Deacon leaves Amazon for Bookouture

Laura Deacon, currently editorial director at Amazon Publishing, is joining Bookouture in August as publishing director.

Deacon pictured right started her publishing career as editor at HarperCollins’ Blue Door imprint, moving to Cornerstone in 2014, where she ran the Windmill paperback imprint, working with authors including Helen Dunmore, James Ellroy and Carys Bray, as well as acquiring and publishing the non-fiction bestseller which accompanied the Netflix series "Making a Murderer".

She moved to Amazon Publishing in 2017 where she has acquired bestsellers Anna Ellory and Tina Seskis, as well as publishing Mark Edwards and Damien Boyd, and launching the publisher’s non-fiction list in the UK.

In her new role, Deacon will manage one of Bookouture’s three fiction editorial teams and will report to Jenny Geras, who takes on the role of Bookouture’s managing director in July this year.

Geras said of the move: "Laura is literally the perfect person to take on this role. She is a brilliant digital publisher and an excellent people manager and I can’t wait to work with her." Deacon said: ‘I'm delighted to be joining Jenny and the exceptional team at Bookouture. Over the last few years they have seen fantastic growth, publishing debut authors with creativity and flair, creating many home-grown bestsellers. I'm hugely excited to be a part of their continued success."

Bookouture has also announced the promotion of Peta Nightingale pictured left, previously head of talent, contracts and rights, to contracts, rights and author development director.

Geras commented: "Peta has been with Bookouture for three and a half years, and is an indispensable member of both the team, and Bookouture’s leadership team. She is responsible for our entire author onboarding and contracts process, as well as managing our submissions, author communications, and acting as a point of liaison for all our sub-rights deals, including handling those contracts and payments. Peta also made the brilliant acquisition of cosy crime writer Betty Rowlands, who has now sold more than 350,000 copies for Bookouture."