Tor

Meet the team

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  Bella Pagan

  Publisher, Tor Books

  I love how speculative fiction can transport us to amazing new worlds, fire our imaginations and introduce us to amazing characters and authors. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to help writers bring these stories to life. When acquiring in this area, my tastes range from commercial to book group fiction, and I’m drawn to character-driven narratives with page-turning plots. I love mainstream fiction with a speculative twist, and am a big fan of lighter, cosy and quirky fantasy. Witches and mythological creatures are also welcome. In addition, I thoroughly enjoy romantasy, fairy-tale and historical retellings, and dark academia. And I grew up loving more traditional vividly-imagined fantasy and fast-paced science fiction. I’m keen to include diverse voices to enrich the Tor UK list, including multicultural, queer and neurodivergent perspectives.

  I’ve been running Tor since 2015 and here are some of my wonderful current and previous authors: Cassandra Clare, Olivie Blake, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Shelley Parker-Chan, Alix E. Harrow, T. L. Huchu, T. J. Klune, Freya Marske, John Scalzi and Rebecca Thorne. At the British Book Awards in 2023, I was shortlisted for ‘Editor of the Year,’ achieving a ‘Highly Commended’ in this category. In the same year, Tor UK was shortlisted for ‘Best Imprint’ for the second year running.  

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  Gillian Green

  Publisher, Tor Wildthorn, Bramble and Nightfire

  I've always loved genre fiction and have spent my career working across all genres as well as commissioning general fiction.  I  started out in publishing as a romance editor, eventually working with some of the biggest names in US fiction – including Nora Roberts/J. D. Robb and Julia Quinn, acquiring the original Bridgerton novels in the UK. ( A belated claim to fame, post-Netflix!) At Penguin, I ran the original Del Rey list in the UK, working with Katherine Arden on her wonderful Winternight Series (The Bear and the Nightingale etc) as well as commissioning Ava Reid’s The Wolf and the Woodsman. I was also lucky enough to work with the brilliant Andy Weir (The Martian/Artemis/Project Hail Mary).

  I joined Pan Macmillan in 2020 initially acquiring commercial, reading group and speculative fiction for Pan, as well as working with some of our biggest crime and thriller authors, including  Ann Cleeves. In 2023 I stepped back into the magical world of SFF to become co-publisher of Tor, with a remit to grow our  imprints and strategically expand our lists, particularly in crossover speculative fiction,  romantasy, romance, horror and cosy fantasy.  I  launched our fantasy romance and romantasy list, Bramble, in 2024 and our boutique horror list, Nightfire, in 2025, with Wildthorn, our new literary/reading group speculative list coming in 2027.  I'm eager to find more genre-busting and genre-blending fiction. I'm particularly looking for literary horror, imaginative fairytale and myth retellings, real world with magic stories, historical fantasy or you can usually tempt me to read anything with witches and/or vampires.

  Authors I currently work with include Carissa Broadbent, TJ Klune, Mary E. Pearson, K. A. Linde, J.T. Geissinger,  Sarah Beth Durst, Helen Scheuerer, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Charlaine Harris and Casey McQuiston, among many others. 

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  Sophie Robinson

  Editorial Director, Tor Books and Nightfire

  I am a huge SFF and horror fan, the latter of which I'm looking to commission more of for Tor Nightfire UK. I love atmospheric hauntings and possessions of any kind - real, metaphorical, gothic, gruesome; nightmarish retellings and folklore (especially those outside the Western canon); the light-touch supernatural as well as dread-inducing psychological horror. I'd love to see books comparable to A Head Full of Ghosts, The Historian, Last House on Needless Street, NOS4A2 and Come with Me. 

  For fantasy, I love retellings, romantasy, magical dark academia, books about books, courtly politics, witches and, of course, vampires. I'd love to see anything similar to Babel, Wendy, Darling and Ninth House. My science fiction tastes lean more towards the literary side of the genre with a clear, concise pitch, such as The Shining Girls, Station 11 or The Power. But ultimately, there's nothing better than a propulsive plot, an original concept and a voice that I will follow to the ends of the earth!

  Some of the authors I currently work with are Freya Marske, Travis Baldree, Grady Hendrix, Genevieve Cogman, Lucy Holland, and Ann Liang.

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  Senior Commissioning Editor

  Ajebowale (Aje) Roberts

  When I read I want to be taken away to a different world. I want to fall in love, have my heart broken, travel, experience heart wrenching betrayal and hair-raising battles. Romantasy, romance and SFF are my heartland and the spicier the better!

  I joined Tor in 2025, where I'm building a bespoke list across fantasy romance, romantasy, SFF and romance. Authors I work with include H. M. Wolfe, Chloe C. Peñaranda, Clio Evans, Jade Church, Jeaniene Frost, Deanna Ortega, Nikki St. Crowe and Lucy Lehane. As an editor I want to build a list that represents the society that we live in and that pushes boundaries and elevates intersectionally diverse authors. I'm looking for books that break my heart into a million pieces and then put it back together again.

  Amazing authors I have worked with in the past are Elizabeth Helen, Amélie Wen Zhao, R. F. Kuang, Laurie Gilmore, Melissa McTernan, Beth O'Leary, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Rebecca Ross, Analeigh Sbrana, Chioma Okereke, Ehigbor Okosun and many more! 

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  Michael Beale

  Editor

  
  

  In all genres, I'm looking for a narrative voice with personality for days – one that delights the imagination with weird worlds, unusual perspectives and daring dialogue true to its characters. A voice that's eager to tell a story.

  I'm drawn to fiction that delves into the dark with abandon but never loses its heart – stories where the world is brutal and strange, but the characters facing it are vivid, witty and fiercely bound to one another. I also love worlds across speculative fiction that feel lived-in: tactile, grimy, ancient. Give me the inventive setting of Robert Jackson Bennett's The Tainted Cup, the gleeful carnage of Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl, and the medieval dread of Christopher Buehlman's Between Two Fires. In epic fantasy, I want grit and heart – Robin Hobb, John Gwynne – and I'll always have a weakness for nautical adventures. In science fiction, I'm after space operas with larger-than-life characters (Tamsyn Muir), SF that explores sociological ideas with real human stakes (Adrian Tchaikovsky, Sue Burke). I also adore outlandish fiction that turns my mind inside out: Hiron Ennes' Leech and Cameron Sullivan's The Red Winter. Mushrooms, parasites, demons and eldritch horrors are all welcome in this brain.

  I have had the privilege to work with exceptional SFF authors, including Adrian Tchaikovsky, Tori Bovalino, John Gwynne, Nicholas Binge, T. L. Huchu, Maddie Martinez, TJ Klune and Joseph Eckert.

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  Editorial Assistant

  Abbie Gibb

  I work closely with our Publisher, Bella Pagan, and Editor, Michael Beale, across Tor's list. I've had the pleasure of working with some of our biggest brand authors, including Olivie Blake, Cassandra Clare, V. E. Schwab, and Adrian Tchaikovsky.

  I love speculative fiction that explores what it means to be human with imagination and empathy. I'm drawn to vibrant worlds, captivating relationships and complicated characters. I can't resist stories that empower relatable protagonists and encourage them to evolve in unexpected ways.

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  Editorial Assistant

  Sophie Flesher

  I work closely with our Publisher, Gillian Green, and Editorial Director, Sophie Robinson, across the Tor, Tor Nightfire, and Tor Bramble list. Some of the authors I'm working with include Carissa Broadbent, Travis Baldree, Isa Agajanian, TJ Klune, and Grady Hendrix.

  I am drawn to speculative fiction with immersive fantastical landscapes that act as a backdrop to fascinating characters and relationships. I love retellings, epic fantasy, gothic landscapes, and quirky characters. I am particularly interested in diverse perspectives and worlds that take inspiration from a variety of cultures, mythologies and tales.