Appledore Book Festival appoints Jane Beaton as new festival director 

Jane Beaton, former co-director of the Guildford Book Festival and founder of Kew Publicity, has been named the new festival director for the Appledore Book Festival.

Beaton, former head of publicity at HarperCollins Non-Fiction, has led Kew Publicity since 2009 and worked on numerous high-profile author campaigns for a range of publishers.

Alongside scheduling adult events for the Guildford Book Festival she has previously handled the publicity for events such as the London Sports Writing Festival and the British Sports Book Awards.

Richard Cable, chair of Appledore Book Festival Trustees, said of Beaton’s appointment: “The Appledore Book Festival has become established as a much-loved annual event in the literary festival calendar having expanded significantly over recent years. As we embark on our 17th festival I know that Jane will lead our programme with flair and creativity, and I am delighted to welcome her on board.”

Beaton said: “I am thrilled to be appointed as director for such a well-established and vibrant festival. The past few years have been difficult for so many book festivals, but Appledore has continued to grow and flourish. I look forward to working with the trustees, committee, and volunteers to build on the already considerable success achieved.”