Throughout its history, Plume has been dedicated to giving an opportunity to voices previously neglected by mainstream publishing. The pioneering program in multicultural literature, which began with Toni Morrison and Jamaica Kincaid, has expanded to include ground-breaking works by Latino, African-American, and Asian-American authors. Plume publishes such notable writers as Julia Alvarez (In The Name of Salomé), Bernice McFadden (Sugar), Gish Jen (Typical American), Charles Johnson (Middle Passage), Gus Lee (China Boy), and August Wilson (Fences), among many others. Plume was also a pioneer in gay publishing, with such classics as Edmund White's A Boy's Own Story and Andrew Holleran's Dancer from the Dance, which built the foundation for an exceptional gay and lesbian publishing program.

Plume's acclaimed literary fiction list boasts many bestselling and prizewinning authors, including Dorothy Allison (Bastard out of Carolina), Pat Barker (Regeneration), E. L. Doctorow (Ragtime), Diane Johnson (Le Divorce), Joyce Carol Oates (We Were the Mulvaneys), Cathleen Schine (The Evolution of Jane), and Tracy Chevalier (Girl With a Pearl Earring) . Quality nonfiction is another area in which Plume takes special pride, publishing Dave Pelzer (A Man Named Dave) Mary Catherine Bateson (Composing a Life), Russell Baker (Growing Up), Robert Coles (The Moral Intelligence of Children), Dr. James Comer (Maggie's American Dream), Mark Mathabane (Kaffir Boy), and Bill McKibben (The Age of Missing Information), among others.

Plume's dynamic backlist is nothing if not diverse, including Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and numerous other titles by this major twentieth-century writer and thinker. From The Joy of Cooking to Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipes, the cookbook list offers both the traditional and the outrageous. The business and personal finance list is likewise a mix of the classic and the cutting-edge, featuring everything from the Gary Hamel's Leading the Revolution to Jason Kelley's Neatest Little Guide to Investing. The diet and health category leads with Dr. Rachael Heller and Dr. Richard Heller's Carbohydrate Addict's LifeSpan Program, with more than a 1.5 million copies sold. And Leonard Maltin's annual Video and Movie Guide is and indispensable reference for every movie fan.

Plume's long-term commitment to writers and readers is stronger than ever. The publishing program continues to be vigorous and exciting—the best new books in each of these categories will be added to Plume's distinguished list.

Clare Ferraro

President

Clare Ferraro is the President of Viking Penguin, Plume and Studio Books imprints of Penguin Putnam. Since joining Penguin Putnam in December 1997, Ms. Ferraro has been President of the Dutton and Plume imprints, and as such has worked with such authors as Diane Johnson, Toni Morrison, and Joyce Carol Oates. Before then she held a succession of editorial, publicity, and management positions over nineteen years at Ballantine Publishing Group, including Editor in Chief, Publisher, and Publicity Director.

Awards

Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award

2000: Tracy Chevalier, Girl with a Pearl Earring

The Nobel Prize for Literature

1993: Toni Morrison, U.S.
1978: Isaac Bashevis Singer, U.S.

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

1988: Toni Morrison, Beloved
1956: MacKinlay Kantor, Andersonville

The Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction

1969: Norman Mailer, The Armies of the Night

The Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography

1983: Russell Baker, Growing Up

The Booker Prize

1995: Pat Barker, Ghost Road