Working Partners brings in Karen Ball to work with publishers

Karen Ball has joined Working Partners as the company's first head of UK sales.

Working Partners is a packager of children's and YA fiction and also owns The Greenhouse Literary Agency, Rights People and Contracts People. Owned by Coolabi, Working Partners now actively develops its stories and works with third parties on TV, film, and digital.

In her new role, Ball will be engaging with the editorial team to build and develop relationships with UK publishers across children's fiction.

Ball has 30 years' experience in children's publishing, including time spent as publisher at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and heading her consultancy, Speckled Pen, where she was nominated as a Bookseller Rising Star. Previously, she has worked as head of editorial at Working Partners.

Ball commented: "I am thrilled to team up with the expertise at Working Partners at such a key stage in the life of publishing. As an industry, we stand at a significant crossroads and I relish the opportunity to engage with our colleagues in the UK to bring the best author and series fiction talent to a fresh generation of readers."

Working Partners m.d. Chris Snowdon added: "We are so delighted to welcome Karen back. Her understanding of the way we work, and her deep knowledge of children’s publishing, make Karen the perfect fit for this new role."