Jesse Shuman

Jesse Shuman (he/him) is an editor and assists Kara Cesare. Some of the books Jesse has acquired and/or edited include First Time for Everything by Henry Fry, the international bestseller The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent, the New York Times Editors’ Choice selection Solomon’s Crown by Natasha Siegel, Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah, as well as forthcoming novels by Alexia Arthurs, Jinwoo Chong, Megan Cummins, Callie Kazumi, and Shelly Jay Shore. At Ballantine, Jesse acquires literary and upmarket fiction with an emphasis on queer voices, as well as select nonfiction. His taste in fiction spans many genres: coming-of-age, psychological suspense, historical, speculative, family sagas, adventure stories, and romantic comedy. He loves books that combine strong narrative momentum with fierce imagination, captivating prose, or a distinctive voice. Before joining Ballantine in 2018, he worked at Knopf and A Public Space.