Aleha Smith

On the streets of New York City alumna Aleaha Smith holds up one of Atria’s newest books, “Some of My Best Friends.” Atria published the book Tuesday, February 27.

She chased her publishing dreams to New York City, collaborates with New York Times bestselling authors and works as a marketing assistant at Simon and Schuster’s imprint Atria.

“I realized when I was younger, and people were calling me extra what they really should have been calling me was passionate. And just to work in a place with people who are just as passionate as I am is just beautiful. And I’ve just enjoyed seeing the way people’s brains work and how they work differently. And how that is where creativity really thrives,” alumna Aleaha Smith said.

Smith’s love for creativity and design first sparked as editor of her high school yearbook which put her on the path towards publishing.

“She (yearbook adviser Erica Kincannon) really was one of the first people to ever see my talent in editing and writing and design and be like, ‘you could do this for a living.’ I never thought that before and that was never encouraged ever. And so that really did mean a lot to me,” Smith said.

Kincannon wasn’t the only one to notice Smith’s individuality and passion.

“She had such energy, enthusiasm and genuine interest in the subject (AP Literature). And it was clear she had a passion for just everything she did,” AP Literature teacher Craig Pajak said. 

Once Smith earned her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in marketing, she followed her passions and received a master’s from Pace University in New York City. 

“The most challenging part was dealing with impostor syndrome and then making the choice to overcome it. Entering this ecosystem or culture where everyone is at the top of their game sometimes it feels like ‘oh my gosh, this is everything I ever wanted. I better not mess this up,’” Smith said.

She interned at Atria while working on her masters and accepted a job there after graduating. As a marketing assistant her days are filled with: reaching out to influencers, book mailings, budget meetings and working with New York Times bestselling authors like Colleen Hoover and Lisa Jewell.

“Marketing in particular is a lot of relationship building and being able to listen to the needs of others. And kind of make their (authors’) dreams come true,” Smith said.

Choosing authors who address important world topics and issues is why Smith thinks book publishing is so important. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover, for example, addresses the issues of domestic violence.

“We are finding authors and we’re finding stories that we are choosing that deserve to be talked about that deserve to have a platform. And that is a great power,” Smith said.

While Smith loves her job, the path to it hasn’t always been easy. Breaking into the gate kept publishing industry comes with its own ups and downs, according to Smith. However, she prevailed.

“And so I faced a lot of hardship to get where I am today, but I haven’t let that change the way that I view people in the world. I’m still a people person. I’m still an optimist. I’m still someone who will fight for the little person. I’m still an advocate. I think that my greatest accomplishment is just continuing to push and to fight and to also just stay true to who I am at my core,” Smith said.

Despite many hardships Smith has no regrets.

“I think I’m the kind of a person who thinks everything happens for a reason,” Smith said. “I think that the paths that we’ve chosen or even sometimes don’t choose but that we ended up walking on are for us in every way, shape and form.”