Lesley Rains, former manager and buyer for the City of Asylum Bookstore in Pittsburgh, has joined the University of Pittsburgh Press as its publicity manager.
“Lesley’s experience in front-line bookselling brings a real understanding of the importance of publicity to sell books in a competitive retail environment,” said Marketing Director John Fagan.
Rains will oversee all publicity efforts at the press including review coverage, author events and prize applications. She will also work with authors published in the award-winning Pitt Poetry Series, regional interest titles and renowned scholarly monographs.
Rains holds master’s degrees in both European history and European studies. As the manager of the City of Asylum Bookstore and active member of the local and national bookselling communities, she brings valuable knowledge of the trade and first-hand appreciation of the importance of strong publicity efforts.
“We are delighted that Lesley has joined the press, and I am particularly pleased about her scholarly background, which will serve our academic publishing program well,” said Press Director Peter Kracht.
“I’m thrilled to join the University of Pittsburgh Press,” said Rains. “I have always admired their work, both as a reader and a bookseller. To be able to help share their books and authors with the world is a dream come true.”