Jeevani (Jeev) C writes heart-warming romcoms and multicultural women’s fiction. A former microbiologist, she also writes as Rhoda Baxter - named after the bacterium she worked on for her DPhil. She has had novels published by Bonnier Zaffre, Choc Lit, Hera Books, Mills and Boon and HQ.  Her books A Convenient Marriage, Playing For Love, The Winner Bakes It All and Girl Having A Ball were shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year awards. Please Release Me was shortlisted for a Love Stories award. She has 15 novels, 5 novellas and 2 non fiction books out now, with more in the works. Her first book was published in 2012 and her latest book is How Can I Resist You, published in 2025.

Jeev has given structural editorial feedback for the RNA’s New Writers Scheme for over a decade and loves seeing books that she’s worked on appear on the shelves. She runs a popular YouTube channel on how to use Canva for book marketing. She has a day job working in university intellectual property and sometimes gives talks on what to think about before signing a publishing contract. Having signed four book contracts before getting an agent, she has a good knowledge of the commercial fiction market. She was part of the team at Author Breakthrough Club where they help authors who have signed their first or second publishing contract to navigate the confusing world of being a newly published author. Jeev is a Cornerstones Industry editor.

Interests: commercial fiction, romance, women’s fiction.

Laura Marshall is the Sunday Times top ten and Kindle No. 1 bestselling author of five psychological thrillers. Her debut novel, FRIEND REQUEST, was published by Sphere (Little, Brown) in 2017 and sold over half a million copies in the UK alone. It was translated into twenty-five languages and optioned for TV. She went on to have a further three bestselling novels (THREE LITTLE LIES, THE ANNIVERSARY and MY HUSBAND’S KILLER) published by Sphere. Her fifth novel A GOOD PLACE TO HIDE A BODY was optioned for TV prior to its publication by Hodder & Stoughton in July 2024, and a sixth novel is coming from the same publisher in 2025. Laura also works as a freelance editor and mentor and has a strong instinct for commercial fiction and what makes a story spring off the page. She is a Cornerstones Industry editor.

Interests: commercial fiction/crime/suspense/psychological thriller.

Tim has been a published author for more than 25 years. He has also worked as a TV producer, journalist, cultural commentator, and magazine editor. His first book, 'The Scent of Dried Roses,' won the PEN award for autobiography and is now a Penguin Modern Classic. Tim's first novel, 'White City Blue,' won the Whitbread Prize for best first novel, and his second, 'Rumours of a Hurricane,' was shortlisted for the Encore Award and the Whitbread Best Novel award.

Tim's Young Adult book, 'Fearless,' was longlisted for the Guardian Children's Book award. His thriller novel, 'The Seymour Tapes,' was purchased by Sony TV last year and is awaiting production. For ten years, Tim served as the President of the Prince Maurice Award for Literary Love Stories. He has lectured at a number of universities, as well as the How To Academy, and has taught extensively for the Faber Academy and Guardian Masterclasses. Tim is a Cornerstones Industry editor.

Interests: memoir, love stories, YA, fantasy, thriller, literary fiction.

Naomi has over eight years’ experience working in children’s publishing. She began her career at Puffin (Penguin Random House) before moving to Orion, and then Hachette Children’s Group. Her previous experience as a Rights Manager brings invaluable insight into maximising a book’s sales potential and she has worked closely with both UK and international editors to develop a good knowledge of global publishing markets and trends. Naomi has a BA (Hons) in English Studies from the University of Nottingham and is a keen reader and writer. Naomi’s own books are published by HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Oxford Children’s Books and Hachette Children’s Group in the UK and have been translated into 22 languages. In 2025 Naomi was shortlisted for the Ruth Rendell Award and in 2024 her picture book Thunderboots won the Reader’s Choice Award for Picture Books at the Diversity Awards, the Derby Picture Book Award and was also shortlisted for The Week Junior Awards. She has been the children’s book reviewer for award winning family travel blog Mini Travellers and a long-listing judge and mentor for the Jericho Prize. Naomi has been working as a freelance editor and mentor helping other children’s writers to develop their manuscripts and craft for over seven years. She is a Cornerstones Industry editor.

Interests: picture books, children’s fiction.

Joanna has over twenty five years of experience in Senior positions within the publishing industry. During those years she has worked as a Commissioning Editor for Harlequin Mills & Boon, founded one of the first ever Literary Consultancies, (‘Write From the Heart’), worked as a ‘Book Doctor’ and given talks to Writers Circles across the UK and North America.

Joanna is currently employed by UCL as an Academic Lecturer on their Publishing MA course. She recently spent a year working as the Lead Researcher on an EDI project for Penguin Random House and continues to research and promote diversity and inclusion in all areas of the publishing world. For many years Joanna has also worked as a consultant ‘Book Doctor’ at the request of agents and publishers whose bestselling authors are in need of a fresh eye over their work. This fascinating, but confidential, role includes advising very well know authors who write historical fiction, crime, women’s fiction and romance, when their sales figures have dropped, or they are struggling with a new plot.

Overall, this varied career has involved Joanna in almost every element of the editorial and marketing process for manuscripts, across diverse genres, and has honed her instinctive sense of a commercially viable manuscript in today’s trade fiction market. Joanna has a forensic ability to spot potential and knows the best way to help each writer develop their plot and characters into irresistible, plausible events, places and people. As an eternal optimist and a committed editor, she always works to give constructive feedback that will encourage and incentivise. Joanna has a 1st Class BA Hons in English Literature, an MA in American Studies and holds a PhD in Black Atlantic Studies. Joanna is a Cornerstones Industry Editor.

Interests: general fiction, romance, historical, biographies, and memoir.

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 a number of Sunday Times bestselling books, including non-fiction such as Stacey Dooley's On the Frontline with the Women Who Fight Back, David Attenborough's Blue Planet II and Ted the Dog's Pup Fiction, and novels such as Rachaele Hambleton's A Different Kind of Happy. 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 Industry editor.

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

Isobel is a freelance reader and editor with a broad range of experience in the publishing industry. As a reader for literary agencies for over five years, she specialises in in-depth, market-focused and approachable feedback that aims to help writers strengthen their manuscripts and bring out their full potential. After graduating and working as a bookseller, Isobel worked in International Sales at Canongate and Translation Rights at Curtis Brown. She now reads for leading UK literary agencies across everything from commercial to literary, romantasy to historical (working on multiple Sunday Times bestselling manuscripts), as well as for literary scouts, where she specialises in SFF, MG and YA. Isobel is a Cornerstones Industry editor.

Interests: upmarket/book club and literary fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction, adult commercial (women’s, historical), MG, YA and crossover.

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 Industry 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.

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.

Judith is a freelance editor specialising in children’s books, especially middle-grade fiction and picture books. She works for publishers including Oxford University Press and Pushkin Press. She was the editor of Tiny Feet, Tiny Shoes by Adeline Foo, which won the Asian Children’s Book Award in 2017. She teaches on the MA Publishing Course at the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies at Oxford Brookes University and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her picture book, Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Lunch?, was published in 2019 and nominated for the Luxembourg Children’s Book Award. She is a member of the Society of Authors and a professional member of the CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading). She also has copyedited and proofread many bestselling children’s titles, such as the Isadora Moon, Emerald and Mirabelle series of books by Harriet Muncaster. Judith is a Cornerstones Industry 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 Industry editor.

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

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 Industry editor.

Interests: General Fiction, 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.

Kate is the author of six picture books including the best-selling Santa’s Suit (Campbell Books). Kate reviews picture books for IBBY UK and is passionate about the picture book as a vibrant, tactile art form. Her MG and YA work, short stories and poetry have been longlisted and shortlisted at Wells Festival of Literature, Exeter Novel Prize, Yeovil Literary Prize and Winchester Literature Festival. Kate’s prize-winning poetry and short stories have been published in WRITE Festival, Bath Flash Fiction and Shoreham Wordfest anthologies. Kate has a PhD in Creative Writing and has developed workshops for West Dean College in West Sussex for picture book writers and anyone with a love of literary maps! Kate has been an editor and mentor for Cornerstones since 2008 and is a Cornerstones Industry editor.

Interests: Picture books, chapter books for young readers and middle grade fiction up to age 12.

Lindsay is a former Sunday Times and Telegraph travel columnist. Her travel column “An Englishwoman Abroad”, began in The Sunday Telegraph in 2000 and ran for seven years. Her articles for The Sunday Times, “Have Kids Will travel” followed a year’s trip travelling solo with her two young boys around South East Asia. Their most recent trip, featured in a monthly column for The Independent called “The Rainbow Hunters”, took them around the world to find the origin of colour, raising money for the charity War Child as they travelled. She is also an accomplished fiction writer with numerous short stories published and in 2015; her first novel Jakob’s Colours, shortlisted for The Authors Club First Novel Award, was published by Hodder and Stoughton. Lindsay is an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and is writing her fourth novel. She has worked with over a hundred authors, both aspiring and published, as well as several best-selling writers. She is a Cornerstones Industry editor.

Interests: Travel, adventure and nature writing. All fiction especially literary, women's fiction, crime, thrillers, commercial fiction and experimental.

Dan has worked for Macmillan, Hachette, Quarto and various other major publishers for over twenty years, developing and editing non-fiction and reference projects. As an author, he has written over thirty books for both adults and children. As well as a series of short biographies of great thinkers (which have sold some half a million copies), he has covered subjects as diverse as true crime, history, politics, economics, quizzing and Sherlock Holmes! Two of his most recent narrative non-fiction books have been nominated for the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction. He is also a scriptwriter for the Short History of... and Real Dictators podcast series (produced by the British Podcast Award-winning Noiser Productions), which receive multi-million downloads each month. He graduated in English from Cardiff University and lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and two young children. Dan is a Cornerstones Industry editor.

Interests: narrative non-fiction, biography and memoir, sport, true crime, history, literature, politics, economics

Anna is a children’s book editor with over ten years’ experience in the industry. She began her career at Scholastic Children’s Books, developing the illustrious lists for both Scholastic Fiction and the boutique literary imprint Marion Lloyd Books. In 2013 she moved to Orchard Books, managing a wide range of bestselling series, middle-grade and YA fiction. She was recently nominated for the Branford Boase Award 2019 for her work on the Grandma Dangerous series. Anna is a Cornerstones Industry editor.

Interests: Young fiction, middle-grade and YA, particularly commercial fiction, literary fiction, tearjerkers, magical realism, quirky reality-benders, inspirational coming-of-age and overcoming-of-odds stories.

Becky has over eight years’ experience in the publishing industry. She started her career grading and passing the more promising submissions through to a literary agent. Since then, she’s worked in both an editorial and PR capacity. On the PR side, she worked at two major publishers – Transworld (part of Penguin Random House) and Headline (part of Hachette). She worked with a variety of fiction and non-fiction authors, across a variety of genres. She helped launch the career of debut authors such as Shari Lapena and Karen Hamilton, as well as working with brand women’s fiction, crime/thriller and literary authors. She attended in-house focus and acquisitions meetings, so has a strong idea of what publishers are looking for on the industry side of things. Over the last two years, she’s been working on a freelance basis, in both an editorial and PR capacity. On the PR side of things, she works independently with authors, as well as for agencies such as Midas PR, working mainly with fiction authors across all genres. Editorially, she works with aspiring and self-published authors, as well as on a project-by-project basis with traditional publishers. She prides herself on giving thorough, in-depth reports, and loves to see the improvements an author makes with editorial feedback. She is also an author in her own right - her novel, ONE MOMENT, sold in multiple global territories and will be published in the UK in 2023 and the US in 2024, where it was pre-empted as part of a two-book deal in a six figure deal. She is represented by Sarah Hornsley at PFD. Becky is an Industry editor.

Interests: Thrillers/psychological thrillers, crime, women's fiction, commercial fiction, contemporary literary fiction, YA of all genres.