Stephenson moves to Headline

Kate Stephenson, currently commissioning editor at Avon, an imprint of HarperCollins, is joining Headline as senior commissioning editor.

Stephenson joins on 4th August, and will be working with publishing director Alex Clarke in setting up his new - as yet unnamed - imprint within the Headline Publishing Group.

Stephenson began her UK publishing career at HarperFiction in 2011. She has worked with bestselling authors including Stuart MacBride, S. J. Parris, and S. K. Tremayne, and she is described as having been "instrumental" in establishing the Killer Reads programme at Harper Fiction. She published e-book bestseller After Anna and recently, while at Avon, worked on Katerina Diamond’s The Teacher.

Clarke, to whom Stephenson will report, said: “I first met Kate over a year ago, and was instantly impressed by her publishing insight. She has a natural intuition for the commercial fiction market and an excellent instinct for acquiring successful new authors. I’m thrilled that she will be joining me in this exciting venture of building a new imprint at Headline – she will bring real energy and dynamism to the list.”

Stephenson said: “I’ve had five happy years at HarperCollins, where I’ve had the privilege of working with so many brilliant authors and colleagues. But now I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Alex in setting up his new imprint at Headline. It’s an incredible opportunity to be part of a dynamic, passionate and inspiring team with ambitious plans for the future. I can’t wait to find some exciting new commercial talents to bring to the list.”