Adam is the bestselling ghostwriter of more than sixty titles. He has collaborated on fiction and non-fiction books that have sold millions of copies worldwide and which regularly appear in the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller lists. He has accrued hundreds of thousands of five-star Amazon and Goodreads reviews, and his clients include many household names.

Adam was Editorial Director of John Blake Publishing for nearly ten years before turning freelance. Now, as well as routinely writing for all the major publishers (including Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins and Pan Macmillan), he is often called upon to book-doctor manuscripts that require substantial pre-publication editorial attention. He has worked extensively across most genres of adult and young adult publishing, and prides himself on his ability to work sensitively and discreetly with a wide range of clients on an eclectic range of books.

Adam has a passion for helping authors and publishers turn great ideas into brilliant books, and for empowering less experienced writers to transform their manuscripts into the best possible versions of themselves. Adam is an Industry editor.

Interests: All genres, with particular experience working on memoirs, thrillers, YA, self-help, humour, food & drink and true crime.

Bethany is a former Senior Editor at Penguin Random House, where she was involved in the WriteNow mentoring scheme and the #Merky Books New Writers' Prize. She has ten years' experience in the industry, working at both commercial and independent publishing houses. Bethany has worked on non-fiction by authors such as David Attenborough, Stacey Dooley and Ray Mears, and novels by Jenny Colgan, Rachaele Hambleton and Adam Hills. She has an MA in Creative Writing (Prose Fiction) from the University of East Anglia and regularly teaches creative writing summer schools and weekend courses. Bethany is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: memoir, narrative non-fiction and contemporary fiction.

Clem (she/her) is a Bonnier Books UK editor based in Scotland. She has an MLitt in Publishing Studies from the University of Stirling and a BA in Creative Writing and English Literature from the London Metropolitan University, and was longlisted for the 2019 Mslexia Novel Competition. She has worked as a freelance developmental editor, copy-editor and proofreader in genre fiction for nearly a decade, and now edits and commissions fiction for Black & White Publishing and Ink Road within BBUK. Her favourite genres are YA, fantasy, commercial fiction and (cosy) crime. When she’s not at work or writing her own novels, she spends her time wild swimming or renovating her cottage with her husband. Clem is a core editor.

Interests: commercial fiction, YA, fantasy, crime and romance.

Isobel has a broad range of experience in the publishing industry. As a reader for literary agencies for over four years, she specialises in in-depth, market-focused and approachable feedback that aims to help writers strengthen their manuscripts and bring out the full potential of their stories. After graduating with a degree in French from Oxford and working as a bookseller, Isobel started out at Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, working on editorial development and project management across a range of manuscripts. She has also worked in International Sales at Canongate, and most recently in Translation Rights at Curtis Brown, where she handled rights across the children’s list and the French list of clients. Isobel is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: upmarket/book club and literary fiction, fantasy, adult commercial (women’s, historical, mystery/suspense), middle-grade and YA and crossover (across all genres).

Ericka was born in Hertfordshire, and has lived in Brighton for over half her life. Her debut novel, Dog Days, was published by Doubleday in 2021. Her second novel, Goodbye Birdie Greenwing, is due for publication in 2024. Ericka is an award-winning blogger, and her weekly ‘Fresh voice’ column for the Argus Newspaper won Columnist of the year in the Regional Press Awards 2015. She completed the Faber Academy 2018-2019, and runs writing classes for secondary school children as well as mentoring services. Ericka is a very keen fiction reader and dog lover, and is a Cornerstones core editor.

Interests: commercial and literary fiction – anything character led!

Sarah has over six years of experience in the publishing industry. Following internships at OUP and Palgrave Macmillan, she spent the first stretch of her career as Desk Editor at Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, where she primarily oversaw the development of fiction and nonfiction titles (adult and children's), and supervised a team of freelance professional editors. Sarah also acted as a scout for agents, preparing authors for submission through the consultancy's scouting programme. She is now an Editorial Project Manager for whitefox, and, as a freelancer, enjoys working across a range of books, identifying ‘big-picture’ issues that might be preventing manuscripts from reaching their full potential. Her goal is to help bring an author’s vision to life, and to ensure a book is perfectly-pitched to compete in the marketplace. Sarah is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: upmarket/book club fiction, contemporary, experimental fiction, queer fiction, campus novels and coming-of-age tales, noir, speculative fiction, narrative nonfiction

Lou has helped countless numbers of writers with written and one-on-one feedback and has over 25 years’ experience as a tutor. She studied Drama at the University of East Anglia, taught Drama, then returned to UEA to do their MA in Creative Writing, publishing two novels with Headline Review, The Water’s Edge and The Haven Home for Delinquent Girls. Lou then did a PhD, went travelling, and started a family while working full-time as a university lecturer. She left her job in 2017 to find more time to write. Poetry credits include Perverse, Rialto, Under the Radar and Shearsman, and her short story collection, Unusual Places, came out in 2018. She has since self-published several guides to the writing process. Lou currently teaches Creative Writing part-time for the Open University and has worked with New Writing South and Creative Future as well as several other community organisations. She is a Cornerstones core editor.

Interests: Quirky or weird fiction, coming of age stories, literary fiction, murder mysteries, self-help, short stories, neurodivergent or LGBTQ+ writing.

Kate Barker has worked in publishing for almost twenty years as an agent, commissioning editor and ghostwriter. She spent ten years at Penguin, as an Editorial Director for Viking. She has also worked for Orion, for Curtis Brown and for digital publisher Bookouture. Kate is eager to find new talent, particularly new voices in reading group, literary and commercial fiction. Like most agents, Kate is looking for stories that really stay with her. Something that tends to catch her eye is an interesting setting, be it contemporary or historical. Kate is a Cornerstones industry editor.

Interests: crime, thriller, suspense, commercial, reading group, and most nonfiction inc memoir

Jo has worked in literary agencies for over ten years and most recently was the Children’s Literary Agent at The Blair Partnership where she looked after a list of picture book authors and children’s non-fiction and fiction authors across the age range from 5 to YA. She has discovered and secured deals for many prize-winning and notable writers including Helena Duggan, Katy Birchall, Kieran Larwood, Sir Chris Hoy, Dawn Coulter-Cruttenden, JJ Arcanjo, Oli Hyatt, Nicki Thornton, Earthling Ed and PA Staff. Spotting commercial fiction has given Jo a strong sense of what works well in the children’s market. She thrives on working collaboratively and creatively with authors at any stage of their writing career. Jo is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: children’s fiction from young (5-8), through middle grade and teen to YA fiction

Kate has nearly twenty years of experience in the publishing industry, and is the Rights Director at a leading literary agency. She has always worked on the agency side of the business, and her career has taken her from New York to London. Helping an author realise their vision for a work is one of her many passions, as are books and reading. Her role in selling an author’s work abroad gives her a keen eye for what a manuscript needs to find a publishing home and captivate readers. She has sold translation rights for a number of bestselling writers in genres as broad as crime/thriller, women’s fiction, literary, memoir, narrative non-fiction and the sciences. Kate is a Cornerstones industry editor.

Interests: commercial fiction, women’s fiction, rom-coms, historical fiction, crime, literary fiction, memoir and narrative non-fiction

Catherine is a freelance editor and an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). She has taken training courses in copyediting, proofreading, and developmental editing and has worked as a freelancer for publishers such as Bloomsbury, Routledge, and Cambridge University Press. Her first love is fiction, and she particularly enjoys working for new or self-publishing authors. She aims to build your confidence, make your work shine, and help your voice be heard. Her original background is in the visual arts, and she enjoys projects that are weird, surreal, dark, or unconventional. She also has a strong stomach! Catherine is a Cornerstones copy-editor and proofreader.

Interests: Fantasy, science fiction, horror, YA, romance, psychological thrillers, memoirs, and self-help.

Nicky has worked in (and run) the editorial departments of big and small publishers for a decade. She has also worked solidly as a freelance editor for over twenty years. Over the years she has enjoyed working with a huge range of authors – from household names to indies. Nicky’s passion is making your story as good as it can be – and for you to enjoy the editorial process. She has an enduring love of reading. Nicky is a Cornerstones copy-editor and proofreader.

Interests: Adult fiction and non-fiction including commercial women’s, crime (including cosy) and thrillers.

Nick is a fiction writer and freelance editor. His first novel, comic coming-of-age story Saint Valentine, was published by Transworld in 2003; former Children’s Laureate Jacqueline Wilson said of its protagonist: ‘I wish I’d invented him.’ His creepy middle-grade Molly Thompson series, published by Walker Books, has been optioned for television by Netflix. He was a regular columnist for a national magazine for over a decade, and has been an English teacher and Academic Learning Mentor. Nick is a Cornerstones core editor.

Interests: middle grade and YA fiction, mystery, horror, humour, fantasy, coming-of-age stories, memoir, self-help and personal development

Antonia was an editor at Frances Lincoln for 10 years, and has translated and published several French children’s books in English. She has been an editor and mentor with Cornerstones since 2009; since then she has supported, championed and encouraged hundreds of first-time authors, and helped many to publish their debut titles, including Jane Hardstaff’s The Executioner’s Daughter, and Rachel McIntyre’s Me & Mr J. Antonia is a Cornerstones industry editor.

Interests: fiction, children's/YA, picture books, non-fiction

Annabel is an Oxford University English graduate and a multi-award winning children’s author whose work is published in over twenty countries. Her first novel, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, won the Branford Boase Award for most outstanding debut in 2011, and was shortlisted for several major literary awards including the Carnegie Medal. Her second book, Ketchup Clouds, was named the Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year in 2013 and won an Edgar Award in the USA for best young adult fiction. Her third novel, Silence is Goldfish, was published in 2015 to great critical acclaim and her fourth novel, The Last Days of Archie Maxwell, was published in November 2017. She has also recently signed a three-book picture book deal with Hachette. Annabel has tutored on Arvon courses and has been a guest lecturer at Bath Spa and Sheffield Hallam Universities on their creative writing courses, and is a regular reviewer of children and young adult fiction for The Guardian. Annabel is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: children's fiction, young adult fiction, picture books

Bryony is an award-winning author who writes horror, dystopia and paranormal novels for young adults (published by Egmont, Stripes and UCLAN), thrillers for adults (published by Avon/Harper Collins) and science fiction short stories also for adults (published in various anthologies). She is a former Cornerstones author who was passed through to an agent. Bryony has an MACantab in English Literature from Cambridge University, regularly speaks at schools and festivals and teaches the course Writing for Children at City University. She has been an editor and mentor with Cornerstones since 2014. Writers she has worked with at Cornerstones include Scott Bain (shortlisted for the Bath Novel Award, now repped by Lauren Gardner) and Muhammad Khan (now an award winning YA novelist). Bryony is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: MG/YA/Adult, thriller, crime, science fiction, dystopia, horror, fantasy

As a former broadcast journalist and producer for the BBC, Judith has worked with both published and unpublished writers, conducted writing workshops and competitions, and produced a book of children’s short stories for BBC Children in Need. She works for publishers including Oxford University Press and the Jacaranda Literary Agency in Singapore. She was the editor of Tiny Feet, Tiny Shoes by Adeline Foo which won the Asian Children’s Book Award in May 2017. She is an Associate Tutor for the MA Publishing Course at the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies at Oxford Brookes University, and was recently made a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She mainly works with children’s books, especially Middle Grade fiction and picture books but has also recently worked with self-published authors on adult fiction. Judith is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: children's, middle grade fiction, YA, picture books, chapter books for early readers

Vanessa N is an experienced editor of fiction and memoir. She started out her editorial career at Virago/Little, Brown, working with high-profile literary authors, before moving to become a Commissioning Editor at Random House, buying in and editing fiction and memoir. She’s the author of eleven novels under pseudonyms, published by Sphere, Quercus and Simon & Schuster, and has been published in thirteen countries. She is a dedicated editor and writing mentor, with a passion for helping writers find and develop their voices. Vanessa is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: literary fiction, commercial women’s fiction, historical, suspense, book club fiction, and memoir

Susannah worked for seven years at Rogers, Coleridge and White literary agency with a UK agent and in Foreign Rights with clients such as Francesca Segal and Owen Sheers. She was Managing Editor of the Jewish Quarterly for five years publishing work by writers including Naomi Alderman, Cynthia Ozick and Adam Foulds. Susannah is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: Literary fiction, commercial fiction, women's fiction

Dionne is an American author living in England, who began as a Cornerstones UK editor before managing Cornerstones’s launch into the US. She writes YA, MG and adult fiction, and is represented by Writers House in NYC. She has been a long- and short-list judge for the Bath and Caledonia novel awards since their inception, and a PitchWars mentor since 2014. She previously wrote and edited scripts for TV, and copyedited speeches for President Bill Clinton during his first term. Dionne also currently writes and edits for the Paper Nations project run by Bath Spa University’s English Department. Dionne is a Cornerstones core editor.

Interests: YA and Middle Grade, all adult fiction less Sci-Fi and fantasy

Will’s writing on travel, culture, politics and other subjects has appeared on sites including BBC Travel, Slate, OpenDemocracy, the Calvert Journal and Roads and Kingdoms, among others. He is also the founder and editor of the culture and travel site Deep Baltic. He has completed a large number of reports and successfully mentored a range of authors for Cornerstones over the last few years, including guiding Daniel Godfrey’s New Pompeii (Titan Books) to publication. Will is a Cornerstones core editor.

Interests: contemporary adult fiction, literary fiction

Terri is the award-winning author of The Oaklands Manor trilogy, the Penhaligon Saga, and the Fox Bay Saga. She currently writes family sagas for Little, Brown, and crime thrillers for Hobeck Books. Terri has also self-published The Lynher Mill Chronicles, a series of Mythic Fantasy books, and as a hybrid author she is keen to help writers at all stages of their careers find the perfect path for their work. Terri is a Cornerstones core editor.

Interests: crime/thriller, historical fiction, family sagas, women's fiction, fantasy, commercial fiction

Sangu is the author of YA novel The Lost Girl. (HarperCollins US and Random House UK, 2012) and a forthcoming YA space opera trilogy. She’s currently also working on a new middle grade novel, several picture book projects and a new YA fantasy. She is an experienced editor of children’s fiction and has written a play that was performed by schools in India. She has been an editor and mentor with Cornerstones since 2014. Sangu is a Cornerstones core editor.

Interests: all picture book genres, YA and MG science fiction, fantasy, contemporary and historical

Ayisha began her publishing career at Penguin Random House, joining Cornerstones Literary Consultancy as editorial assistant in 2010 where she became managing editor within her first year. She holds an MA in Creative Writing and her debut novel, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, Bonnier, was published in January 2016, a WH Smith’s Fresh Talent pick. This Green and Pleasant Land was published by Zaffre Books in 2019. She now writes full-time and also works as a ghostwriter. Ayisha is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: General Fiction, Commercial Fiction

Em is a novelist and prose fiction author with an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University. Their debut novel, And This is True, was published by Sceptre in 2010 and shortlisted for The Dylan Thomas Prize, The Saltire Scottish First Book Award and the Readers’ First Book Award at Edinburgh’s International Literary Festival. Their second novel, In Search of Solace, was published in 2014 (Sceptre) and longlisted for the Green Canation Prize and the Folio Prize. Em has coordinated and facilitated creative writing workshops, mentoring sessions, writing retreats and gives talks to schools, universities and extracurricular groups about the writing and publishing process. They have been a freelance literary consultant since 2009. Em is a Cornerstones core editor.

Interests: adult commercial or literary fiction (any genre), experimental writing, character-based novels, themes on identity, familial conflict, nature writing and memoir, landscape and the environment, spirituality, mindfulness.

Antonia is an experienced editor, writer and tutor and an Advanced Professional Member of CIEP. With 30 years in book publishing, she provides a range of editorial services for both non-fiction and fiction. She is an industry development editor and copy-editor/proofreader, specialising in children’s fiction, memoir, commercial fiction and narrative non-fiction. She writes for children and her debut middle-grade novel Terra Electrica: The Guardians of the North (Book 1) publishes in 2024 with Neem Tree Press. As well as teaching editorial skills, she offers mentoring and manuscript development services to indie authors, and leads creative writing workshops and guest lectures on editing and writing.

Interests: commercial non-fiction, memoir, children’s (MG and YA fiction and non-fiction), literary and commercial fiction

Frances Moloney has worked in children's publishing for over ten years. Starting out as a bookseller at Waterstones, she has worked for some of the world's largest publishing houses, Simon and Schuster and Hachette, and with independents Nosy Crow, Flying Eye and Knights Of, amongst others. She has worked with a range of bestselling and award-winning children's authors such as Holly Webb, Jonathan Meres, Pippa Goodhart and Berlie Doherty. Her debut novel for middle grade readers, The Mystery of the Missing Mum, is published by Pushkin Children's in August 2022. Frances is an industry editor.

Interests: Books with heart. Children's, middle grade, series fiction, young adult, teen, tween and picture books.

Mark is the author of three thrillers and a former specialist in Technology Disaster Recovery for oil companies and global banks. He is member of the author touring group ‘Four Blokes In Search of a Plot’, a show which performs in theatres and arts venues around Scotland, which writes a very short crime novel live on stage, while discussing all the aspects of being a writer. He has appeared at festivals across Scotland and was invited to Thrillerfest in New York for three years running. He is represented by a leading London literary agency. Mark is a Cornerstones core editor.

Interests: Crime, thriller, techo-thriller, speculative, psychological, commercial fiction, fantasy and science fiction

Since entering the world of publishing more than a decade ago, Eleanor has worked with some of the largest, most innovative and exciting publishers in the industry. After several years in-house, she embarked on a freelance career (working with Hachette, Choc Lit, and Mills & Boon, among others) to give her the flexibility to take on projects that she is fiercely passionate about. Her reading tastes and interests are varied and wide-ranging, and she specialises in women’s and historical fiction. In 2013, under the pen name Ellie Darkins, she sold her first novel to Crimson Romance (now an imprint of Simon and Schuster). She has since published eight more novels with Harlequin Mills & Boon. Eleanor is a Cornerstones market editor.

Interests: women's fiction, romance, historical fiction, history and narrative non-fiction