About Us
Robert Gray, MFA
Proposal Writer
Robert Gray earned an MFA in Writing & Literature from Bennington College in 2003. He is a Contributing Editor at Shelf Awareness, the daily online newsletter and a leading source for information about the publishing industry. He owns Fresh Eyes Now, a consulting service for publishers, agents and authors. He has worked as a frontline bookseller at the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT, since 1992, and was named the store’s first Master Bookseller in 2000. Robert also serves as Publishing Module Coordinator for the Bennington College Writing Seminars. He has written for a variety of publications, including Tin House, Words Without Borders, Publishers Weekly, Bookselling This Week, Publishers Lunch, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Agni, and Cimarron Review. His work has been anthologized in The New Writer’s Handbook 2007; Conscience, Consequence: Reflections on Father Daniel Berrigan; Northern Music: Poems About and Inspired by Glenn Gould; and Crime à la Carte.
Ric Williams, MA
Proposal Writer
Ric Williams received his master’s degree in mythology with an emphasis in depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 1998. Ric has edited the Litera listings of The Austin Chronicle since 1988. He wrote the “Poet’s Beat” column (interviews with local poets) for The Austin Light from 1987-1991. He edited for Ed Buffalo’s poetry anthologies Aileron and Vowel Movement in the late 80’s and early 90’s and was the associate editor from 1997-1999 for Alchemy on Sunday, the literary journal of Pacifica Graduate Institute. He has written and/or edited for the Austin Chronicle, Man! Magazine, the Salt Journal, and Creative Pulse Magazine. His interview with Larry McMurtry is included in Conversations with Texas Writers, published in March 2005 by UT Press. Ric is currently the Senior Editor for Dalton Publishing.
In addition to his literary editing experience, Ric has worked as a professional editor and proof reader for the State of Texas’ legislature and Department of Transportation for over 20 years.
Amy Wink, PhD
Proposal Writer
A graduate of Southwestern University, Amy earned her MA and her PhD at Texas A&M University. She is the author of She Left Nothing In Particular: The Autobiographical Legacy of 19th Century Women’s Diaries (University of Tennessee Press, 2001) and the editor of Their Hearts’ Confidante: The Diaries of Henrietta Baker Embree and Tennessee Keys Embree, 1856-1884 (forthcoming, University of Tennessee Press). She is also a regular contributor to Insidehighered.com. Building on her experiences teaching writing and her academic interest in memoir and autobiography, she developed a writing mentor practice, working with both academic and nonacademic writers. She currently lives and writes in Austin, Texas.
Deltina Hay
Founder and Proposal Researcher
Deltina Hay is the owner and manager of Dalton Publishing, an up-and-coming literary press based in Austin, Texas. She has been programming and doing Web development in one form or another for 25 years. Her love of publishing and media, coupled with her passion for open source programming led her naturally to Web 2.0 and social media consulting. Deltina’s undergraduate and graduate education includes accounting, applied mathematics, computer science, numerical analysis, fluid dynamics, and psychology–so, naturally, she’s a poet.
As a publisher, Deltina encounters queries and book proposals on a daily basis, and knows which ones grab her attention. As a social media marketer, she knows the power and convenience of offering information online and making it interactive and sharable.
www.socialmediapower.com
www.empoweredbywordpress.com
Neil Kahn
Proposal Researcher and Copy Editor
Neil Kahn earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006. She interned with The Texas Medical Association, gaining writing and editing experience through interaction with contributors and editors for Texas Medicine magazine. Neil has always been an avid reader and writer, which lends naturally to her proofreading and editing skills. In her current position as Assistant Publisher at Dalton Publishing, she utilizes and hones those writing and editing skills daily. Working as part of a publishing company, Neil encounters queries and book proposals often, and she knows what catches her attention and what doesn’t.