Elizabeth Kulhanek and Natasha Qureshi among The Novelry's 18 new recruits

Grand Central Publishing’s Elizabeth Kulhanek and Hodder & Stoughton’s Natasha Qureshi are joining The Novelry, as part of 18 new recruits this year.

Kulhanek, formerly of Grand Central Publishing at Hachette Book Group USA, joins the commercial fiction editorial team reporting to Emily Kitchin, head of commercial fiction, who started at the writing school in spring.

At Grand Central, Kulhanek was an associate editor working on bestselling titles by authors such as David Baldacci, Min Jin Lee and Harlan Coben. She has worked across multiple genres, including commercial, upmarket, speculative fiction, thrillers and romance.

She said: “I couldn’t be more excited to join The Novelry and provide insight, community and encouragement for up-and-coming writers as they navigate the world of publishing.”

Qureshi, commissioning editor at Hodder & Stoughton, is joining The Novelry as part of the science fiction and fantasy editorial team, led by Craig Leyenaar. At Hodder & Stoughton’s SFF imprint Hodderscape, Qureshi acquired authors such as Kylie Lee Baker, Ella Fields and Micaiah Johnson.

She said: “I’ve enjoyed and learned so much from my time at Hodder, but I’m ready to take this next step with The Novelry. I’m thrilled to join such a passionate team of experienced editors and help shape aspiring writers, steadily guiding them through the editorial process and demystifying an industry that can sometimes feel daunting.”

The Novelry, based in London and New York, has welcomed a number of in-house editors this year, including Simran Kaur Sandhu, Sorcha Rose and Nic Caws, along with new writing coaches including Clare Mackintosh, Bea Fitzgerald, Tara Conklin, Heather Webb, Colleen Oakley, Ella McLeod, Gina Sorell, Urban Waite, Alexis Henderson and Evie Wyld.

Chief executive Louise Dean, who launched the writing school in 2017, said: “We’re delighted to welcome more Big Five publishing professionals and a cluster of star authors to our team, who bring their experience and expertise, along with their genuine warmth and enthusiasm, to our unique approach to completing works of fiction to publishing standard.”