The Class of 2025 25
Rosa Patel Octopus
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The best publicists, says Octopus publicity manager Rosa Patel, have a unique skillset: “Part strategist, part storyteller, part therapist. You need to understand how to position a book in a crowded market, craft a compelling narrative […] and support authors through the sometimes intense process of publication.” Since joining Octopus in 2021 following a three-month internship at Bloomsbury, she has orchestrated campaigns for some of the Hachette division’s biggest hits. A recent smash has been with Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi’s How to Kill a Witch; Patel helped it become a bestseller at launch, keeping the momentum up with Zoom book clubs, merch and a “witchtoker” influencer event. Patel is excited for the upcoming campaign for Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s (AKA Self Esteem) debut, which will be more experimental to recognise the musician’s fan base. Ultimately, she hopes to “help shape the future of how we think about publicity more broadly. I’m really interested in breaking new ground in connecting books with readers”.
Elinor Potts LSE Press
In Elinor Potts’ three years as communications coordinator at LSE Press, she has reshaped the social sciences specialist’s marketing and publicity, with the press’ social media reach now outpacing some of its better-known rivals. Potts’ line manager, head of publishing Philippa Grand, says simply: “In my 22-year career in academic publishing, I’ve not worked with anyone as driven and committed as Ellie.” Potts’ 10-year career in the trade has included retail (Waterstones, Phlox Books and The Word), stints at corporates (Picador) and indies (Repeater Books), along with co-founding the poetry journal Toothgrinder Press. The through line has been “honing my skills in multitasking and managing workflows”. Her wish list for the industry includes “more visibility of underrepresented voices and more recognition for publishers that champion work by gender diverse, disabled, trans, queer, marginalised and global majority people”.
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Sponsored by
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Stella Sabin Peirene Press
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Christopher Ransom Quarto
Growing up as one of four boys, books were a “respite” for Christopher Ransom, who was the first in his working-class, single- parent family to attend university thanks to scholarships. After undertaking publishing internships while juggling copywriting and construction jobs, he joined Quarto in January 2016, earning its Newcomer of the Year title. Four promotions in five years later and he was overseeing strategy for high-profile names such as Joseph Coelho and Mariajo Ilustrajo. He has picked up IPG and BMS awards and leads Quarto’s in-house digital promotions team. Mentoring, both within his team and through schemes including The Spare Zoom Project, is a highlight. He has also managed the promotional strategy for the Little People, Big Dreams brand, which continued growth year-on-year in 2024. As the series enters its 10th year in 2026, Ransom promises more “really exciting” activity to come.
It has been a transformational three years for Stella Sabin and Peirene Press, the Bath-based literature in translation specialist she runs in conjunction with co-publisher (and fellow 2025 Rising Star) James Tookey. Since the duo took over from founder Meike Ziervogel in 2022, they have relaunched and rebranded, expanded the range to authors outside of Europe, tripled the annual title count and consequently experienced an uplift of over 260% in bookshop sales. Triumphs for Sabin include Katja Oskamp and translator Jo Heinrich’s Marzahn, Mon Amour winning the Dublin Literary Award (it was also Sabin’s first acquisition) and Victor Heringer’s The Love of Singular Men (translated by James Young) claiming the 2024 Jabuti Awards for Best Brazilian Book Published Abroad. Ultimately, Sabin feels rewarded by Peirene 2.0’s success: “There have been some really positive trends in translated fiction, with more young readers than ever engaging with works in translation. It’s an exciting time – long may this continue.”
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Features
Rising Stars
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