Ex-Canelo director Riccardi joins Kate Nash as literary agent

Francesca Riccardi has joined Kate Nash Literary Agency as a literary agent, building a list in fiction.

Riccardi was previously sales and marketing director at Canelo where she was instrumental in driving the company’s growth into audio and print sales alongside the e-book business.

During her time at Canelo, Riccardi also launched the flagship Canelo Crime imprint and worked with authors directly to achieve their writing ambitions.

Riccardi started her publishing career at RNIB, where she worked on transcribing books into accessible formats, and has worked previously at Atlantic Books, where she was recognised as a Bookseller Rising Star in 2017, as well as at Constable and Robinson and HarperCollins.

She has worked with authors including Holly Seddon, Rachel Lynch, Cesca Major, Robert Fabbri and M C Beaton.  

Kate Nash, director at Kate Nash Literary Agency, said: “Francesca’s instincts are a perfect fit for the agency’s success in commercial fiction and we couldn’t be more delighted to have her on the team.”

Riccardi added: “For me, whether publisher, agent, bookseller or librarian, publishing is about seeking ways to connect readers to books. I am thrilled to be stepping into a role as literary agent at Kate Nash Literary Agency in order to continue working with talented novelists and play my part in finding an audience for their work.

"Kate and Justin have given me an incredible welcome, and I look forward to building on the success of the agency.”

Justin Nash, managing director at Kate Nash, added: “With Francesca joining the team, this is an extremely exciting time at Kate Nash Literary Agency. With our authors at the heart of everything we do, and a reputation for taking new talent from debut to bestseller, and then keeping them there, we will be perfectly placed to cement our position as one of the most sought after independent literary agencies for new and mid-career authors looking for industry leading representation.”