Swan promoted to children's and YA associate publisher at Faber

Alice Swan has been promoted to children’s and YA associate publisher at Faber. She will be reporting to publisher Leah Thaxton.

Swan joined Faber in 2011 as commissioning editor, and has gone on to secure major acquisitions, from picture books to YA, including 2023 Book of Bologna, Songlight by Moira Buffini, Alwyn Hamilton’s Rebel of the Sands trilogy as well as Swapna Haddow and Sheena Dempsey’s Dave Pigeon series.

In this newly created role, Swan will lead on Faber’s co-edition publishing, while continuing to edit authors including Emma Carroll and Costa-winner Natasha Farrant.

Many of Swan’s acquisitions have gone on to win prizes such as the Costa Book Award, the Blue Peter Book Award, the Books Are My Bag Award and the UKLA Book Awards, in addition to being featured in multiple Carnegie shortlists. Prior to joining Faber, Swan worked at Scholastic.

She said: "I am enormously proud to be taking on this new role at Faber. When I joined the company over a decade ago I felt like I had found my publishing home. Here editors are given the freedom to trailblaze, to publish with passion and integrity, to push at the boundaries and to make every voice count.

"We are also given the time to actually edit and the space to innovate. I love our boutique, diverse and, quite frankly, phenomenal illustrators and authors. Along with my colleagues, it feels like every day I am working with the best in the business."

Thaxton added: "Alice is an extraordinary editorial talent, with an unerring eye for authorial voice, and the vision to maximise a book’s commercial potential. The truly exceptional authors and illustrators we work with deserve the very best staff to assist them, and Alice epitomises the best.

"She identifies the finest voices for publication and I feel very lucky to have her on board. With the wealth of authors on our list, it is truly a golden era."