Rachel Faulkner-Willcocks to join Avon

Rachel Faulkner-Willcocks (née Faulkner) is to join Avon, a division of HarperCollins, as commissioning editor.

Faulkner-Willcocks re-joins HarperCollins following her move to Quercus Children’s Books in 2015. Whilst there she brought new names, such as New York Times bestseller Alexandra Bracken, and upcoming debuts Lara Avery and Josh Martin, to the list.

Faulkner-Willcocks began her career at HarperCollins as a graduate trainee in 2009, and subsequently spent three years as editor of experimental imprint The Friday Project. 

She said: "I’ve loved every minute of my time at Hachette Children’s Group, where I’ve been surrounded by brilliant people and wonderful stories, but I could not resist the chance to join the Avon team at this exciting time. Avon’s reputation for launching debuts and growing talent is second to none, and I am hugely excited to work with their authors and build up my own list for the imprint."

Faulkner-Willcocks will report to editorial director, Helen Huthwaite.

Huthwaite said: "I couldn’t be happier to welcome Rachel to the Avon team. Her reputation precedes her as one of the most talented and hard-working editors in the business, and I know she will flourish at Avon. We are delighted to welcome her back to HarperCollins and feel extremely lucky to have her step into this key role within our team."

Faulkner-Willcocks will start on 5th December, commissioning across women’s fiction, crime and saga.