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Publishers Association: Introducing the 2023 ‘People of Publishing’
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Launched today by the Publishers Association, the People of Publishing campaign aims to celebrate the contribution of individuals going above and beyond in the industry.
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Publishing is an industry with the power to really transform lives, whether that be through the latest bestseller, or an innovative research paper. But without our people, this wouldn’t be possible.
Publishing connects creators and consumers everywhere, bringing stories and ideas to life. The People of Publishing campaign was created to celebrate some of the individuals who are at the heart of this process.
Dan Conway, c.e.o. at the Publishers Association, explained that the inspiration behind the campaign was to bring individuals throughout the sector together and to spotlight the many different roles available. He said: “I am delighted to see the People of Publishing campaign come to life, and to see eight fantastic individuals who are at the forefront of our industry spotlighted for the important work they’re doing. This cohort really illustrates the breadth of our sector, and I hope it shows those already in the industry, and those looking in, that there is something for everyone in publishing.”
The caliber of nominations was incredibly high and touched every corner of the industry. Judged by Conway, Josie Dobrin, executive chair and founder of Creative Access, and Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller, the eight selected People of Publishing show not only that the future of publishing is bright, but also the range of roles and career paths available in an industry that is becoming more open.
Nominations were judged on a range of criteria, including impact, integrity, innovation, their contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and ways in which they’ve overcome adversities in their own career.
Speaking about the campaign, Jones said, “Publishing is a village, and I was very happy to be involved in this initiative to shine a spotlight on the many different roles there are across the business, and the very many different types of people who occupy those positions.”
He added: “These are the people who populate the village and raise the books that we all read today and tomorrow. Congratulations to them all."
Dobrin echoed this sentiment, with a nod towards the candidates’ commitment to DEI: “It was such a pleasure to be able to take part in the judging panel and to read about the commitment and innovation of all those nominated. Our final selection had all gone the extra mile in playing their part to ensure that both their workplace and the wider industry is as inclusive and equitable as it can be.”
The Publishers Association will be running the campaign annually, with nominations for the next cohort opening in early 2024.
It is the imagination, dedication, and tenacity of our people that allows the UK’s publishing sector to thrive and continue to be world leading. Congratulations to the first ever "People of Publishing" cohort.
The Eight inaugural People of Publishing
Delayna Spencer, senior commissioning editor at SAGE Publishing
Delayna stands out as a future leader and has been recognised for her work which includes driving positive change at SAGE by starting a BAME (now Global Majority) group and an LGBTQIA+ group with colleagues.
In 2022 she launched the Social Science for Social Justice series, which provides a platform for academics, journalists and activists of colour to respond to today’s pressing social issues. She has highlighted the need for academic publishing to train staff better on DEI, to think creatively of ways to improve representation at all levels within the business, and to apply a DEI lens to editorial work.
Eishar Brar, editorial director at Knights Of
Eishar’s dedication to author care is unmatched, with all parts of the editorial process done with both the author and their audience in mind. Her commitment to providing safe spaces for communities informs both her creative and strategic decisions.
Her devotion to publishing inclusive stories is clear, most notably including A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll. She has shown that publishing underrepresented writers and inclusive books can and should be commercially successful. The list and spaces she has helped build celebrate authors and illustrators’ voices, and the children who have long been wanting to see themselves in the stories they read.
Eishar also mentors individuals looking to get into the industry and junior members of staff.
Kim Eggleton, head of research integrity and peer review at IOP Publishing
Kim is a leading voice in ethical and sustainable research practices and the shift to a more inclusive research environment. She was the driving force behind the step for IOPP to offer double-anonymous peer review across its entire journal portfolio – a first in the physical sciences.
In delivering IOP Publishing’s name-change policy, she worked in close collaboration with the community. In many cases, particularly for trans and non-binary authors, changing names needs to be approached with discretion and sensitivity. Kim took the time to understand researcher experiences, building their feedback into her approach.
Her dedication to cracking down on research misconduct has led to meaningful change, and she is an advocate for openness and transparency in the scientific record. She is a member of several relevant industry committees and initiatives.
Maria Garbutt-Lucero, publicity director at Hodder & Stoughton
Maria is an award-winning publicist at Hodder & Stoughton, where she delivers outstanding campaigns for Rob Delaney and East Side Voices.
In addition to her "day job", she is the co-founder of ESEA (East & Southeast Asian) Publishing Network with Joanna Lee and the festival director of the UK’s first East and Southeast Asian literary festival, in partnership with Foyles.
In her previous roles, she worked on Normal People by Sally Rooney and Milkman by Anna Burns, and has worked with Alain de Botton, Zadie Smith and Nick Hornby.
Peta Nightingale, contracts, rights and translations director at Bookouture
Peta joined Bookouture in 2017 in a newly created role of Head of Talent, and has most recently been promoted to contracts, rights and translations director.
Peta has led the establishment and successful growth of Bookouture Deutschland, translating and publishing directly into the German digital market. She has been a part of the Agewise committee for several years and has been a co-chair since 2022. Within Hachette, Peta has been influential in commissioning Nielsen to provide details understanding the reading and buying habits of those who are 45+.
Rachel Martin, global director sustainability at Elsevier
Rachel is driving transformational change in sustainability, with a focus on climate action at Elsevier. She is committed to industry-wide action and is part of several industry sustainability committees.
Rachel was part of the team that launched the UN Sustainable Development Goals Publishers Compact, which aims to inspire action among publishers to accelerate progress in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. She has been integral to the new STM SDG Roadmap which provides a guide to embedding sustainability for all publishers.
She is the co-founder of the Publishing 2030 Accelerator, and in 2019 launched the UN SDG Book Club. She also led on the creation of the 2023 London Book Fair Sustainability Lounge.
Sabby Kaur Jivanji, senior product manager at SAGE Publishing
Sabby joined the Product Innovation team at Sage in 2021 to work on Sage’s flagship academic library product line, Sage Research Methods, which was heading into a massive overhaul. Sabby excelled and, following a tremendously successful launch, Sage Research Methods won the Best Publisher User Experience (UX) Award 2023.
She is the co-lead of the Women in Technology group; an employee-led initiative with the purpose of creating an inclusive community, to challenge gender imbalance through a lens of intersectionality, discuss opportunities to support diverse voices in the field or those keen to join, and inspire colleagues to recruit and retain more diversity into technology roles.
Yassine Belkacemi, editorial director at John Murray and Baskerville
After joining John Murray Press as a Creative Access intern in 2014, Yassine spent almost 10 years as a publicist in the communications team of JMP, being promoted to the role of publicity director of JMP in 2019. In January 2023, he was promoted to editorial director of John Murray and Baskerville.
During his time at JMP, Yassine has served on the Society of Young Publishers committee and as deputy chair of the Publishers Publicity Circle. At Hachette, he has been part of Changing the Story through sitting on Hachette’s THRIVE committee and is a founding member of The Future Bookshelf project.
