Libraro appoints David Roche as chairman

Libraro, a community-driven platform that allows publishers to access new manuscripts, has appointed London Book Fair chair and former Borders c.e.o. David Roche as chairman. Roche has worked in publishing for 30 years. He was previously group sales and marketing director at HarperCollins, held board positions at Waterstones and HMV, was chair of New Writing North and a trustee of BookTrust, as well as being a published author.

Roche said: “I’ve seen countless start-ups promising the holy grail of discoverability for authors and readers, but none have come close – until now. Libraro brings together a community of readers and writers with inclusivity at its heart. Readers play an active role in deciding what gets published, expanding the gatekeeping process based on real demand. It’s a shift that can only benefit both authors and readers.”

He added that he sees Libraro as a “complement” to the publishing industry, not a competitor. He said: “By broadening the ways stories are discovered and shared, Libraro is creating genuine opportunities for talented authors while supporting the industry’s mission to connect meaningful work with audiences. Libraro’s tools bridge emerging voices and the established literary landscape.”

Libraro “empowers writers with reader engagement insights” and full ownership of their work. Publishers and agents can use the tool to explore manuscripts, while established writers gain audience insights to “enhance their publishing journey”. Readers and writers earn tokenised rewards, redeemable forevents, showcases and collaborations.

The appointment comes alongside the closing of an initial £500,000 investment from Ayre Ventures as part of a new funding round, capped at £2m. This is in addition to Libraro’s earlier £2 million pre-seed round, which secured patents for the platform’s manuscript protection and rights management technology.

As well as Roche’s appointment, Paul Manning joins as chief marketing officer. He has more than 20 years of experience as a creative director and has led creative teams at BBH, Imagination and other West End agencies, working on campaigns for brands such as Canon, Virgin and Jaguar Land Rover. He is also the founder of the agency Outfly, started in 2010.
The leadership team also includes c.f.o. Sead Haxhijaha, who is also the founder of Solid Accountants. 

Arsim Shillova, co-founder and c.e.o. of Libraro, said: “This team will help realise our vision of supporting the publishing industry with enhanced manuscript discovery tools. Our platform helps publishers and agents identify promising manuscripts through reader engagement data, while enabling writers to connect meaningfully with audiences. Libraro opens pathways for emerging voices and creates new opportunities for the literary community, without replacing traditional roles.”