Introducing the mentors for the SYP South West team, who are running both the Into and Ahead streams. Into is dedicated to helping those looking to secure their first permanent role in publishing; Ahead is focused on helping those within publishing roles push on in their career.
The South West Committee is covering the following areas of the UK and Ireland: Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Somerset and Wiltshire.
If you are based in the areas listed above, you could be paired with one of the mentors listed below. Applications open at 9.00am on Monday 22 May 2023 and close at 11.59pm on Sunday 18 June 2023. Apply to the scheme here.
Let us introduce you to our mentors taking part in the 2023 SYP UK & Ireland Mentorship Scheme …
Ame Verso started her career as a junior editor, followed by an extended period as a freelance editor. She now oversees all publishing at David & Charles, working with her team to create over 50 illustrated non-fiction titles per year, on a range of subjects in the creative arts and wellbeing categories.
Anna Clothier studied English Literature at the University of Reading and has an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa. She worked variously in Foreign Rights and distribution before finding her home in editorial, creating content for best-loved children’s brands from Horrible Histories to Fireman Sam. She has worked on children’s novelty and picture books, licensed magazines, and now works at Curious Universe as a lead editor, working on a diverse portfolio of books, toys, games and stationery products for children and adults alike.
Emily Wong has been working in the publishing world for 5 years now, with a focus on Export Sales. They manage a range of diverse accounts across many territories worldwide, all with different requirements and buying habits. Having a young child themselves, they love being able to encourage the younger generation to pick up and book and get lost in it.
Gyamfia Osei began her career in publishing working as a Bookseller at Waterstones, before joining Caskie Mushens as Literary Assistant. She returned to the U.K. after living in Amsterdam for two years, where she managed international sales for The Pepin Press and held the role of Editor for Plural Magazine. Gyamfia is now an agent at The Good Literary Agency and is building a list focused on commercial fiction, cultural history and contemporary Children’s books.
Sales Director at Paper Engine, an independent publisher of novelty product, and print and design partner for key UK trade publishers (Usborne, Pan Mac, Nosy Crow, PRH and more), Hayley Symonds specialises in concept, design, production and delivery for novelty and luxury books (including pop-up, moving and sound). With a decade of experience in Sales and Brand Partnerships at Penguin Random House, she focuses on Non-Trade publishing across all Adult markets and Children’s novelty.
Jessica Cropper currently works as an editor at a small arts, crafts, and wellbeing publisher in Exeter, but previously worked in London as a PR and marketing executive at APA Publications (the publisher of Rough Guides, Insight Guides, and Berlitz travel guides) and as a publicity assistant at illustrated non-fiction publisher, Quarto. Other jobs have been a copywriter for a health website in Peru and an editorial assistant in the charity sector at the Big Lottery Fund (now called The National Lottery Community Fund).
Jessica Lovett has worked in academic publishing for over eight years. She is passionate about academic publishing and ensuring that important research is visible and accessible. During her time in academic publishing, she has worked both in production and editorial teams. Therefore, she is experienced in working on manuscripts from initial conception, right through to publication and distribution. She is skilled at managing a high workload, working to tight deadlines and meeting targets. As a commissioning editor, she enjoys attending conferences, identifying new areas for publication, meeting with potential authors, and maintaining longstanding working relationships.
Joanne Parsons is an experienced editor and writer for both academic and popular writing. She has a Ph.D. in literature and two book series with Edinburgh University Press. She also edits two academic journals and has published several publications. She has been a ghost writer for fiction and non-fiction books, as well as working on her own popular Romance fiction alongside editing and writing several academic texts. As well as her freelance work, she is employed at as lecturer at Falmouth University.
Julia Brockley combines list building expertise with strategic and people management skills acquired over 25 years of experience in academic and scholarly publishing. With creativity, sound commercial judgement, and a flair for anticipating emerging disciplinary trends, Julia has held senior-level publisher/commissioning roles at a range of companies spanning small specialists to large, international, organisations. Her publishing experience includes books, (monographs, textbooks, reference), journals and digital resources. Her skill set includes a broad range of business and strategic management experience developed both within publishing as well as outside the industry. In addition, she can offer expertise in all relevant publishing, technological and business fields, including but not limited to competitor and market analysis, author/editor/editorial board relationship management, business case development, financial and investment appraisal.
Kate Newcombe has worked in the book industry for over ten years, starting in Waterstones running the Children’s section of the Clapham branch, and then moving into Publishing; starting out as an Inventory Assistant for Simon & Schuster UK. She sidelined into Production while at S&S, finally moving on after 7 years to work for Little Tiger Press, in Production, where I worked for two years (mainly during the pandemic). She then decided to leave London and was fortunate enough to become part of the Production team at Curious Universe located in Bath, where she have been promoted to Senior Controller and now manages a team of two. She spent two years on the marketing and publicity team for the London branch of the Society of Young Publishers and have previously mentored for both the London and South West branches.
Laura Baker has worked in publishing for nearly 15 years. Laura spent over seven years in a publishing house as a children’s editor, responsible for a number of award-winning picture, board, activity and non-fiction books. She then moved into freelance work and now edits and writes all sorts of books for a variety of publishers, including Little Tiger Press, Ladybird, Scholastic, OUP, Quarto, Make Believe Ideas, Lonely Planet Kids and more. Laura holds a BA in English: Rhetoric and Professional Writing and an MA in Creative Writing. Laura grew up in Canada but now lives on the south coast of Wales.
After two month-long internships with Intellect Books, Mareike Wehner finally started her career in publishing as a production editor with the same press in 2016. She had graduated from Dortmund University with a degree in art history only weeks before moving country and starting as part of the production team. She progressed to senior production editor and assistant journals manager before becoming Intellect’s first digital products manager in 2022. She now manages most technical aspects of the content platform and its customer service.
After gaining music degree, Mel Tyrrell worked as a bookseller in central London, before becoming senior fiction buyer for Borders UK. Her first publishing role was as sales manager at Ebury (part of PRH) where they looked after key accounts and sales strategy. She moved to Somerset and worked in sales for South West publishers F&W and AudioGo before starting their current role as regional account manager for Faber and Faber and the Independent Alliance. Her job includes selling books to independent booksellers and helping manage our marketing strategy and social media communication with indies across the Alliance publishers.
Michelle Fadil started her production career at the Guardian and Observer newspapers where she was responsible for copy chasing and flatplanning. She then moved into books, working first for Duncan Baird Publishers as Production Co-ordinator and then Production Manager. Twelve years at Penguin Random House then followed, in Production Management roles initially (across DK Adult/Children’s lists as well as Penguin Children’s imprints) followed by Director positions at DK responsible for Production, Procurement and Compliance across print, eBooks and Apps globally. She also sat on the DK leadership team. Michelle now splits her time across the role of Group Procurement and Production Director at Curious Universe and working as a leadership coach.
After graduating from the University of Exeter, Rosie Stewart has established a strong background in publishing services. She has a track record of providing exceptional project management and author liaison, and overseeing editorial stages including copyediting, proofreading and indexing. Rosie has also trained and mentored several intakes of new staff and interns. Currently Rosie is Editorial Director at Westchester Publishing Services UK, where she manages a portfolio of book and journal clients in the academic and education fields.
Lead designer at Curious Universe,
leads the creative design direction for books and licensed products, where they develop everything from My Little Pony activity books to creating our own original picture books and treasuries. He has worked in children’s publishing for 10 years, working for Bonnier Publishing, Egmont/Farshore, Parragon Books and Hachette.
Samantha Stewart has been managing editorial processes in global publishing houses for the last thirty years, working most recently at Penguin Random House and HarperCollins Publishers. She is now a Lecturer in Publishing at Bath Spa University, an editorial consultant for the big-five publishers in London and an author of books for young people. Her middle-grade fantasy book, Fireblood, was published in March this year. She is passionate about sharing insight into all aspects of the creative industries.
Shalu Vallepur started off as a writer and editor of children’s non-fiction and fiction readers before moving to editing (with some occasional writing!). She has edited and copy-edited a range of children’s books, from licenses and picture books to chapter books and YA. She is now based in Frome, editing wonderful middle grade and YA at Chicken House.
Steve McNaught has helped found Arkbound and Palavro publications, being involved in the production of over 25 books across 7 years. His experience covers everything around publishing, with knowledge of all editing stages, author assessment, design, promotion, distribution, international rights and translation. Alongside books he has experience with mentoring individuals, with a passion to ensure that people from diverse and under-represented backgrounds have their voices heard and are given equal opportunity. In 2016 he was commended by (then) Prince Charles in my work to establish two social enterprises, as well as being nominated for the Scottish Social Enterprise Awards in 2022.
After studying English Literature and Creative Writing at Falmouth University, Suzi Heal started her first publishing role in the children’s department at Parragon Books back in 2016. From there she went on to join new Bath-based publisher Curious Universe, starting as an Editorial Assistant and working all the way up to her current role as Lead Editor of Books and Stationery. She now writes and edits a range of licensed and own brand children’s products, from rhyming board books and picture books to treasuries of short stories. As a Co-chair of the SYP South West from 2022, she is looking forward to joining the mentorship scheme from the other side, and supporting a publishing hopeful as they take their first steps into the industry.