In So Many Words
JAMIE THOMPSON
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR.
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR.
WRITER.
CREATIVE.
(Iron Fist. Velvet Glove.)
Books + Gifts + Culture + Arts
Years of publishing experience preceded by a career as a studio executive means I am uniquely positioned
at the intersection of culture, entertainment, and content.
(Okay, it's a three-way intersection.)
CAREER
I've been there. And I've probably done that.
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
INSIGHT EDITIONS
ENTERTAINMENT + LIFESTYLE + GIFT & STATIONERY
August 2022 - Present
Insight Editions is an award-winning independent book publisher and entertainment company. We specialize in the creation and distribution of stationery, gifts, books, and comics in partnership with leading entertainment brands, authors, photographers, and artists in over forty countries. Our publishing program includes titles from many of the world’s largest pop-culture brands, including Harry Potter, DC Comics, Marvel, LucasFilm and Disney, as well as our own best-selling proprietary developments. For over 20 years, Insight Editions has developed a reputation for innovation, quality and driving commercial success for its products and brands. Recent national bestsellers include Friends: The Official Cookbook, Harry Potter: Knitting Magic, and Star Wars Everyday.
SNAPSHOT: "NEW MONEY FROM OLD ROPE"
Insight Editions Pop Culture Tarot Program Expansion
How can you extract new value from existing content? By adding new form factors while simultaneously leveraging existing content. I expanded the successful Insight Editions Tarot Deck and Gift Sets program by 50%, while slashing creative development costs. And I'm proud to say that our 2023 release of the Universal Monsters Tarot Deck and Guidebook won the Best Product Award—Stationery, at the Universal North American Consumer Products Summit!
Additionally, I expanded our upcoming deck development for pub years 2024 and 2025 by adding 15 new Tarot sets (with original content) to our overall licensing deals with existing IP properties. We are also about to announce a partnership with one of the world’s largest pop-culture collectibles companies to develop a series of Tarot Decks based on their properties. Insight Editions Tarot Decks and Tarot Gift Sets are based on beloved licensed properties including Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Supernatural, Hocus Pocus, Good Omens, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stranger Things, and Disney Villains among many others, in addition to completely unique offerings like a collaboration with filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro for Tarot Del Toro and H.G. Lovecraft’s Necronomicon Tarot.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
CHRONICLE BOOKS
October 2019-August 2022
I acquired books for the Entertainment list.
Highlights include The History of Sketch Comedy by Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key,
which debuted at #1 on the Amazon Bestseller List in Comedy the first week of its release
and landed spots on the Best Books of 2023 lists from Barnes & Noble and Vulture.
I managed the gift and stationery formats program across Entertainment, LIfestyle, and Art.
I shepherded the Games Room program, acquired in 2021.
Chronicle is inspired by the enduring magic of books, and by sparking the passions of others. We believe in partnering with artists, writers, and organizations that represent the diversity of our world, and we are committed to an inclusive company culture that respects and uplifts people of diverse backgrounds and points of view.
SNAPSHOT: "MAKE 'EM LAUGH"
Humor Books Sell!
Bringing humor to the Lifestyle / Food / Wellness / Parenting space
Selected Acquisitions
Chronicle Books 2022-2023
The Green Dumb Guide to Houseplants: 45 Unfussy Plants That Are Easy to Grow and Hard to Kill
by Holly Theisen-Jones
For those who want to take care of houseplants but can hardly take care of themselves, The Green Dumb Guide to Houseplants is the perfect handbook for even the most greenery-inept individual. "A charming, browsable, useful book for beginners...The layout is colorful and inviting, and humorous asides pepper the text." ―Library Journal
Catffirmations: Mindful Mantras to Awaken Your Inner Cat
Illustrations by Lim Heng Swee / Text by Marcello Picone
Are you struggling with stress? Do you wish your life was less hectic? Take solace in the instinctive wisdom of clever felines in this beautifully illustrated, cat–themed book of affirmations. Whether it's knowing when to curl up for a good nap or taking time out to sniff the catnip, cats know a thing or two about living your best life. Distract yourself from your troubles by searching for the hidden cats in every page of captivating minimalist artwork. Repeat the affirmations to find your most centered and playful self. This little book is the purrfect combination of sincere and silly to help you find the confidence to know you will always land on your feet. See the complete line of Catffirmations titles at Chroniclebooks.com
Recipe for Disaster: 40 Superstar Stories of Sustenance and Survival
by Alison Riley is a collection of stories and recipes—from a veritable who’s who from the worlds of food, music, art, literature, activism, fashion, and pop culture—about finding comfort in food, surviving the unthinkable, and living to tell about both. Discover how getting dumped led to author Samantha Irby's Rejection Chicken. Comedian Sarah Silverman tells of the power of the humble Pinwheel cookie that got her through bouts of crippling childhood depression. Culinary legend Alice Waters reflects on how a perfectly dressed salad has carried her and her chosen family through loneliness and uncertainty. Here are forty recipes—some traditional, some unconventional—that commemorate the low points with the same culinary conviction with which we celebrate the highs. Part cookbook, part candid confessions, this book of good food for bad times reminds us that even the worst of days yield something worth sharing.
Sex and the Single Panda: The Revolting Pursuit of Love in the Animal Kingdom
by Dahlia Gallin Ramirez
All about the absurdities of animal courtship, Sex and the Single Panda: The Revolting Pursuit of Love in the Animal Kingdom is an illustrated humor book detailing the factual—and often disgusting—mating habits of a wide variety of animals gone wild—from big beasts to wee beasties. Through a series of funny dating profiles, find out more about the unbelievably weird mating habits of a variety of bachelors, bachelorettes, and gender non-binary bachelorx, from capuchin monkeys and praying mantises to hyenas and hippos. Raunchy, yet informational, and packed with helpful infographics, guides, and more, this is a laugh-out-loud delight for animal lovers and comedy fans alike. "Hilarious, horrifying, and delightful."—Roz Chast
Dad Law: The Definitive Reference for All Things Dad
by Ally Probst and Joel Willis
Finally, the unwritten rules of Dadhood have been written in Dad Law. Since the dawn of time, all dads have understood that there are a set of rules for fathers—both old and new alike—that guide them to gleefully repeat terrible puns as well as to hone the perfect deadpan joke delivery. This handsome tome collects all of the governing laws of fatherhood, covering a vast array of conceivable situations ranging from fashion to tech to simply being a dad in public. At last, fathers need look no further to confirm that their instincts are 100 percent legally sound, whether it's to vigilantly guard the thermostat settings or to tell unsuspecting children, “Hey, pull my finger.” It's not a choice. It's a law: Dad Law.
AUTHOR
THE FILMMAKER SAYS: QUOTES, QUIPS, AND WORDS OF WISDOM
Published 2013
Princeton Architectural Press
Now in its 9th printing
Inspiring everything from pop
culture earthquakes to popular revolutions, filmmakers have demonstrated an uncanny ability to move the masses. But the drama they project on screen is only half the picture. The Filmmaker Says is a colorful compendium of quotations from more than one hundred of history's most influential and opinionated creators of filmed entertainment.
"Compelling and sometimes controversial words from the visionaries behind the camera...from Charlie Chaplin to Kathryn Bigelow to Akira Kurasawa. Their words, compiled and carefully arranged by Jamie Thompson Stern to create a flowing dialogue, are sure to inspire budding film students and avid moviegoers alike."—Cool Hunting
COPYWRITER
ARCLIGHT CINEMAS
KNOCK KNOCK
VARIETY MAGAZINE
CAMPBELL'S FOODS
2007–present
From email blitzes to website banner ads, from product labels to social media posts: marketing copy has to grab eyeballs with catchy headlines while speaking to customers in the brand voice. Sometimes, the client needs my help identifying that voice in order to tell their story in a fresh, compelling style.
FREELANCE BOOK EDITOR
MULTIPLE TITLES
2002-2019
Worked with bestselling authors as well as first-time writers to shepherd their books from first draft to publication.
Manuscript Evaluation
Substantive editing
Copyediting
Line editing
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
CURATOR
January 2019-present
Curator is an international art & design platform developed by Dan Golden Studio.
Curator engages with creatives shaping contemporary culture: artists, designers, gallerists, publishers, technologists and beyond. Our mission is to build connections with emerging, underrepresented and established voices across media and discipline through interviews, reviews, special events, and collaborative projects.
OTHER PROJECTS
You want words? I got words.
So many words.
WRITER + EDITOR +
MANAGING EDITOR
LINES FOR ALL OCCASIONS SERIES
2007—2019
I wrote, edited, supervised freelancers (or some combination of all three) to create thirteen volumes of this bestselling series.
Over a half-million copies sold—and counting.
“You can't teach quick wit. Or can you? Arm your grad with responses for handling every situation.”—Real Simple magazine: "Unique Graduation Gift Ideas."
WRITER + EDITOR
KNOCK KNOCK CLASSIC PADS
2007-2019
From concepts to sketches to a finished pad, I created dozens of iterations of one of our bestselling products, responsible for 15% of company revenue.
Amazon's Choice for "Funny Notepad"
Amazon's Choice for "To Do"
Amazon's Choice for "To Do List Notepad"
WRITER + EDITOR +
MANAGING EDITOR
WHAT NOT TO SAY SERIES
2017–2019
I wrote, edited, and supervised freelancers for What Not to Say: A Compendium of the Worst Possible Things You Can Utter Aloud, published in 2017. It was joined in 2019 by What Not to Say: Love & Romance and What Not to Say: Office and Workplace.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Send them my way—I thrive on constructive criticism. Contact me below.
"The cardinal sin is dullness."