Killingbeck joins Viking as Ramm leaves to launch editorial agency

HarperCollins’ Tom Killingbeck is joining Viking as editorial director as Jack Ramm leaves the PRH imprint to set up an editorial services company.

Currently editorial director at William Collins, Killingbeck will take on the same role at the Penguin General imprint, commissioning across areas such as popular culture, current affairs, smart thinking and memoir. He will start the new role on 28th October, reporting to Viking publisher Daniel Crewe.

Killingbeck has been at HarperCollins for six years, starting out on the graduate trainee scheme, and was promoted to editorial director at William Collins in July. He has published strong selling titles for the imprint including The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr, Who Owns England? by Guy Shrubsole and Jog On by Bella Mackie.

He said: “I feel very lucky to have built a career over the past six years at HarperCollins, and it’s been a difficult decision to part with some brilliant authors and colleagues. But I’m hugely excited by the opportunity to contribute to the spectacularly successful and dynamic Viking list, which I have long admired. It’s an enormous privilege to be invited to join the team and I’m ambitious to bring more conversation-starting, agenda-setting non-fiction to their thriving publishing programme.”

Killingbeck’s appointment comes as Viking’s programme continues to grow, the publisher said. Having been named Imprint of the Year in 2018, their non-fiction bestsellers this year include Michelle Obama’s Becoming, Antony Beevor’s Arnhem and The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre.

Crewe said: “We are really thrilled to be welcoming Tom to Viking. I’ve been impressed by his acquiring and publishing for a long time now, and look forward hugely to seeing further commercial and critical successes and innovations from him in the years ahead. We’re all excited by the flair, drive and ideas that he’ll bring to our excellent team – it’s great news for Viking and for Penguin General.”

Jack Ramm, commissioning editor at Viking, is leaving at the start of October to set up an editorial services company. He joined the imprint in July 2017 after spending six years as an agent for the Eve White Literary Agency, securing deals for clients such as Daisy Johnson, who went on to be the youngest ever author shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.