Steven Sorrentino has worked in public relations since 1987. His professional experiences range from corporate vice president to short order cook. Luncheonette is his first book. He lives in New York City.
He directed campaigns for numerous #1 New York Times bestsellers as Bryan Burrough and John Helyar's Barbarians at the Gate, Oliver North's Under Fire, Newt Gingrich's To Renew America, and Margaret Thatcher's Downing Street Years and Path to Power. He managed the original publicity campaign for John Gray's phenomenally successful Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.
Sorrentino has worked with a wide array of controversial and political figures; film, television, and sports stars; modern-day spiritualists and literary authors. These include the Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Wayne Gretzky, Marianne Williamson, Bob Colacello, Jay Leno, Cybill Shepherd, Valerie Harper, Eric Bogosian, Gary Hart, Christopher Darden, Donald Spoto, Leon Uris, Dan Quayle, Bobbie Ann Mason, Armistead Maupin, Thomas Moore, and others. One of the highlights of his career in PR was creating a campaign for one particular Hollywood memoir and then taking it on the road with its author: the legendary Ginger Rogers.
In his capacity as spokesperson for authors, the publishing house, and occasionally the industry, Sorrentino has been interviewed on Entertainment Tonight, Nightline, CNBC, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC.
In 2001, Sorrentino ended his fourteen-year career at HarperCollins to write a memoir about his experiences as a young man taking over the family business when his father suddenly became ill. Luncheonette was published in February 2005.
Steven Sorrentino lives in New York City.
Author biography courtesy of HarperCollins.
"I am an amputee (I was born with six toes on my left foot!)."
"I've been yelled at by Margaret Thatcher."
"I once spent $2,200 on a Hair Club for Men piece that I wore for only 24 hours. Not one to waste my money, I stuck it back on my head a few years later when I went to a Halloween party as Joey Buttafuoco."
"There are lots of things I do to unwind or relax or entertain myself: I love to play the piano and sing, cook Sunday dinner for friends, and spend a week here and there in Paris. I love watching old sitcoms over and over again, especially The Nanny, The Golden Girls, and I Love Lucy and figuring out what makes the jokes work. I love seeing plays and musicals over and over again to identify all of the directing and acting choices, absorb the choreography, and analyze the book. I love really lowbrow basic desserts like whipped cream birthday cakes, Krispy Kreme donuts, cupcakes, and inhumanly portioned diner pies."
"Things that really push my buttons: I hate clothes shopping, cleaning, and most reality shows (except How Clean Is Your House? and Extreme Makeover Home Edition). I really hate experimental theater and really, really hate gourmet desserts served in tiny portions with raspberry sauce drizzled on the plate."