Schierenberg swaps Welbeck for Viking as fiction team expands

Rosa Schierenberg is joining Viking as editorial director in November as the fiction team expands. 

Currently editorial director at Welbeck, Schierenberg will report into Harriet Bourton, publisher, and work with her to broaden the commercial fiction list, specialising in crime and thriller. Her appointment follows a raft of bestselling successes for the imprint in recent years, including Richard Osman, Emily Henry, Jane Corry, Josie Silver, Cara Hunter and Beth Underdown. 

Schierenberg joined Welbeck in 2019, working with Jon Elek to set up the new fiction department. There she commissioned crime and domestic thrillers and brought a number of key authors to the list, including Welbeck’s first Richard & Judy selection, The Twins by L V Matthews, and other major forthcoming titles including The Guest Room by Tasha Sylva and The Honeymoon by Kate Gray. She was instrumental in publishing Sunday Times bestsellers by Jessie Cave and Wendy Holden, as well as Ben Creed’s Debut and Gold Dagger-nominated City of Ghosts. 

Schierenberg said: “I’m delighted to be joining the brilliant team at Viking. I’ll be on the hunt for dark, propulsive dramas and high-octane, hooky thrillers, as well as original, character-led general fiction. I’d love to see anything rich in atmosphere, psychologically astute and with a compelling narrative voice at its heart. What Harriet and her team have achieved so far is extraordinary and I’m so looking forward to continuing that growth alongside the dynamic and ambitious minds at Penguin General.” 

Vikki Moynes is also promoted to commissioning editor at Viking, leading the strategy for paperback original publishing while also acquiring widely across commercial and upmarket fiction with a focus on a younger female audience. Moynes’ first acquisition for the list, Emily Henry, shot into the top 10 bestseller chart with Book Lovers in May this year. Moynes will publish The Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent, pitched as The Secret History (Viking) meets “Promising Young Woman”, as a lead début launch for Viking in January 2023. She also recently acquired UK rights to The Beach Party by Nikki Smith, a “sunlounger thriller” for publication in summer 2023. 

Bourton said: “I was so impressed by Rosa’s combination of clarity, tenacity and curiosity and I’m thrilled she’ll be bringing her impeccable taste and varied knowledge to Viking. In recent years, the commercial fiction list has celebrated bestsellers and award-winners and focused on delivering market-leading publishing. Now with Rosa’s arrival and Vikki’s richly deserved promotion, we are even more ambitious about the breadth and creativity of our publishing as we continue to grow.”