Although working in a variety of different roles, a passion for books is something all these stars have in common as they forge their careers in publishing. Now looking to take elements of their soft skills to the next level, they will all take on specialist training courses covering topics such as negotiation, people management, and equality, diversity, and inclusion. With our support, they’ll gain industry recognised training which will help them to advance their publishing careers.
Emily Roe
Finishing her Masters as the top in her year, Emily was encouraged to stay in academia, but decided it wasn’t for her. An advertisement for an internship at The National Trust caught her eye, and everything fell into place. Working her way up to Editor, she loves bringing people together with a shared creative vision. Passionate about inclusivity, Emily looks to further her career with a course in diversity and inclusion training, leading to more senior positions in future.
Joanne Butlin
Joanne holds an MSc in Publishing Design, graduating with distinction. Beginning as an intern, she is now Production & Design Assistant at Fairlight Books, with a passion for illustration and cover designs, particularly in children’s literature. Aside from her current role, her proudest achievement is her major project, Don’t Worry, Lovely, a children’s book aimed at breaking down communication barriers during emotionally stressful times, which she looks to publish in the next five years.
Marianne Tatepo
Marianne holds a BA in Comparative Literature & Film from KCL and MA in Publishing from UCL. She has over six years of editorial experience with Penguin Random House and HarperCollins among others. In 2020, she joined Ebury’s Lifestyle hub, and founded publishing community Black Agents & Editors’ Group (BAE), which curated the first guest-edited issue of The Bookseller. Her long-term goal is to be in a senior editorial role, and she is now beginning training through the Publishing Training Centre.
Shannon Kneis
Shannon began her career in academic publishing, combining her love for books with her passion for accessible sociology. She has now been Associate Commissioning Editor at Bristol University Press/Policy Press for four years, working with authors who once lectured her! She hopes to further her work in equality and diversity initiatives and sees herself in a people management role in the future.
Holly Domney
Holly never gets tired of being right at the start of a book’s journey, and publishing has allowed her to do something both meaningful and creative with her career. Describing herself as “ruthlessly” optimistic and cheerful, Holly has worked her way up to Editor with Head of Zeus and is now taking courses to strengthen her negotiation and people management skills to put her in good stead for becoming an Editorial Director in future.