Akenhead swaps Bookouture for Boldwood as publishing director

Isobel Akenhead is to join Boldwood Books as publishing director.

She will make the move from Bookouture, where she is currently associate publisher, in January 2023. 

Her roster of authors includes Rona Halsall, Kate Hewitt and Suzanne Kelman. Previously she worked for Kobo, developing its UK business over several years and before that she held various roles at Hachette. She will be building her own new list at Boldwood across all the commercial fiction genres.

"I am so thrilled to be joining the dynamic, exciting team at Boldwood," she said. "After five brilliant years at Bookouture, working with so many talented colleagues and authors, I am ready for the next step. Boldwood’s passion for publishing the best in commercial fiction is completely in line with my own, and I’m excited to start building an exceptionally high-performing, bestselling list."

The move comes as Boldwood celebrates 10 new authors joining its lists, including psychological thriller writers Amanda Reynolds, Diana Wilkinson, Ruby Speechley and Danielle Ramsay; historical fiction novelists Siobhan Daiko, Catherine Law and Helen Parusel; cosy crime afficionado Michelle Salter, and Kate Lovell who writes multi-generational women’s fiction. They are joined by US romantic-comedy author Sara L Hudson. All authors have been contracted on multi-book deals and will be published in every format simultaneously in all English-language territories.

The total number of writers contracted to Boldwood is now 101 and the publisher says it has surpassed 10 million copies sold.

Amanda Ridout, founder and c.e.o., said: "As we pass the significant milestones of 100 authors on the Boldwood list and 10m copies sold across the globe, we are delighted to welcome Isobel Akenhead to the team. She will bring her impressive experience and commercial nous to help us further build our growing company. We have had an extraordinary award-winning and financially successful year and as ever I am so thankful to our brilliant authors and dedicated team for making it all possible."

Akenhead’s move follows the departure of a number of other Bookouture staff for its founder Oliver Rhodes’ new venture Storm Publishing.