Join the EFA for our upcoming panel, Big Five Publishing: An Insider’s Look, where we ask three former/current Big Five Publishing professionals questions about what it’s like to work for/with the Big Five and how to get their attention.
The panelists:
Sydnie Hyams
Sydnie is an artist, writer, and publisher whose work explores the intersection of digital and analog systems, engaging with, and living in, the unstable boundary between the two forms. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of GUM, an independent publishing project producing both a digital and print magazine, reflecting her commitment to experimental, accessible, and independent publishing. Additionally, they serve as Publishing Associate and Backlist Manager at Penguin Random House, freelance in book design and production, and are currently writing their debut book, forthcoming from Crop Circle Press in 2027.
Diana Gill
Diana spent more than twenty years as an executive editor in Big5 publishing, editing commercial fiction at Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and HarperCollins Publishers, including running Harper Voyager, the science fiction & fantasy imprint at HarperCollins, for twelve years. Some of the many bestselling and award-winning authors she has discovered or worked with include Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Susan Dennard, Richard Kadrey, Zen Cho, S. L. Huang, Shelley Parker-Chan, Rita Woods, Katie McGarry, Mary Stewart, Brom, and Genevieve Cogman, among others.
Connolly Bottum
Connolly Bottum is a freelance editor who specializes in developmental editing and book coaching for romance, fantasy, YA, and upper MG novels. Prior to freelancing, she worked at HarperCollins, where she edited romance novels for Harlequin before joining Inkyard Press's editorial team, which gave her the opportunity to edit YA and MG novels. She now lives in San Francisco with her chihuahua mix, Jasper.