About Kristen McGuiness

I’ve been telling stories…

My whole life. I remember when I was in first grade and all I wanted to do was check out another Laura Ingalls Wilder story from the library. That love of books led me to become a storyteller across multiple platforms. From my early days working at Shakespeare & Co. in New York to my career as a bestselling author and editor, I have learned that the greatest proof of life is in our story. Mine. Yours.

And the world in which we live.

Kristen McGuiness is the bestselling author of 51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life, which was optioned by Original Films/CBS Cable with Alison Brie attached to star, and the novel Live Through This, which author Lidia Yuknavich called, “A triumph of heart and guts. A blaze.” Live Through This is currently being developed by Bassett/Vance Productions and is out to Lady Gaga to produce and star.

Kristen is the CEO and Publisher of Rise Literary, a book coaching and hybrid publishing company for emerging and established authors, publishing fiction, non-fiction, and other works of radical inspiration with sales and distribution through Simon & Schuster. Through Rise Literary, she has helped authors earn over $1 million in book advances, hit major bestseller lists, and build their national media and speaking profiles. In addition, Kristen is the Executive Producer of TEDxOjai, where she helps platform hidden stories and undiscovered voices. 

She began her career working in publicity for St. Martin’s Press before joining the editorial departments of Simon & Schuster, Free Press, and Judith Regan at HarperCollins, working with authors like Dr. Phil McGraw, Dr. Stephen Covey, Jennifer Pastiloff, Joe Gorga, and more. She also worked in Hollywood film development for Warner Brothers as a Creative Executive on such projects as “Monster-in-Law” with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez, “Rumor Has It” with Jennifer Aniston, and “Blood Diamond” with Leonardo diCaprio before spending ten years in local and international non-profit fundraising.

Kristen has appeared on the “TODAY Show,” in USA Today, and in Marie Claire, and has written for numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, Shondaland, Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Psychology Today, Salon, The Fix, and most recently, the New York Times’ Tiny Love Stories. Kristen has a bachelor’s degree in government from Hamilton College and a master’s degree in international relations from The American University of Paris.

She lives in Ojai, CA with her husband, two children, and a dog named Lucy.