Jess M. Brallier (born May 31, 1953) is an award-winning publisher, best-selling author, and web publisher. Brallier has authored or co-authored 31 books, including Lawyers and Other Reptiles, which appeared on several bestseller lists. He is currently Publisher and General Manager of Family Education Network (a part of Pearson), a leading online publisher for: Parents Teachers Reference Readersand Kids and Students: www.Funbrain.com, www.FactMonster.com, and www.Poptropica.com
During his diverse 25-years book publishing career, Brallier has held various positions at Little Brown; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Addison Wesley, and Penguin. He has worked with such talents as Bailey White, William Shirer, Ansel Adams, Tracy Kidder, William Least Heat Moon, Berkley Breathed, William Manchester, Norman Mailer, Jeff Kinney, and T. Berry Brazelton.
Brallier founded the children’s publishing imprint, Planet Dexter (Penguin), which published numerous best-selling books and secured scores of book club, electronic, foreign, TV/video, exhibit, serial, and merchandising licenses. Its content was praised by kids, parents, and teachers and recognized with numerous awards from the American Library Association, Learning Magazine, and Parents’ Choice. Through Planet Dexter, he established the concept of "stealth learning.”
Of the 30+ published books that Brallier authored, half are adult titles and half children’s books.
He often speaks and lectures on the subject of publishing and writing, has served on the faculty of both The Howard University Book Publishing Institute and Emerson College; and as an evaluator for The Radcliffe (Columbia) Publishing Course. Brallier won book publishing's LMP Individual Achievement Award in recognition of his marketing campaign for three New York Times best sellers: Reinventing Government by David Osborne, Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White, and Touchpoints by T. Berry Brazelton. He has served on P.E.N. panels, lectured at Harvard, and spoken at numerous writers conferences.
Brallier published the most successful online book ever, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and positioned it for bestselling print success. He established Poptropica, the largest virtual world for young kids. Poptropica became the first viable and commercially successful virtual world dedicated to the publishing of content, anticipating a new generation's preferred gaming literacy. He was also, at different times, the publisher of five of the 1,000 largest web sites in North America (Funbrain, Infoplease, Factmonster, Poptropica, and FamilyEducation).
A native of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, Brallier is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh (B.A.) and Boston University (M.S.). He resides in Massachusetts, with his wife and children.
Tess's Tree (illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds) Presidential With and Wisdom: Maxims, Mottoes, Sound Bites, Speeches, Asides, and Memorable Quotes from America’s Presidents with Sally Chabert Celebrate America with Sally Chabert Lawyers and Other ReptilesLawyers and Other Reptiles II: The AppealY2Kids: Your Guide to the MillenniumMedical Wit and Wisdom: The Best Medical Quotations from Hippocrates to Groucho Marx with Sally Chabert The Hot Dog Cookbook: The Wiener Work the World AwaitedThe Pessimist’s Journal of Very, Very Bad Days with Richard McDonough The Pessimist’s Journal of Very, Very Bad Days of the 1980s with Richard McDonough This Book Really Sucks!“Whaddaya Doin’ in There?!” A Bathroom Reader for KidsPlay Ball!Money MadnessThe Cocktail Hour with Sally Chabert Write Your Own Living Will with Bradley E. Smith Bouncing ScienceHairy ScienceShadowy ScienceThumbs Up ScienceWho Was Albert Einstein?Calculator ManiaShake, Rattle, and Roll! Cool Things to Do with DiceGoing, Going, Gone: This Book Disappears!Magnetic Pattern Blocks