If you’d like to book one of our staff, please email bookriot@bookriot.com with details. Please note that when representing RNMG in the media, on a panel, as a speaker, as a jurist, or as a presenter in any capacity that isn’t a one-on-one interview, the company requires that the other panelists, speakers, jurists or presenters include both women and people of color.
Jeff O’Neal
Jeff O’Neal is the CEO and co-founder of Riot New Media Group, Inc (the parent company of BookRiot.com)
Areas of expertise include: startups (esp media and book-related); content strategy; business models for media websites; blogging; social media strategy and implementation; community relations; business management; managing a remote workforce; current events in books and publishing; podcasting
Kelly Jensen
Kelly Jensen is an Editor for Book Riot and cohost on the Hey YA podcast following a career in public librarianship. In 2024, she was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker for her anti-censorship work. Her anti-book ban work earned her recognition from Publishers Weekly as a “Person of the Year” and the Chicago Tribune as a “Chicagoan of the Year” in 2022. She was also named a “Free Speech Hero” in 2015 by the National Coalition Against Censorship. Kelly is an expert in all things book censorship and young adult literature, with special interest in horror, nonfiction, and realistic fiction for young adults. Kelly is comfortable speaking about censorship, intellectual freedom, public libraries, YA lit, mental health, and all of the intersections therein. She’s presented in venues across the country, from classrooms to national stages and as keynote speaker at the Chippewa Valley Book Festival, the Association of Illinois School Library Educators, and more. She loves talking with and engaging both teens and adults. In her free time, she writes and edits her own award-winning and critically-acclaimed YA books.
Areas of expertise: book censorship; young adult books; young adult nonfiction; feminism; trends in teen literature; mental health; libraries and librarianship; prison censorship
Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Rebecca Joines Schinsky is the chief of staff for Riot New Media Group. She co-hosts the Book Riot Podcast and was a co-founder of Bookrageous. Rebecca has worked on the literary internet since 2008. She has spoken about books, publishing, and the evolution of book-related media and communities at Digital Book World, Minnesota Public Radio, the annual NAIBA conference, the Decatur Book Festival, BEA Blogger Con, Book Riot Live, the James River Writers Conference, and more.
Areas of expertise: developing policy and culture to support diverse, values-driven organizations; product development for niche audiences; project and interpersonal management strategies; building and managing a diverse editorial staff; current events in books and publishing; feminism/feminist lit
S. Zainab Williams
S. Zainab Williams is Book Riot’s executive director of content and a co-host of the SFF Yeah! podcast. She reads widely, but her expertise is in science fiction, fantasy, horror, occult literature, general fiction, and memoir. She co-edited Fit for the Gods: Greek Mythology Reimagined with Jenn Northington. Williams was a member of PEN America’s Literary Awards Committee and has moderated and hosted panels and events, including the Portland Book Festival and World Book Night at the Last Bookstore in Los Angeles. She has presented on genre fiction, social media, and editorial work for libraries, college classrooms, and various book and publishing podcasts.
Areas of expertise include: inclusivity in publishing and media; science fiction; fantasy; horror; occult literature; memoir; social media; community management and moderation; content strategy; contributor management; podcasting
Vanessa Diaz
Vanessa Diaz is Managing Editor at Book Riot, the largest independent editorial book site in North America. She is a co-host on Book Riot’s All the Books! and All the Backlist podcasts. She is a former bookseller who reads widely but is especially interested in mystery, fantasy, gothic fiction, mythology and folklore.
Areas of expertise include: genre fiction, trends in Latine literature, diversity and representation in publishing and literature; book clubs; audiobooks; social media; community management and moderation; content strategy; editing content for online publication; and podcasting.