IN DEPTH
London Book Fair Special Rising Stars
Three Rising Stars reveal how the nod affected their publishing journeys
Three recent alumni of The Bookseller’s annual Rising Stars listing—the definitive roster of the book trade’s up-and-coming talent—reflect on how their careers were altered by the recognition, as entries for this year’s class open
Tom Tivnan @tomtivnan I
t is now as much a London Book Fair tradition as the Monday night HarperCollins part, or rubbishing the public transport links to Olympia: the annual call
for entries to The Bookseller’s oſt-imitated, never replicated Rising Stars. This year will mark the 13th edition of the Rising Stars, a listing of the British and Irish book industry’s up-and-comers who are tabbed as future leaders of the trade.
One member of the 2023 list will be named the “Shooting Star”, a nominee the judges believe deserves slightly greater recognition. Last year’s Shooting Star was then-Simon & Schuster editor Kaiya Shang, who has since moved to a new commissioning editor role at Chato. The Frankfurt Book Fair has returned as a backer of the initia- tive, and the Shooting Star will be given an all-expenses trip to FBF 2023, with the opportunit to appear on seminar panels and have one-on-one consultations with industry experts.
Since inception, 476 individuals have been named Rising Stars; 58 of whom have gone on to lead houses or divisions or launch new businesses; 27 have won individ- ual or team British Book Awards; while 44 “graduated” to The Bookseller 150, the annual list of the most influential people in books. Over the following pages, three trade professionals share their experiences of what being named on the list has meant for their careers. Details on the application process for this year’s Rising Stars can be found on p11.
Gráinne Clear Walker Books Senior commissioning editor
Class of 2017
Gráinne Clear was made a Rising Star while publishing manager and art director at Dublin’s “small but might” children’s indie Litle Island. Two years later, she crossed the Irish Sea to take up a senior editor maternit cover at Walker, but was soon given a permanent post.
She was promoted to her current role, senior commissioning editor, last year.
1 Has the Rising Stars been useful for you?
I can say honestly that being chosen as a Rising Star was hugely influential, and that it happened at just the right moment in my professional life. The main impact was psychological: a confidence boost that came from realising that I was doing something right, that enthusiasm and hard work was paying off, and that peers were noticing. When people within your industry
go out of their way to elevate you, it’s a hugely powerful thing, and I felt buoyed for years afterwards. The personal and professional connections that resulted from being on the list were also invaluable, as
08 31st March 2023
was the truly unforgettable trip to Frankfurt Book Fair as the Rising Stars representative that year.
2 What are some of your post- Rising Stars highlights?
One I’m still coming down from was publishing M T Khan, a début author whose remarkable story about a young girl working in a mica mine in Pakistan drew me in from the very first page of the submission. Nura and the Immortal Palace went on to become a Waterstones Book of the Month and win the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Younger Readers. Seeing an author receive recognition and industry success for a book like this one was incredible—and
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