Publicist Katie Brown appointed Trapeze commissioning editor

Publicist Katie Brown has been appointed commissioning editor for Trapeze Books and will be joining the company on 8th January.

Brown, who is currently senior publicity manager at Headline and Tinder Press, will report to editorial director Sam Eades.

Brown's brief will be expanding Trapeze’s commercial women’s fiction list and will commission "conversation-starting" books across the genre, from reading group to romance, publishing 8-10 books a year. She will also work closely with the rest of the team to drive e-book and audio strategy for the imprint, which launched in September 2016.

Publisher Anna Valentine said: "It’s very exciting to be expanding the Trapeze team in welcoming Katie to Orion. Commercial women’s fiction is a strategic growth area for Trapeze, and Katie’s passion for the genre, fresh perspective and keen commercial eye makes her a fantastic addition. I’m incredibly excited about what she will bring to the list."

Katie Espiner, m.d. Orion Publishing Group, said: "I am thrilled that Katie is joining the stellar team at Trapeze. As a publicist, she is passionate, accomplished and dedicated, as well as being hugely loved and admired across the industry. I know she will excel at bringing all these skills to bear as an editor, and I can’t wait to read the books she acquires."

Brown is one of several publicists who have made the leap to editorial, including her new line manager Eades, formerly head of publicity (crime and genre) at Pan Macmillan. Others who have made the change include Ben Willis, formerly head of digital publicity at Transworld, who joined Orion in the dual role of senior commissioning editor and associate publicist in April last year; Toby Jones, formerly group marketing and publicity director at Simon & Schuster UK, who joined Headline as editorial director in May; and PRH Ireland publicity director Fiona Murphy, who joins Transworld/Doubleday Ireland in the new year as editorial director.

Brown commented: "To begin my editorial career at such an innovative, creative and dynamic imprint is an incredibly exciting opportunity for me. I am passionate about pushing the boundaries of publishing, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to make the transition from publicity to editorial. I can’t wait to get started, and to build a diverse and electrifying list of fiction that will kick off a host of conversations."

Her recent campaigns include launching the PPC award-winning One Pound Meals by Miguel Barclay, Sarah Winman’s Tin Man and Nick Clark Windo’s debut The Feed. During her time at Headline, she also worked with authors including Neil Gaiman, Mary Berry, Jill Mansell and Harriet Evans. Earlier this year, she was accepted onto the Diverse Leaders Future Mentoring Scheme, and is currently mentored by David Shelley, c.e.o. designate of Hachette UK.