Our Staff

Here at The Troy Book Makers, we pride ourselves on our great customer relations. If you are in the area we welcome you to set up an appointment to visit our office, but if you are miles away you can meet our staff virtually here.

Jessika (manager, author liaison & graphic designer, cat enthusiast) has been described as “only peaceful when she reads.” A lifelong lover of books and reading (and cats, though that’s not strictly pertinent), she received her a BFA in writing and publishing from Emerson College. Then she hit the jackpot: a job at The Troy Book Makers—who have been kind enough to allow her to fulfill her dreams for over a decade.

Meradith (senior author liaison & graphic designer, ebook wizard, lead analyst of boring paperwork, aspiring pinochle league participant) earned her BFA in Graphic and Media Design and her AA in Illustration from Sage College of Albany. As an avid reader, she is thrilled to be working within the world of book design and publishing. She enjoys reading old school fantasy and mystery novels. She is currently on a mission to join a Pinochle League, which is proving to be very elusive.


Susan Novotny (former business owner) has been selling books for over 40 years. She is the owner of the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, The Little Book House, and Market Block Books in Troy, NY. Before owning an independent books store she worked for Simon & Schuster, where she peddled books of all natures. She also founded Staff Picks Press — a small press with a mission to publish books of fiction with national appeal.

Eric Wilska (former business owner), was a founding member of the Troy Book Makers, and owns independent bookstore Shaker Mill Books in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, specializing in new, used, antiquarian and hard to find books. He has been a bookstore owner for over 40 years.