Roger Scholl

Senior Executive Editor
#1 New York Times bestselling editor and former Big Five Executive Editor with 55+ bestselling titles

Roger Scholl has spent nearly four decades as a senior editor, executive editor, and vice president at the Doubleday and Crown publishing divisions of Penguin Random House (PRH). He has acquired, edited and helped to orchestrate the publications of over 60 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers in the fields of business, leadership, self-improvement/self-help, behavioral psychology, history, science, politics, sports, biography, memoir, and current events. For ten years he served as the Editorial Director of the Doubleday Currency Business imprint, acquiring a select list of books by thought leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and bestselling authors, including Arianna Huffington, Chip and Dan Health, Marshall Goldsmith, innovation guru Eric Ries, physicist Michio Kaku, and prize-winning historian H.W. Brands.

In addition to acquisitions, Roger has worked as a collaborator and ghostwriter with dozens of notable authors and titles, many of which sold to major publishers. Some highlights include:

  • Collaborating with motivational guru and bestselling author Grant Cardone on an original audio script called The 10X Mentor for Amazon’s Audible division.
  • Shaping and editing a Simon and Schuster nonfiction history entitled Spies: The One Hundred Year Intelligence War Between East and West, by Calder Walton, a historian at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
  • Ghostwriting an expose by Joshua Powell, former chief of staff to the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre, called Inside the NRA, for the Twelve Imprint at Hachette, a crash project produced for publication in advance of the 2020 presidential election.
  • Ghostwriting the proposal by serial entrepreneur Marc Lore, the founder of Jet.com and former CEO and President of Walmart’s Ecommerce business, which was bought as a lead title for the Crown division of Penguin Random House.
  • Collaborating on a proposal by Hal Hershfield, professor of psychology at the Marshall School of Business at UCLA, called Tomorrow, about research into our future selves and its impact on our behavior, which was acquired by Little Brown (Hachette)
  • Collaborating on a book proposal for a business book called Pause, by Shawn Vanderhoven, which was pre-empted for a major advance by the Atria imprint at Simon & Schuster.

Selected Publications

Business Bestsellers

  • The Earned Life: Lose Regret, Choose Fulfillment by bestselling author Marshall Goldsmith, (2021, Currency, agent: Mark Reiter, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The Soulful Art of Persuasion: The Eleven Habits that will Make Anyone a Master Influencer by Mekanism CEO and Founder Jason Harris (2020, Crown, agent: Steve Hanselman, over 60,000 copies sold)

  • The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Discover How the World’s Most Successful People Launched their Careers by Alex Banayan (2018, Currency Books, agent: Bonnie Solow, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity and the Power of Change by former GE CMO Beth Comstock (2018, Currency Books, agent: Elise Cheney, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The CEO Next Door: The Four Behaviors that Transform Ordinary People into World Class Leaders by Elena Bothello and Kim Powel (2018, Currency Books, agent: Lorin Rees, The Helen Rees Agency, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The Startup Way: How Modern Companies Use Entrepreneurial Management to Transform Culture and Drive Transformational Growth by Eric Ries (2017, Currency Books, agent: Christy Fletcher, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli. Number 2 on the NYTimes hardcover bestseller list (2015, Crown Business, agent: Kris Dahl, ICM, over 150,000 copies sold)

  • Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Scrum co-founder Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland (2014, Crown Business, agent: Howard Yoon, over 300,000 copies sold)

  • Triggers: Creating Behavior that Lasts – Becoming the Person You Want to Be by Marshall Goldsmith (2014, Crown Business, agent: Mark Reiter, over 300,000 copies sold)

  • Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by David and Tom Kelley of IDEO (2014, Crown Business, agent: Christy Fletcher, over 150,000 copies sold)

  • Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less by Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao (2014 Crown Business, agent: Christy Fletcher, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip and Dan Heath (2013, Crown Business, agent: Christy Fletcher, over 200,000 copies sold)

  • Street Smarts: Adventures on the Road and in the Markets by Jim Rogers (2013, Crown Business, agent: Wayne Kabak at WME, over 200,000 copies sold)

  • American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company by Bryce Hoffman (2012, Crown Business, agent: Jane Dystel, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The One Minute Entrepreneur: The Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business by Ken Blanchard (2012, Crown Business, agent: Margret McBride, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries (2011, Crown Business, agent: Christy Fletcher, over 1,000,000 copies sold)

  • The Greatest Trade Ever: How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History by WSJ reporter Greg Zuckerman (2010, Crown Business, agent: David McCormick, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor (2010, Crown Business, agent: Rafe Sagalyn, over 700,000 copies sold)

  • It’s Not Just Who You Know: Transform Your Life and Your Organizations by Building Lasting Relationships by Tommy Spaulding (2010, Crown Business, Michael Palgon, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Getting More: How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the Real World by Wharton professor and former Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Stuart Diamond (2010, Crown Business, agent: Jennifer Rudolf Walsh, WME, over 200,000 copies sold)

  • Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Health (2010, Crown Business, agent: Christy Fletcher; over 50 weeks on the NYTimes bestseller list, over 1,000,000 copies sold)

  • Get Motivated: Overcome any Obstacle, Achieve Any Goal, and Accelerate Your Success by motivational speaker Tamara Lowe (2009, Crown Business, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Who’s Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep Trusting Relationships that Create Success – And Won’t Let You Fail by Keith Ferrazzi (2009, Currency/Doubleday, agent: Jay Mandel, WME, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime by Bill Gates, Sr. (2009, Currency/Doubleday, agent: Andrew Wylie, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The Ten Faces of Innovation: Strategies for Heightening Creativity by Tom Kelley of IDEO (2009, Currency/Doubleday, agent: Christy Fletcher, over 100, copies sold)

  • Sway: the Irrepressible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori and Rom Brafman (2008, Currency/Doubleday agent: Jennifer Gates, Aevitas, over 250,000 copies sold)

  • Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom (2008, Currency/Doubleday, agent: Jim Levine, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth and Happiness by Steven K. Scott (2006 Currency/Doubleday, agent Jan Miller, over 400,000 copies sold)

  • Cirque Du Soleil’s The Spark: Igniting the Creativity in Us All by Lyn Heward of Cirque Du Soleil and John Bacon (2006, Currency/Doubleday, unagented, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anybody Anywhere Can Lead Anytime by bestselling author and motivational speaker Mark Sanford (2006, Currency/Doubleday, over 200,000 copies sold)

  • The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval (2006, Currency/Doubleday, agent Richard Abate, ICM, over 170,000 copies sold)

  • Never Eat Alone: and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz (2005, Currency/Doubleday, agent John Boswell)

  • The Ice Cream Maker: An Inspiring Tale About Making Quality the Key Ingredient In Everything You Do by Six Sigma Quality guru Subir Chowdhury (2005, Currency/Doubleday, unagented, over 125,000 copies sold)

  • The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary by Mark Sanford (2004, Currency/Doubleday, unagented, over 500,000 copies sold)

  • Power Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron by Mimi Swartz with Enron whistle-blower Sharon Watkins (2003, Doubleday, agent: David McCormick, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The Present: The Gift that Makes You Happy in Work and in Life (updated and revised) by Spencer Johnson, M.D. (2003, Currency/Doubleday, agent: Margret McBride, over 600,000 sold)

  • The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America’s Leading Design Firm by Tom Kelley, COO of IDEO (2001, Currency/Doubleday, agent: Richard Abate, ICM, over 150,000 copies sold)

  • Six Sigma: The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World’s Top Corporations the first book on Six Sigma by the creators of Six Sigma practice Mikel Harry, PhD and Richard Schroeder (2000, Currency/Doubleday, unagented, over 150,000 copies sold)

  • Cyber Rules: Strategies for Excelling at E-Business by Siebel Systems founder Tom Siebel and Pat House (1999, Currency/Doubleday, agent Joe Spieler, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The Dance of Change: The Challenge to Sustain Momentum in Learning Organization by MIT’s Peter Senge et al (1999, Currency/Doubleday, agent: Joe Spieler, over 100,000 sold)

  • Intellectual Capital: How the Knowledge Economy is Creating New Challenges for Corporations by Fortune writer and later HBS editor in chief Tom Stewart (1997, Currency Books, agent: WME, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points that Challenge Every Corporation by Intel CEO and Time Magazine Man of the Year Andy Grove (1997, Currency/Doubleday, agent: The William Morris Agency, over 150,000 sold)

  • The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook updated and revised by MIT management guru Peter Senge et al, (1995, Currency/Doubleday, agent: Joe Spieler, over 500,000 copies sold).

General Interest Bestsellers

  • The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington (2017, Crown, agent: Jennifer Rudolf Walsh, WME, over 150,000 copies sold)

  • A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold (2016, Crown, agent: Laurie Bernstein, over 125,000 copies sold)

  • Thrive: Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom and Wonder by Arianna Huffington (2014, Crown, agent: Richard Pine, Inkwell, over 300,000 copies sold)

  • Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by economists Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson (2013, Crown, agent John Brockman, over 350,000 copies sold)

  • Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun by Paul M. Barrett (2013, Crown, agent: Stuart Krichevsky, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports are Played and Games Are Won by economist Toby Moskowitz and Sports Illustrated editor in chief Jon Wertheim (2012, Crown, agent: Scott Waxman, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Traitor to his Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by H.W. Brands (also a Pulitzer Prize finalist) (2008, Doubleday, agent: Jim Hornfischer, over 150,000 copies sold)

  • The Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Teleportation, and Time Travel by Michio Kaku (2008, Doubleday, agent: Stuart Krichevsky, over 200,000 copies sold)

  • What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America by talk show host Tavis Smiley (2006, Doubleday, agent Mel Berger, WME, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s Forgotten Heroes by Hall of Fame basketball player Kareem Abdul Jabbar with Anthony Walton (2005, Doubleday, agent: Sloan Harris, ICM, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by H.W. Brands (Pulitzer Prize finalist) (2000, Doubleday, agent: Jim Hornfischer, over 150,000 copies sold)

  • Courage is Contagious by Congressman John Kasich (1999, Doubleday, agent: Ron Goldfarb, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Schools That Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education by Peter Senge et al (1999, Currency/Doubleday, agent: Joe Spieler, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century by Michio Kaku (1997, Doubleday, agent: Stuart Krichevsky, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Lessons in Living by Essence Magazine Publisher Susan L. Taylor (1995, Anchor Books, agent: Marie Brown, over 200,000 copies sold)

  • Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps and the 10th Dimension (paperback) by physicist Michio Kaku (1995, Anchor Books, agent: Stuart Krichevsky, over 350,000 copies sold)

  • Greg Lemond’s Complete Book of Bicyling by Greg Lemond and Kent Gordis (1987, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Out of Control: Confessions of an NFL Casualty by Dallas Cowboy linebacker Thomas Hollywood Henderson and Peter Knobler (1987, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, over 100,000 copies sold)

  • Pete Rose on Hitting: How to Hit Better Than Anybody by Pete Rose and Peter Golenbock (1986 G.P. Putnam’s Sons, over 100,000 copies sold)

Other Notable Bestsellers

  • Prepared: What Kids Need for a Prepared Life by Summit Public Schools CEO Diane Tavener (2020, Crown, Howard Yoon, Ross/Yoon Literary Agency)

  • The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy and Our Health – and How We Must Adapt by MIT’s Sinan Aral (2020, Crown, agent: Rafe Sagalyn)

  • Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Achievement by Forbes editor in chief Rich Karlgaard (2019, Currency, agent: Susan Ginsberg, Writers House)

  • Rockonomics: A Backstage Tour of What the Music Industry Can Teach Us About Economics and Life by Princeton economist Alan Krueger, former Chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers under President Obama (2019, Currency, agent: Rafe Sagalyn ICM/Sagalyn)

  • The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earth Quake in North American Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by NYTimes science reporter George Fountain (2019, Crown)

  • The Most Dangerous Branch: Inside the Supreme Court’s Assault on the Constitution by journalist David Kaplan (2018, Crown, agent: Esther Newberg, ICM)

  • Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law by bestselling Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz (2016, Crown, agent: Helen Rees)

  • Legend: One Green Beret’s Heroic Mission to Rescue a Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy Lines by Eric Blehm, bestselling author of Fearless (2015, Crown, agent: Christy Fletcher)

  • The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Getting Ahead by Charles Murray, bestselling author of Coming Apart (2014, Crown, agent: Binky Urban, ICM)

  • Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect by UCLA psychologist Matthew Lieberman (2013, Crown, agent: John Brockman)

  • Makers: The New Industrial Revolution by Wired Editor in Chief Chris Anderson, bestselling author of The Long Tail (2013 Crown Business, agent: John Brockman)

  • Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Impact of What We Buy Changes Everything by Daniel Goleman, #1 bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence (2012, Crown Business, agent: John Brockman)

  • Red Ink: Inside the High Stakes Politics of the Federal Budget by WSJ economic reporter David Wessel (2012, Currency, agent: Rafe Sagalyn, ICM/Sagalyn)

  • Everything is Obvious: How Common Sense Fails Us by sociologist Duncan Watts (2011, Crown, agent: Zoe Pagnamenta)