The Bookseller Rising Stars 2013 - the up and comers of the UK book trade - overwhelmingly female

05.09.13 | Tom Tivnan and Felicity Wood - The Bookseller

If there is a recurring theme in the three years we have compiled our Rising Stars—our annual list of the up and comers of the book trade—it is that we are spoiled for choice. The nominations showed the depth and breadth of talent throughout the industry. If those selected are indicative of the rest of the trade, then the industry is well equipped to handle future challenges.

An argument could be made that the result of the digital and economic upheavals of the past few years was an upping of the trade’s game; the book business could not survive without widening its gene pool. The 21st-century industry employee is a cut above.

The trade is now an attractive proposition for “outsiders” (Matt Haslum) and digital young guns (Kjell Eldor, Jon Salt, Lindsey Mooney). A sidebar to this, and an ongoing trend in our list, is that silos are disappearing: there are no more strictly digital people, editors, agents or publicists. Skills overlap, lines are blurred. Vintage’s Bethan Jones combines traditional publicity with podcasting; Andrew Lownie’s David Haviland agents and runs a digital publishing arm.

The Rising Star process is “opt in”; one has to be nominated by a colleague or company, or be amenable to become a Rising Star. We note this because there are no academic publishers or librarians on the list. This is not for lack of trying. We did approach several companies, libraries and individuals in these sectors, but for varying reasons none would participate. It is a shame; there is dynamism in both sectors.

The keen observer will note that the Rising Stars are overwhelmingly female; only 30% (11 of 35) are men. As we picked solely on merit this merely happened, though it perhaps reflects the gender makeup of the trade as a whole. At the end of November, we will reveal The Bookseller 100—our annual list of the most influential people in the trade—also chosen by merit. Going by past years, the gender make-up for the 100 will be the reverse of the Rising Stars. The reasons for the change are perhaps societal, but may be something for the trade to ponder.
Read the list
Compiled by a Bookseller team led by Tom Tivnan and Felicity Wood