Press Kit

Updated November 2, 2025. For media or speaker inquiries, please contact Laurie Abkemeier (DeFiore and Company).

Bios

Short Author-Focused Bio (50 words)

Award-winning writer and editor Karen Yin is the author of The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers and several children's books—Whole Whale, So Not Ghoul, Doug the Pug and the Kindness Crew, and Nice to Eat You (coming in 2026). The founder of several digital tools for writers and editors, Karen is best known for her acclaimed website Conscious Style Guide. Find her online at KarenYin.com.

Short Editor-Focused Bio (85 words)

Karen Yin is the troublemaker behind The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers. ConsciousStyleGuide.com was named as a top tool for journalists by Poynter, and her Editors of Color Database is one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers. Winner of the ACES Robinson Prize for furthering the craft of professional editing, Yin is a member of the Chicago Manual of Style advisory board and has been consulted by The Associated Press Stylebook and other industry leaders.

Long Bio (200 words)

Karen Yin is the author of The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers (Little, Brown Spark). She has also written several stories for children, including Whole Whale (Barefoot Books), So Not Ghoul (Page Street Kids), Doug the Pug and the Kindness Crew (Scholastic), Nice to Eat You (Scholastic, coming in 2026), and “My Kinda Sorta Badass Move” (Boundless: Twenty Voices Celebrating Multicultural and Multiracial Identities, Inkyard). Acclaim for her writing includes a 2021 California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship, a 2020 SCBWI/Smithsonian Nonfiction Grant, selection of her flash fiction by the Los Angeles Public Library for its permanent collection in 2020, and a 2015 Lambda Literary Fellowship. Winner of the 2017 ACES Robinson Prize (Editor of the Year), Karen founded several acclaimed digital resources, including Conscious Style Guide, The Conscious Language Newsletter, and the Editors of Color Database. Conscious Style Guide was named by Poynter as one of the top tools for journalists in 2018 and is recommended by Poets & Writers, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and countless others, including NASA. The Editors of Color Database was one of Writer's Digest's Best Websites for Writers in 2023 and 2024. Karen serves on the advisory board of The Chicago Manual of Style. Find her online at KarenYin.com and her book recommendations at DiversePictureBooks.com.

Headshots

Images available for download. Credit required: Photo by Paul Beauchemin.

Books

The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers

Book Covers

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Summary

A timeless, indispensable guide for anyone who wants to communicate with sensitivity and compassion.

Most of us want to choose inclusive, respectful, and empowering language. But language—and how we use it—continually evolves, along with cultural norms. When contradictory opinions muddle our purpose, how do we align our word choices with our beliefs? Who has the final say when people disagree? And why is it so hard to let go of certain words? Afraid of getting something wrong or offending, we too often treat words as dos or don’ts, regardless of context and nuance.

Thankfully, in The Conscious Style Guide, award-winning editor Karen Yin provides a road map for writing and speaking with equity in mind—no matter how the world around us changes. Readers will learn:

• How to identify biased language
• How to use inclusive language to bring attention to specific groups of people
• How to adopt conscious language as a tool for self-awareness and critical thinking
• How to make digital materials more accessible, from event flyers to websites
• How to alleviate the stress of experiencing exclusionary language
• How to collaborate with others and work across differences
• How to create a style sheet to help support your practice
• And much more

With practical advice and hundreds of relatable examples, The Conscious Style Guide invites us to challenge binary thinking, embrace flexibility and creativity, and explore truly effective communication—in all aspects of our lives.

Whole Whale

Book Cover

Click to view images available for download (hardcover and board book).

Book Details

Summary

One hundred unusual animals try to squeeze into the pages of this raucous rhyming tale. But will there be room to fit a whole blue whale? The humorous ending features an expansive double gatefold and educational endnotes list the 100 animals in the book.

Notable Reviews

• School Library Journal: "This simple rhyming book packs a powerful message."
• Booklist: "Liltingly cadenced with read-aloud rhythm."
• Midwest Book Review: "A charmingly entertaining and unique picture book."
• Mombian: "Precisely cadenced rhymes and artful alliteration."

Key Selling Points

• INTERACTIVE: Silly, rhyming text invites readers to assess, re-assess and make predictions.
• ENGAGING FORMAT: The book's large format and gatefold at the end fully immerse children in the reading experience.
• VISUALLY DRIVEN: Nelleke Verhoeff's wacky and lovable illustrations drive the story line while providing humor and interest.
• STEM: The book introduces a variety of unusual animals and encourages children to count and make estimates.

Doug the Pug and the Kindness Crew

Book Cover

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Summary

Doug the Pug makes his picure book debut in this original illustrated story.

Doug the Pug loves pizza, posing for paw-traits, and above all else, spreading paw-sitivity. Join the Kindness Crew and follow Doug as he embarks on an adventure across town to share kindness with everyone he meets. With messages of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion, this beautifully illustrated picture book is perfect for Doug the Pug's youngest fans and anyone looking to make the world a kinder place.

So Not Ghoul

Book Cover

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Summary

On her first day haunting a new school, all Mimi has to wear are old Chinese gowns from her great-great-great-great-great-ghost-grandmother. She wants to look horrifying and rattle chains with the cool American ghouls at school, but her ghost ancestors insist she dress and behave like a good Chinese ghost. Desperate to fit in and find a middle haunting ground between her cultures, she plans a ghastly new look. But she questions whether her haunt couture is a fabulous fright or a grave mistake when her family finds out, and another ghoul at school appropriates her Chinese fashion. This ghoulishly playful ghost story offers a boo-tiful reminder that while sometimes school and family can make you feel invisible, bicultural pride never goes out of style.

Key Selling Points

• Mimi finds a way to balance both her Chinese and her American cultures, and her story depicts the challenges many multicultural young people experience.
• Chinese ghosts rarely feature in children’s books, and this story gives them an entire fantastical world to inhabit filled with cultural references.
• The narrative voice welcomes readers into this hybrid Chinese American ghost culture with a humorous tone and a healthy dose of ghoulish wordplay.
• Includes a clear and nonjudgmental example of cultural appropriation vs cultural appreciation.
• Shows a peaceful resolution to a realistic bullying scenario without dismissing the bully’s impact.
• Both the author and illustrator are Chinese American, giving them personal insight into this important part of Mimi’s identity.

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