The Management Team

Kevin Anderson, CEO and Editor-in-Chief

A New York Times bestselling editor, ghostwriter, entrepreneur, and Harvard-educated scholar of literary criticism, Kevin oversees all operations at our firm. Kevin works closely with clients and staff to ensure our firm continues to offer the industry’s highest level of quality and service. See Kevin’s full bio.

Cole Gustafson, President and Chief Consultant

Harvard-educated literature scholar, former English professor, and professional ghostwriter with over 15 years of experience, Cole is our firm’s President and chief ghostwriting consultant. With a passion for perfection, Cole fully immerses himself in his work to understand our clients’ goals and build effective book-writing teams that foster synergistic creative collaboration and high-quality results. See Cole’s full bio.

Alexandra Napolitano, Managing Editor (NYC Office)

A team member since 2013, Alexandra is an experienced ghostwriter, screenwriter, and editor who has collaborated with hundreds of aspiring writers and widely-published authors. Her primary responsibilities include project management, reviewing ghostwritten material for quality control, and coordinating communication between clients and staff to ensure an efficient and effective collaboration.

Erin McKnight, Vice President, Editorial

Erin is the Vice President and chief consultant of our editorial department. Erin’s background in editing and publishing has allowed her to collaborate with writers of all genres throughout the writing, editing, and publishing process. She is a prolific book reviewer, having professionally edited multiple bestselling works of fiction and nonfiction, and her own short fiction and nonfiction titles have been nominated for several awards.

Tim O’Leary, Managing Editor (LA Office)

Tim manages our Los Angeles office and provides ghostwriting consultation for both book manuscripts and screenplays. A published author, experienced ghostwriter, and an award-winning screenwriter and playwright, Tim is a prolific, multifaceted writer in his own right who specializes in character-driven narratives and genre works.

JuLee Brand, Design & Self-Publishing Coordinator

JuLee Brand oversees KAA’s design and self-publishing division. After completing her MFA in Media Design, she became an award-winning Art Director for Big-5 publisher Hachette Book Group. A seasoned and skilled book cover designer, she has created covers for New York Times bestselling authors such as Joyce Meyers, Naomi Judd, Karen Kingsbury, and Lauraine Snelling, among many others. Her passion for graphic design has also led her to teach design classes at several universities.

Elizabeth Pasquariello, Coordinator

Elizabeth manages the front desk, spearheads our social media and community outreach, and coordinates the schedules of the management team. A lifelong literature and art enthusiast, she earned her BFA in Drama and English & American Literature from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and her MA in Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London. She is dedicated to our clients’ success and passionate about helping them realize their publishing dreams.

Adam Brunner, Manager’s Assistant

Adam assists in the daily operations of the firm. In addition to his BA in Creative Writing from SUNY Binghamton and studies at the prestigious Columbia University Publishing Course, Adam draws a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from working for a #1 New York Times bestselling literary agent.

Emma DeBono, Assistant Coordinator

Emma assists in the front office operations. She earned her BA in Communications and Creative Writing from Marymount Manhattan College and, in her spare time, is an avid reader and writer. She is dedicated to directing clients through our various services in order to ultimately help them achieve success in the publishing industry.

Staff Ghostwriters, Editors, and Consultants

Below is a small sample of our diverse team of over 70 staff ghostwriters, editors, and publishing consultants. Please contact us to review a complete staff list and to discuss which writers or editors would be most suitable for you and your book.

Kira Breed-Wrisley, Ghostwriter & Screenwriter

Genres: Memoir, Fiction, Thriller/Horror

Kira is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, professional screenwriter, playwright, and ghostwriter. Her ghostwritten and credited books have secured contracts with Big-5 publishers, including multi-book offers from HarperCollins and Scholastic. See Kira’s full bio.

Marcia Layton Turner, Ghostwriter

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

A New York Times bestselling, award-winning writer, Marcia has authored, coauthored, or ghostwritten nearly 35 nonfiction books. She works almost exclusively with entrepreneurs, CEOs, senior executives, consultants, and business owners. See Marcia’s full bio.

Jim Ballard, Ghostwriter & Editor

Genres: Business, Memoir, Spiritual, Self-Help, Inspirational Nonfiction

Jim is a seasoned, highly imaginative ghostwriter, author, co-author, and editor. In addition to his own titles published by Random House, John Wiley, and Beyond Words, he has co-authored a number of books with business guru and bestselling author Ken Blanchard (which have been published by Simon & Schuster, McGraw-Hill, Josey-Bass and Harper-Collins). See Jim’s full bio.

Caroline Leavitt, Ghostwriter & Consultant

Genres: Memoir, Novel, Developmental Editing, Creative Writing

Caroline is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and part-time novel-writing instructor at Stanford University and UCLA. She’s the author of two New York Times bestselling novels, Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You, along with eight other critically acclaimed books. See Caroline’s full bio.

Alice S., Ghostwriter

Genres: Memoir, Business Leadership, Self-help or Guided Learning (How-to books), Historical Nonfiction, Health/Fitness, Travel/Culture, and Humor

Alice has worked in the book publishing industry since 2001 as a ghostwriter, author, writing coach, speaker, and editor and has worked on over 1,200 books, including eleven New York Times bestsellers. Some of her more notable clients include Dave Ramsey, Michael Hyatt, Bill Cosby, Thomas Steinbeck, Lee Greenwood, George Foreman III, Pam Tillis, and Judge Andrew Napolitano. She works with publishers, agents, and authors to develop books that are both entertaining and memorable. When she’s not working to beat deadlines, she’s playing volleyball or planning her next vacation.

Wendy Lee, Ghostwriter & Editor

Genres: General Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Spiritual/Inspirational Nonfiction, Memoir

Wendy began her publishing career at HarperCollins, where she worked with New York Times bestselling authors and debut novelists. In addition to being an editor, Wendy is the author of the novels The Art of Confidence (Kensington Books, 2016), Across a Green Ocean (Kensington Books, 2015), and Happy Family (Grove Atlantic, 2008). Happy Family was named one of the top 10 debut novels of the year by Booklist and awarded an honorable mention from the Association of Asian American Studies. She has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and the Corporation of Yaddo for her fiction. See Wendy’s full bio.

Kate Hanley, Ghostwriter & Editor

Genres: Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, Spirituality

Kate is a New York Times bestselling ghostwriter, veteran health journalist, and author. She ghosted Effortless Healing, published by Random House, for Dr. Joseph Mercola and has had her own books published by National Geographic Books (A Year of Daily Calm), Adams Media (Stress Less) and Globe Pequot Press (The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide and The 28 Days Lighter Diet). See Kate’s full bio.

Dr. Ernesto Mestre, Ghostwriter & Editor

Genres: Literary and Commercial Fiction, Young Adult, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spanish Translation

Ernesto is an award-winning novelist, editor, writing coach, and translator. He has taught at several prestigious MFA writing programs over the last two decades, and his work has been awarded fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts. His novels, The Lazarus Rumba and The Second Death of Única Aveyano, have received critical acclaim from the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post Book World, and Kirkus. See Ernesto’s full bio.

Karen Lacey, Ghostwriter & Editor

Genres: Business, Memoir, Fiction, Health and Wellbeing

Karen Lacey is a bestselling author who’s worked with some of the largest and most established publishing firms in the world, including Penguin, McGraw Hill, Wiley, and AMACOM. Over the last decade, she has ghostwritten, edited, and doctored numerous books on behalf of her clients, several of which have been published by major publishers and gone on to become bestsellers. See Karen’s full bio.

Ellis Weiner, Ghostwriter & Editor

Genres: Creative Writing, Parody, Memoir, Humor, Satire

Ellis is a widely published bestselling author and the only person who has written for all three of America’s premier humor publications of the last fifty years. He has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker since 1979 and an editor of National Lampoon—his work can be seen in the current documentary Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead. He was also a columnist for the late, much-lamented, Spy magazine. See Ellis’ full bio.

Murphy Hooker, Coauthor, Ghostwriter, Editor, & Screenwriter

Genres: Business, Self-help, Narrative Nonfiction, Instructional Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoirs, Humor, Travel and Adventure, Politics, Spirituality, Television and Film

Murphy is an award-winning screenwriter, widely published author, and ghostwriter. Talented, curious, and highly versatile, he can inhabit almost any genre and adapt his style to his clients’ individual voice. He specializes in bringing his clients’ stories and concepts to life through heightened narratives, soulful characterizations, crackling dialogue, and irreverent humor. See Murphy’s full bio.

Nicole Franklin, Ghostwriter & Editor

Genres: Nonfiction, Investigative Reporting, Biography, Screenplays, Media Analysis and Critique, Celebrity Profiles

Nicole is a prolific writer whose Emmy-Award winning work in broadcasting has influenced her storytelling as an author for both print and the screen. Nicole’s credits as a creator, producer, and writer include work that’s been featured on Sundance Channel, Showtime, Nickelodeon, IFC, and BET. See Nicole’s full bio.

Dr. Jennifer Banash, Ghostwriter, Developmental Editor, & Publishing Consultant

Genres: Memoir, Literary Fiction, Young Adult Fiction

Jennifer is a critically acclaimed writer, a former professor of English and creative writing, and has ghostwritten several New York Times bestselling books in the young adult genre for major publishers (including Penguin). A widely published author in her own right, she is also the author of six critically acclaimed YA novels: Silent Alarm, White Lines, Simply Irresistible, In Too Deep, and The Elite (Penguin USA and G.P. Putnam & Sons). See Jennifer’s full bio.

Alice Anderson, PhD, Ghostwriter, Editor, & Publishing Consultant

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Business, Self-Help, Fiction, Poetry

Alice is an award-winning poet, New York Times bestselling ghostwriter, writing professor, and former acquisitions editor at Random House. Her forthcoming memoir, Some Bright Morning, I’ll Fly Away, recently sold at auction to St. Martin’s Press, and her poetry collection, Human Nature, received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly and won both the Elmer Holmes Bobst Prize and the Great Lakes Colleges Association Best First Book Prize. See Alice’s full bio.

Hy Bender, Ghostwriter, Coauthor, & Developmental Editor

Genres: Medical/Health, Science, Technology, Legal, Political, Comedy, Memoir, Self-Help, Spiritual/Supernatural, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Screenwriting

Hy’s aided hundreds of clients, ranging from New York Times bestselling authors to Hollywood screenwriters; and he’s helped two first-time authors reach The New York Times bestseller list. Hy is the author or coauthor of 16 books under his name that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. These include five books in the popular Dummies series and a Complete Idiot’s Guide, which demonstrate Hy’s ability to explain even complex concepts in an accessible, entertaining manner that anyone can understand. See Hy’s full bio.

Mike Wicks, Ghostwriter & Coauthor

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Finance, Memoir, Corporate History

Military Writer’s Society of America, award-winning writer Mike Wicks, has authored, coauthored, or ghostwritten almost twenty print books and eBooks. He works with business professionals to help them write books that promote their personal and corporate brands and educate their markets. He also enjoys working on narrative non-fiction in the form of memoirs and unusual approaches to stories where fact and fiction interweave. Mike has also written several corporate histories. Mike has over 35-years’ experience working for mainstream publishing houses and was head of the special publications division (which he established) at Random House in the U.K. See Mike’s full bio.

Mary Curran-Hackett, Ghostwriter, Developmental Editor, & Publishing Consultant

Genres: Memoir, Literary Fiction, Inspirational, Self-Help, Business, Health

Mary is a critically acclaimed writer, a former adjunct professor of English literature and writing, and editor of over 100 inspirational and religious books. Her bestselling, novels Proof of Heaven and Proof of Angels, published by William Morrow/HarperCollins, went on to be Target Book featured selections and was an Amazon #1 bestseller. See Mary’s full bio.

Ruth Mills, Ghostwriter & Editor

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Memoir

Ruth has ghosted and published books by CEOs of some of the largest U.S. companies, including Continental Airlines, Donna Karan International, Jenny Craig, and Sears. With more than 30 years’ publishing experience, Ruth was a senior editor at Random House/Crown Business and John Wiley & Sons. See Ruth’s full bio.

Robert Foreman, Ghostwriter & Editor

Specialities: Literary Fiction, General Fiction, Memoir, Humor, Nonfiction, Essays, Biography, Self-Help, Historical

Robert Foreman has won a Pushcart Prize for his fiction, and his collection of essays, Among Other Things, won the inaugural Robert C. Jones Short Prose Prize and was released in early 2017. Five of his essays have been listed as “Notable” in Best American Essays, and he has published widely in literary magazines. See Robert’s full bio.

Stephanie Barton, Developmental Editor & Manuscript Consultant

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Business, Young Adult, Fantasy

Stephanie has served as a developmental editor for Wiley Publishing, collaborating for a decade on bestselling nonfiction books with authors from Google, Pixar, and Salesforce. She then moved to Sage Publishing, where she guided leading business authors to publication on topics such as leadership and marketing strategy. See Stephanie’s full bio.

William Ecenbarger, Ghostwriter & Coauthor

Genres: Politics and Government, Business, History, Memoir, Travel, Creative Nonfiction

Before becoming a full-time writer and ghostwriter, Bill was a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and he was part of an Inquirer team that won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident. In addition, he received the Long Island University’s George Polk Award for a series of articles outlining abuses in the Pennsylvania Legislature. He is the co-author of two books—Catching Lightning in a Bottle: How Merrill Lynch Revolutionized the Financial World (Wiley & Sons, 2013), a history of Merrill Lynch, and Making Ideas Matter (University of Pennsylvania, 2013), a primer on mobilizing political power. See Bill’s full bio.

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, Ghostwriter, Editor, & Publishing Consultant

Genres: Middle Grade and Young Adult Novels, Picture Books, Children’s Nonfiction/Biography (all ages), and Memoir

Elizabeth is an award-winning writer who has published over 40 books for young people, from picture books to middle grade novels, biographies, and historical nonfiction. Her publishers include Penguin USA, HarperCollins, Random House, Little Brown, and Scholastic. She has adapted screenplays into novels for Laika Studios (ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls) and created commissioned original works for the Estate of Laura Ingalls Wilder/HarperCollins (Mary Ingalls on her Own) and American Girl/Pleasant Company (The Jazzman’s Trumpet). See Elizabeth’s full bio.

Art Lizza, Ghostwriter, Editor, & Publishing Consultant

Genres: Personal and Business Memoirs and Biographies, Scholarly Scientific/Technical Monographs, Creative Writing

As a full-time ghostwriter, author, conceptual/developmental editor, and publishing industry consultant, Art excels in the creation of full-length nonfiction personal and business memoirs and biographies as well as scholarly scientific/technical monographs. Art specializes in dramatic, empathetic, and often humorous storytelling.
See Art’s full bio.

George Roupe, Editor & Manuscript Consultant

George earned his bachelor’s in English at Hendrix College and his master’s at the University of Tennessee, where he taught writing, literature, and film courses. He was a technical editor for Martin Marietta and later Lockheed Martin in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, before becoming a copyeditor for Louisiana State University Press. See George’s full bio.

Margaret Wright, Ghostwriter, Editor, & Publishing Consultant

Genres: Memoir, Business, Fiction, Young Adult

Margaret is a gifted editor and ghostwriter whose professional experience includes positions at two Big Five publishers—Penguin and Simon and Schuster. With over 12 years of experience working with elite authors and publishers, Margaret has a refined sense of what makes a great story and is a seasoned memoir and business-book editor. See Margaret’s full bio.

Find the Perfect Writer or Editor for Your Book

The above list of writers and editors is only a small sample of our entire staff. Please contact us to review a complete staff list and to discuss which writers or editors would be most suitable for you and your book.