The London Book Fair celebrates UK young talent in publishing

The longlist for the 2020 Trailblazer Awards has been unveiled today, celebrating 31 publishing professionals under the age of 30 who are demonstrating innovation, creativity and ambition in the book industry.

Now in their fifth year, the awards are organised by The London Book Fair, in partnership with the Publishers Association, supported by the Society of Young Publishers and BookBrunch.

The 2020 longlist is:

• Abbie Smith, Assistant Editor at Hamerville Media Group
• Alice Morgan, Content Administrator at Audible
• Alix Lowe, Shop Manager at Blackwell’s Bookshop
• Amy Ellis, Rights and Licensing Manager at Publishers’ Licensing Services
• Anna Shannon, Marketer at Oxford University Press
• Becca Parkinson, Engagement Manager at Comma Press
• Beth Farrell, Marketing Assistant at Blackwell’s
• Beth-Louise Downey, Publishing Assistant at Bounce Sales & Marketing
• Cassie Buckley, Global Diversity and Inclusion Executive at Oxford University Press
• Eleanor Pilcher, Marketing Manager at Avon, HarperCollins
• Elizabeth Beck, Digital and Production Coordinator at Saraband
• Elle Brenton-Rounding, Senior Rights Executive at Stripes Publishing
• Emily Badger, Assistant Editor at Jessica Kingsley Publisher
• Gauthier Van Malderen, Founder and CEO of Perlego
• Hamza Jahanzeb, Consultant Digital Strategist at Hachette UK
• Harriet Egleton, Senior Literary Scout at Daniela Schlingmann Literary Scouting
• Heather Wood, Development Editor at Kogan Page
• Isobel Gahan, Assistant to Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown Group
• Jasmin Kirkbride, from the UEA Publishing Project
• Joe Thomas, Senior Press Officer at HQ HarperCollins
• Katie Porteous, Library Marketing Executive at Cambridge University Press
• Kirsten Cozens, Press Officer at Walker Books
• Magdalene Abraha, Publisher at Jacaranda Books
• Molly Slight, Commissioning Fiction and Non-Fiction at Scribe UK
• Nia Beynon, Publishing and Sales & Marketing Director at Boldwood Books
• Philip Mills, Community Outreach Coordinator at Public Library of Science (PLOS)
• Rebecca Fortuin, Audio Editor at HarperCollins
• Tatiana Handfield, Editor at Cyril and Dorsie Publishing
• Vera Sugar, Marketing Executive at Jessica Kingsley Publishers (Singing Dragon)
• Zoe Chatfield, Sales Manager at Blackwell’s
• Zoe Turner, Publicity and Outreach Officer at Comma Press
• Zoe Wilson, Academic Liaison Manager, Blackwell’s

The five winners will be announced at a ceremony at White City House in London on 28^th January 2020, hosted by The London Book Fair and SYP.

Jacks Thomas, Director at The London Book Fair, said: “The standard of entries has been phenomenal this year, representing the creativity and talent found throughout the book industry, from booksellers to agents, publicists to audio editors. I do not envy our panel of judges, who have a real challenge ahead of them in selecting a shortlist.”

The five winners will each receive:

• VIP entry to The London Book Fair
• Dinner at the Book Society
• 6 months BookBrunch subscription
• Annual membership to Byte the Book