Picador

Meet the team

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  Publisher

  Mary Mount

  I have worked in publishing for over twenty-five years. I was thrilled to join Picador, one of the country's finest literary lists, as Publisher in 2022. I publish literary fiction and narrative non-fiction from the UK and around the world. I’m always looking for writers with an original voice. In non-fiction I’m particularly interested in memoir, politics and modern history and I am a great admirer of the poets on our list. I count myself extremely lucky to be working at Picador, on a list of such extraordinary writers and with such a brilliant, insightful group of editors. 

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  Publishing Director

  Andrea Henry

  I joined Picador at the very end of 2021 with a remit to publish a range of non-fiction, both voice-driven and concept-driven; I enjoy publishing a smart gift book as much as a literary-prize contender. Over the years, I have worked with an array of authors, including politicians, activists, journalists, academics, medics, social entrepreneurs and comedians: all of whom with something important to say about the world. I’m particularly interested in diverse and feminist voices. I am now delighted to be working with Picador authors such as the Secret Barrister, Jeffrey Boakye, Ben Judah, Jenny Kleeman, Graham Robb and Jon Ronson.

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  Publishing Director

  Sophie Jonathan

  I have been working at Picador since 2010 and have been lucky enough to build a wide-ranging list about which I am passionate. I mostly publish literary fiction, where I look for stories that are rich in voice and expansive in scope, that move across the world and backwards and forwards in time. I love fiction that combines a perfectly handled plot, vivid characters, genuine wit, and truly beautiful – even lyrical – writing. I’m interested in how a book’s form contributes to its intrigue, and I love literary fiction that dips a toe into other genres. I publish some non-fiction too, and am always looking to find unique personal narratives and books with a cause: writing that will ignite passion and debate. Across my publishing I am particularly interested in stories that engage with the identity of place. My authors include Sarah Moss, Emily St. John Mandel, Hernan Diaz, Maddie Mortimer, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Jessie Burton, Mariam Khan, Emma Stonex, Lily King, Hannah Kent, Elizabeth Macneal, Tim Winton, Jim Crace, Cecilia Rabess, Megan Hunter and Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi. 

  
  

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  Publishing Director

  Anne Meadows

  I joined Picador in the summer of 2022 after twelve years at Granta, where I published an array of prize-winning literary fiction and non-fiction from around the world in a range of genres; from the very literary to speculative and horror. The authors I have worked with include Gwendoline Riley, Sarah Moss, Eleanor Catton, Catherine Lacey, Patrick deWitt, Margo Jefferson, Sayaka Murata, Mariana Enriquez and Mark O’Connell. In fiction, I look for literary craft and a strong voice; from big, astonishing novels that land like a thunder-clap to perfectly crafted gems that uncover how we harm and love each other. In non-fiction, I am a sucker for a good prose stylist teaching me something new and making me rethink the world. My nascent Picador list includes the writers: Gwendoline Riley, Kaveh Akbar, Louise Hegarty, August Thompson, Mai Sennaar, Mieko Kawakami, Jen Hadfield, Gina Chung, Hanna Bervoets, Neema Shah, Stephanie Sy-Quia, and Samanta Schweblin.  

  
  

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  Poetry Editor

  Colette Bryce

  I was appointed Poetry Editor in 2022, taking over the excellent list built up over twenty-five years by my predecessor Don Paterson. It is my honour to look after the work of some of the best poets in the English language, from celebrated national laureates to the leading lights of a new generation. Picador poets include: Carol Ann Duffy, Robin Robertson, Denise Riley, Raymond Antrobus, Ian Duhig, Kathleen Jamie, Jacob Polley, Rachel Long, P J Harvey, Frances Leviston, Jericho Brown, Karen Solie, Sean O’Brien, Kae Tempest, Harry Josephine Giles and new signings Maya C Popa, Airea D Matthews and Susannah Dickey. I’ll be working closely with the team to develop the dynamic and varied list at Picador, as a home for the most original poetry across styles and genres. Please direct queries via Ebruba Abel-Unokan.

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  Senior Commissioning Editor

  Alpana Sajip

  I joined the Picador nonfiction team in 2024 after nearly four years at Penguin, and I publish into a range of genres including history, biography, politics, current affairs, art, feminism, investigative journalism and narrative nonfiction. I love books that reimagine history, unearth neglected stories or help readers see the world differently, and I’m particularly drawn to novelistic nonfiction that delves deep into complex characters. The authors I work with at Picador include Lisa Feldman Barrett, Steve Brusatte, Nandini Chatterjee, Clifton Crais, Misha Ewen, Elisabeth Leake, Catherine Mas, Tom McTague, Patrick Radden Keefe, Douglas Smith and Michelle Zauner.

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  Commissioning Editor

  Orla King

  In fiction, I’m looking for contemporary character-driven narratives that sit in the upmarket/literary crossover sweet spot. I like a tangled family drama and stories that span decades and continents. I’m always hoping to find literary fiction with a speculative element, something a bit ‘weird’ that plays with genre and grounds a strong concept in emotional truth. I also love lush, immersive historical fiction, and gothic or light fantastical elements are very much welcomed. I am keen to publish more fiction in translation. I like narrative non-fiction that drops me into a moment in history, through memoir or an investigative approach, and writers who can make sense of the issues we are currently grappling with and explain them to readers in fresh and fun ways. My authors include Elizabeth O’Connor, Gráinne O'Hare, Harriet Gibsone, Ted Chiang, Brian Bilston, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Emma Flint, Nathan Hill, Lizzie Pook, Elaine Hsieh Chou, Éric Vuillard, Laurent Petitmangin, Bette Howland, Sanaka Hiiragi and Anthony Passeron.

• Editor

  Rosie Shackles

  I joined the Picador team in 2022, and I primarily work with Anne Meadows on her list, which includes Kaveh Akbar, Mieko Kawakami, Louise Hegarty and Jen Hadfield. I also work with the writers Douglas Stuart, Jamaica Kincaid, and CJ Green. 

  I love literary fiction that prioritises plot. I’m drawn to page-turners that are full of secrets and questions right to the final minute, and beautifully written, big-hearted family dramas that take me somewhere unfamiliar. I have always been a sucker for a love story. In nonfiction, l enjoy historical or political stories told with the verve and urgency of a novel, whether that be a scandalous news story, or a deeply-researched retelling of a historical moment I thought I knew. 

  
  

• Assistant Editor

  Ebruba Abel-Unokan

  
  

  I joined Picador in 2022, working with Mary Mount and Colette Bryce on their respective lists,which include Percival Everett, Jhumpa Lahiri, Sathnam Sanghera, Colm Tóibín, Raymond Antrobus, Karen Solie and Susannah Dickey. My authors include Richard House, Isabel J. Kim, Evan Hughes, and the estates of Cormac McCarthy, V. S. Naipaul and Oliver Sacks. I enjoy character-driven fiction with a grand ambitious plot: think state-of-the-nation, multigenerational family dramas, and people exploding their lives for no apparent reason. I have a particular interest in speculative literary fiction, especially novels and short stories written in vivid and stylish prose by writers who reflect askance some aspect of the world back at me, or create new worlds entirely. I’m also on the lookout for narrative non-fiction and essay collections.

  
  

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  Assistant Editor

  Lewis Russell

  I joined Picador in 2023 and primarily assist Andrea Henry with her non-fiction list, while also assisting on a select number of fiction titles spread across the rest of the team. My own burgeoning list includes the popular science writers Henry Gee, Michael Bond and Christophe Galfard, and the historian Ben Jacob.
  
  I’m interested in cultural histories that read like novels (in terms of pacing, vivid settings and memorable personalities), popular science that inspires awe – particularly in the areas of physics and evolutionary history – and formally innovative fiction set during the present day.

• Editorial Assistant

  James Taylor

  I joined Picador in 2024, and now work with Orla King and Sophie Jonathan on their respective lists, which include Sarah Moss, Elizabeth O'Connor, Garrett Carr, Emily St John Mandel, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Brian Bilston, Emma Donoghue and Gráinne O'Hare. 
  In fiction, I love stories which are bold, strange, and experimental, but which equally keep the reader gripped by a tightly-screwed plot. I enjoy a good puzzle-box story, something layered and surprising. I'm also particularly interested in working-class and rural narratives, and books with a strong social conscience. In non-fiction, I'm interested in memoir and biography, art writing, and work which engages with nature and landscape.