Celeste Fine
Celeste joined Folio in its founding year and is Senior Vice President. She represents commercial nonfiction, from prescriptive and practical to narrative and memoir, as well as a select list of fiction and YA. She is particularly looking for expert, celebrity, and company clients with strong national platforms, as well as debut fiction and YA authors with MFA’s.
Celeste is recognized for partnering with her clients to support their long-term professional and personal goals and to incorporate their books into an overall brand strategy. She has high expectations of herself and her clients and thoughtfully manages her clients’ careers, which includes:
- Brainstorming and crafting the most marketable book concepts.
- Editing (sometimes writing) and designing the most successful book proposals and manuscripts.
- Pitching top editors in each category.
- Negotiating the best deals with the best publishers.
- Building effective publishing teams, which can include outside publicists, web designers, videographers, etc.
- Pursuing and leveraging additional publicity, marketing, and revenue opportunities.
- Coordinating the publishing process and the publishing team.
Celeste is also the Director of Subsidiary Rights and manages the foreign rights for all Folio clients. She has dealt directly in all major foreign territories and regularly attends the London. Bologna, and Frankfurt Book Fairs. Before joining Folio, Celeste managed rights for commercial bestsellers and literary award winners alike, ranging from Bob Greene, Courtney Love, Scott Weiland, and Anthony Keidis, to Marilynn Robinson, Michael Ondaatje, Dean Koontz, and Janet Evanovich.
Celeste graduated magna cum laude in Government from Harvard University. She is proficient in Italian, Spanish, and French and has lived and worked in Italy and the Netherlands. Celeste is from Southern California.
How to submit your queries…
Celeste only accepts green queries, which means email only. She will not respond to hard copy queries. Her response time is usually within 4 weeks if she is interested.
Recent titles include…
I GOT UP: What a Southern Girl Learned from Manhattan, Medicine Men, and Multiple Sclerosis, Megan M. Evans (NTI Upstream, Spring 2013). Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her twenties, Megan M. Evans’s transcontinental journey of alternative medicine, love, and self-discovery, to Jeff Link at NTI Upstream, by Celeste Fine at Folio Literary Management (North American).
BALANCE YOUR LIFE, BALANCE THE SCALE: 30 Days to Inspired Weight Loss, Jennifer Tuma-Young (HarperOne, Fall 2012). Sold at auction, in a significant deal! Curves Brand Ambassador Jennifer Tuma-Young’s seven steps to losing weight by winning the everyday battles that really weigh you down, by the life coach who has helped thousands of women change their lives and their waistlines.
HOMESICK, Roshi Fernando (Knopf, Summer 2012). 2009 Impress Prize winner! Shortlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award! Roshi Fernando’s collection of fourteen expertly woven stories about a community of Sri Lankan immigrants carving out their new lives in, a sometimes hostile, Britain. British rights sold to Bloomsbury.
DIET REHAB: 28 Days to Finally Stop Craving the Foods That Make You Fat, Dr. Mike Dow (Avery, January 2012). Sold at auction, in a major deal! Addiction expert and Co-Host of TLC’s Freaky Eaters Dr. Mike’s four-week plan, tailored to the reader’s brain chemistry to treat their physical and psychological addiction to sugar, carbs, and fat.
TAMING YOUR ALPHA BITCH, Christy Whitman and Rebecca Grado (BenBella Books, January 2012). Law of Attraction Coach Christy Whitman and Psychotherapist Rebecca Grado show women how to stop controlling, competing, comparing, and cowering so that they can really get what they want in the dog-eat-dog worlds of family, relationships, and business.
THE ITALIAN TABLE, Chef Ron Suhanosky (Kyle Books, October 2011). Author of Pasta Sfoglia, winner of a 2010 James Beard Award, one of Fall’s Best Chef Cookbook by Bon Appétit and one of the top ten cookbooks of 2009 by Gastronomer’s Guide, Chef Ron shares family-style meals featuring Italian-influenced “new traditional” cuisine with an uncomplicated, family-friendly approach.
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK, Eila Mell (Running Press, August 2011). Sold at auction! Filled with hundreds of never-before-seen photos, never-before-told stories, and exclusive interviews with the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Betsy Johnson, André Leon Talley, Philip Bloch, and Fern Mallis, New York Fashion Week captures seventeen years of Bryant Park’s fashion legacy.
A RACE TO SPLENDOR, Ciji Ware (Sourcebooks, April 2011). After the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco, new architect Amelia Bradshaw returns home from Paris to discover her family’s grand hotel lost to J.D. Thayer by her drunken father in a game of cards. Amelia joins architect Julia Morgan’s firm and is forced to work closely with Mr. Thayer to rebuild the Bay View before the famous Fairmount.
LIKEABLE SOCIAL MEDIA: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistable Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks), Dave Kerpen (McGraw-Hill, April 2011). Award-winning marketing firm Likeable Media’s CEO Dave Kerpen’s guide to creating more transparent, responsive, and likeable brands through social media and word-of-mouth marketing.
THE SMALL CHANGE DIET: Ten Steps to a Thinner, Healthier You, Keri Gans (Gallery, March 2011). Sold at auction! National spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and registered dietitian Keri Gans shares 10 Small Change Plans and Success Tests that create lasting weight loss by training readers to change 10 core behaviors through small, manageable steps.
THE HOLLYWOOD WRAP, Nancy Kennedy (Rodale, February 2011). Sold at auction! Twice voted best fitness trainer by Allure magazine, celebrity food and fitness expert Nancy Kennedy shares her Hollywood-insider diet tips along with 100 easy and delicious wrap recipes for on-the-go. Everyone can eat like a Hollywood star on any budget and with any schedule.
FALL IN LOVE LIKE A ROMANCE WRITER, Amelia Grey (HCI, February 2011). Romance writer Amelia Grey shares stories and tips from bestselling romance writers on how to find, make, and keep love. It is no coincidence that the same bestselling writers who have been penning some of the steamiest and most romantic stories around have managed to keep their own relationships and marriages happy and lasting.
HOME MADE SIMPLE, Procter & Gamble (St. Martin’s, September 2010). Sold at auction! Create the home you love to live in by finding ways to simplify, organize, beautify, and inspire your life. HMS is a trusted resource for busy women to get fresh ideas on easy ways to clean and decorate, simple and tasty recipes, and fun projects and family tips. Based on P&G’s Home Made Simple brand and TLC television show.
THE DIVVIES BAKERY COOKBOOK, Lori Sandler (St. Martin’s, August 2010). Sold at auction! No Nuts. No Eggs. No Dairy. Just delicious! The best cookies, cupcakes, muffins, and more from New York’s famous allergen-free bakery, featured on Good Morning America, The Martha Stewart Show, Everyday with Rachael Ray, as well as the New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, Vogue, and Daily Candy.
DREAM SO BIG: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Child Believe and Achieve, Christopher Pearman (Adams Media, May 2010). Sold at auction! Father and former manager to child star Raven-Symone, Christopher Pearman shares his seven Dream Catchers to heighten parents’ confidence and give them the practical tools to help their children find themselves, grow, and exceed their wildest dreams.
THE NEW ME DIET: Eat More, Work Out Less, and Actually Lose Weight While You Rest, Jade and Keoni Teta (William Morrow, April 2010). Time magazine Most Notable Diet Book 2010! Based on the cutting-edge science of hormonal fat burning, The New ME Diet targets specific “hunger” hormones so readers can transform their metabolism and lose fat while working out less and eating more.
THE COLOR OF STYLE, David Zyla (Dutton, February 2010). Dallas Morning News Bestseller! Emmy Award winning costume designer David Zyla has dressed hundreds of women for success, from Susan Lucci to Hillary Clinton. In The Color of Style, Zyla helps readers become their own personal style icon by showing them how to identify their true colors based on their eyes, hair, palms, and wrists.
ONCE A WARRIOR, ALWAYS A WARRIOR: Navigating the Transition from Combat to Home, Charles Hoge, MD, Colonel US Army (Retired), (GPP Life, February 2010). Former Director of the Division of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at Walter Reed Army Institute, Charles Hoge gives warriors and their families the LAND-NAV skills to overcome combat stress, PTSD, and mTBI.
RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT, EAT RIGHT: The Food Solution That Lets Kids Be Kids, Joanna Dolgoff, MD (Rodale, December 2009). Sold at auction! American Pediatric Association spokesperson and pediatrician Dr. Joanna Dolgoff teaches kids how to make healthy choices using the traffic light: green light foods are nutritious; yellow light foods are eaten in moderation; and red light foods are occasional treats.
THE 99¢ ONLY STORE COOKBOOK: Gourmet Recipes for Discount Prices, Christiane Jory (Adams Media, 2008). Sponsored by the popular chain, this handy guide is filled with sample menus, a glossary of cooking terms, and space for creating recipes of your very own. Never again will finances be an excuse for not entertaining with pizzazz.
The 30-DAY DIABETES MIRACLE COOKBOOK: Stop Diabetes with an Easy-to-Follow Plant-Based, Carb-Counting Diet, Bonnie House, Diane Fleming; Linda Brinegar; Linda Kennedy; and Ian Blake Newman (Perigee, 2008). Sold at auction! With more than 200 vegetarian and vegan dishes, plus menus, helpful advice, and full nutritional information, this cookbook combats Type I and Type II Diabetes.
THE 30-DAY DIABETES MIRACLE: Lifestyle Center of America’s Complete Program to Stop Diabetes, Restore Health, and Build Natural Vitality, Dan Braun, Franklin House, Stuart Seale, and Ian Newman (Perigee, 2008). Sold at auction! Lifestyle Center of America offers a proven program to combat insulin resistance and reverse Type II Diabetes.
SECRETS OF GORGEOUS, Esther Blum (Chronicle, 2008). Offering up over 200 quick tips, Manhattan’s favorite sassy nutritionist shows women how to have that cosmopolitan and drink it too. No diets no gimmicks just real solutions for gorgeous girls on the go. Esther reveals secrets she shares with her A-list clients, from nipping a hangover in the bud to choosing the best dish on a date to revving up your sex drive.
EAT, DRINK, AND BE GORGEOUS: A Nutritionist’s Guide to Living Well While Living It Up, Esther Blum (Chronicle, 2007). Sold at auction! It’s quite possible to have your cake and eat it too, says dietitian-nutritionist Esther Blum in this bubbly, vivacious approach to gorgeous living. Blum’s sensible guide resonates with young women, offering an encouraging, smart and sisterly resource.
PRIME FOR LIFE: Functional Fitness for Ageless Living, Randy Raugh (Rodale, 2008). The Fitness Director of The Canyon Ranch’s most prestigious program the Life Enhancement Program shares physical therapists’ insights into keeping your body feeling and looking its prime. Randy Raugh’s revolutionary program helps readers prevent injury, healing pain, and maintain their youthful body.