About

Brenda Knight

Publisher

Books That Save Lives

Knight started in sales and marketing at HarperCollins' San Francisco group before becoming the associate publisher at Conari Press, staying on after Red Wheel/Weiser acquired it. In 2015, she won the ALA IndyFab Publisher of the Year award for Cleis.

Ready for a new challenge, Knight was excited by the prospect of publishing books that make a positive difference in peoples' lives. New titles are cases in point:

Queer Cheer: Activities, Advice, and Affirmations for LGBTQ+ Teens (June) came out for Pride Month. Knight approached coauthor Eric Rosswood when the "Don't Say Gay" legislation was first proposed, saying she was concerned for young queer people. Rosswood teamed up with Jodie Anders to write a book of positive and affirming messages for LGBTQ+ youth. "The finished book exceeds all expectations and is going to help so many teens and tweens," she says. 

Kim Colgrove became a trauma recovery trainer after her police-sergeant husband ended his life due to his extreme post-traumatic stress disorder. In Wellness Warrior Style: A Simple, Peer-Supported Guide to Help First Responders and Veterans Heal (May), Colgrove offers help to people who help us in emergencies, as their mental health often suffers.

In The Boy from Mexico Becomes a Farmworker: Grown Up Luz and His Friends Feed America (Sept.), Edward Dennis, whose father walked from Mexico to the United States and became a migrant farmworker, spotlights the valuable contributions of immigrants in America in this sequel to his children's book, The Book from Mexico. "The border and immigration are the hot-button issues in this election year," Knight says. "Edward's book will open many minds."

In September, which is Suicide Prevention Month, Knight published the first title of Books That Save Lives: Reasons to Live: A Guide to Practices that Support Healing Beyond Suicidal Thoughts and Emotional Overwhelm. Author Julia Jane Bruno, a surfer and counselor who runs a mental health crisis center, literally offers reasons to live, providing expert tips, strategies, and resources on where to find help.

The series exemplifies Knight's commitment to making a difference--several authors have already heard from readers that their books helped them hang on. "By working with these authors and publishing their books, I feel like I am offering something to the world," Knight says. "When I'm an old lady sitting on my porch drinking coffee, I can know in my heart I made a difference."