How2Conquer is an award-winning indie nonfiction book publisher, specializing in unique how‑to books that are designed to help readers master new skills quickly. We’re proudly women-owned and based in East Atlanta Village.
How2Conquer books generally share three things in common: use of story, an emphasis on graphics, and an encouraging tone. We help our authors translate their extensive knowledge into streamlined, accessible books and workbooks. Our team is a collection of talented editors, content designers, artists, and behind-the-scenes people who make it all function.
Our Team
Michelle Newcome
Founder and Publisher
Founder and Publisher
Michelle Newcome started How2Conquer originally as a publishing arm of her other companies for the purely selfish reason of wanting to have someplace to publish at least some of the 20,000 pages of content she’s created for clients. Of course, those pages are still waiting for work to slow down, and we know how that goes.
As Publisher, Michelle has the absolute honor of getting to greenlight projects. It’s a real joy to make that phone call letting someone know they’re about to be a published author. How2Conquer reflects Michelle’s core belief that all people have the ability and desire to learn, and no one is an idiot or a dummy. She began her career as a high school English teacher with a penchant for the unruliest students because they were the most interesting, even if they’d failed out of other teacher’s classes.
Michelle works closely with our authors to structure their books to maximize reader engagement. In addition to How2Conquer, Michelle is the CEO of White Deer Group and a security and crisis management consultant for Fortune 100 companies.
I taught myself: html – and I’m Gen X, so we basically had to teach ourselves everything! Html was my favorite though. When I was getting my Master of Fine Arts in Poetry, the internet was just in ascendence, and we could use html as our foreign language. The only catch was that there weren’t WYSIWYG editors, so it was lots of trial and error – on dial up even!
I like to imagine structural editing: like organizing a spice cabinet. You keep moving things around until you have the taxonomy and systems to the point where you can find anything without even looking.
Lauren Kelliher
Managing Editor
Managing Editor
As Managing Editor, Lauren Kelliher is the project leader for book development, production, and publishing. She is a strategic, organized, and empathetic communicator who thrives working with others to create compelling content and cohesive design. Lauren enjoys brainstorming, fun vocab words, and enthusiastically supporting her peers. She is always determined but keeps a sense of humor to lighten the workload.
Previously part of World Book Publishing, Lauren wrote encyclopedia content and children’s nonfiction books. The series are fun, picture-driven (some are even graphic novels), and informative without being boring. After starting her career as a meticulous department editor at her college magazine, Lauren has since earned seven years of experience in the publishing industry. Her roots in magazine editing prepared her to be an excellent grammarian and detail-oriented editor in a busy, deadline-driven environment. She is a thorough fact-checker and can hone prose with the efficiency of a machete in the jungle.
In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading fiction, kickboxing, and painting. She is based in Chicago, riding her bike along the lake when it’s nice out and ice skating on the local rinks when it’s not — aka the winter.
I taught myself: how to cook! Especially over the pandemic, I went through a couple cookbooks to learn new recipes. I’m usually pleasantly surprised by the results, even when I wing it.
I like to imagine editing: as gardening, pulling out weeds and watering the plants. I don’t have a green thumb, but I’m great at cutting the excess weight to let the core message shine.
Emily Owens
Senior Editor
Senior Editor
As Senior Editor, Emily Owens is responsible for guiding our projects through each step of development and production. Once Michelle called her the “book baby midwife,” and she really couldn’t have picked a better compliment. Emily enjoys trimming language down to its most concise and meaningful form, getting the words just right; but the real goal is to leave no trace while editing – only to better reveal the meaning of the writer.
With our design team, Emily cultivates the look and feel of our books, ensuring both the content and design are accessible to target audiences. Previously part of Mslexia, a UK-based women’s writing magazine, Emily has pretty much always been involved with literary journals and publishing. She adores catching our authors’ excitement and supporting them on the publishing journey.
In her spare time, Emily is the editor and founder of Palm-Sized Press, co-leads a local fiction writing group, and enjoys a number of nerdy TV shows. Although originally from Atlanta, Emily called the UK home for nearly seven years, and is always a little bit homesick for the Toon. When she’s not geeking out over a good font or InDesign file, she argues with MadCap Flare.
I taught myself: InDesign in college, based on my knowledge of PageMaker and a few tips from the newspaper editor.
I like to imagine editing: like driving a Zamboni, smoothing everything out. Well, maybe at least in the last pass!
Charlotte Bleau
Assistant Managing Editor
Assistant Managing Editor
Charlotte Bleau catches things others might miss, and as our Assistant Managing Editor, she is an expert at finding typos and incongruities in our projects. Charlotte’s proactive attitude means she’s always ready to jump in and lend a hand, or work to make a process more efficient, so she’s usually juggling a variety of tasks and projects. Emily refers to her as her “wing lady,” a title which she is honored to receive. Charlotte tends to keep track and take care of the minute details, and the team is eternally grateful.
As a former English and Women’s Studies double-major, Charlotte cares deeply about accessibility and was first drawn to How2Conquer’s mission to help people feel empowered through books designed to help them learn new skills quickly and masterfully. She believes reading is an essential human experience, and frankly doesn’t believe that anyone doesn’t like to read – they just haven’t found a book they love yet.
When she’s off the clock, you can find Charlotte hanging out with her beloved (read: spoiled) dogs and baking goodies the entire team wishes were for us.
I taught myself: how to bake, though I feared the oven until my early twenties. (Ever burned your hand while making a frozen pizza?) I even made a wedding cake last year!
I like to imagine project management: like assembling a quilt. Picking out the fabric can be the hardest part, just like starting with a blank page. Piece by piece, it all comes together, and you can always go back and fix mistakes.
Telia Garner
Illustrator & Editorial Assistant
Illustrator & Editorial Assistant
I’m an Illustrator and Editorial Assistant from Atlanta, Georgia who has been with How2Conquer since 2020. I spend my free time the same way I spend my workday – reading, drawing, and nitpicking for quality! I spend every day jazzed that a lingering comic book obsession has magically transmuted itself into my job.
How2Conquer operates by my personal belief that nonfiction books can and should be visual works, even and especially when they are written for adult learners.
I taught myself: How to draw – my formal education is in Economics!
I like to imagine Illustration: As a faithful companion to the reader’s own imagination.
Our mission is to connect subject experts with the subject curious through empowering nonfiction books.
Our Values
Story
We believe in the transformative power of words. Story is a powerful tool for conveying nuance and exhibiting ideas in action, and our authors and their work is at the heart of what we do.
Initiative
We are driven by curiosity, and we know many of our readers share our desire to learn new things and conquer new skills. We strive to create a working environment where our team members can innovate independently and collaboratively, as well as continue to grow personally and professionally.
Precision
Our processes and all that we do are built around a commitment to quality, clarity, and beauty. Perfection is only a static destination, and chasing it can be paralyzing; precision is about being careful and exact, and it’s a sustainable path that leads to progress.
Inclusivity
We believe publishing should be an industry where anyone can tell their story and find themselves in the content they read. We are dedicated to making all kinds of knowledge accessible to anyone curious and dedicated enough to seek it, whether you’re holding a print book, using a screen reader, or listening to an audiobook.