garcia-Brown was nominated by Maya Ziv, VP and editorial director at Dutton, who describes the nominee as passionate, insightful, and sage. “Pilar’s list and taste is admired and envied across the industry,” Ziv says. “She has a unique and keen eye for mesmerizing novels and nonfiction that defy category; books that both capture our present and help readers grapple with the future. Whether it’s giving an author invaluable editorial collaboration and feedback to find the perfect version of their book or creating their dream cover, Pilar puts her heart and soul into her books and authors.”
Katelyn Hemmeke
Honoree: Katelyn Hemmeke, Editor Inklore
Years in publishing: 1
First job: Scraping plates at a banquet and conference center
Favorite book read this year: WATER MOON by Samantha Sotto Yambao
What advice would you give to someone interested in joining the industry today?
Don’t give up! I know that’s far easier said than done, given how difficult the job market is in general and how particularly difficult it is to break into the publishing industry. But you never know when the right opportunity will come up, so keep your eyes and ears open—as well as an open mind—and don’t talk yourself out of something before you’ve even applied.
Hemmeke was nominated by Rebecca Taylor, editorial director at Inklore, who describes the nominee as collaborative, brilliant, and indefatigable. “Katelyn has rocketed into the publishing industry, quickly building one of the most impressive lists of webtoons in the U.S. marketplace,” Taylor says. “She quickly won the Inklore team over with her passion for Korean folktales, her unflappable work ethic, and a sense of humor that makes all hearts grow three sizes.”