Things are changing here at Koehler Books. After more than a dozen years, our beloved executive editor, Joe Coccaro, is retiring and stepping into a more leisurely role as editor at large. Joe has been at John Koehler’s side since the beginning. They built this house together, book by book, turning what started as a small regional company into a successful independent publisher that produces more than 125 books per year and reaches audiences around the globe.

None of us want him to go.

But there are creeks to paddle and back roads to bike, and Joe is ready to head off on new adventures. He’s a stickler, that Joe, and wields a red pen with all the panache of a musketeer. But more than that, he has been a steady guide and encourager to all of us here, as well as hundreds of authors through the years.

Joe’s been the most influential mentor of my career, and I am honored to be taking the editorial helm from him. You may wonder what will change with a new executive editor. Honestly, not a lot. We’ll continue our spirit of collaboration with the goal of publishing good books and giving a voice to quality authors.

So, it turns out, some things will never change.

Please join us in wishing Joe fair winds and following seas (both of which will come in handy when he’s steering his kayak through Chesapeake Bay).

Sincerely,

Becky Hilliker

Executive Editor