Love and money: presenting The Bookseller Rising Stars Class of 2026
The 16th list of the trade’s up-and-comers sees a group united by talent, ambition – and a desire to shake up the industry.
This is the sweet 16th year of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars – our annual list that salutes the British and Irish book trade’s leaders of the future, which is once again sponsored by the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF). Since the beginning, we have canvassed those selected about their origin stories, asking the hows and whys that brought them into the trade.
The Rising Stars come with a wide variety of experiences, some inspiring, some heartbreaking, some hilarious, some all three. But since that first list there has been a commonality, which will hardly surprise, of a love of books. Many of the Rising Stars’ tales involve either a parent, relative, teacher or friend introducing them to reading in a deep and meaningful way; for some it is a voyage of self-discovery.
A digression: the vast majority of their stories are centred around a public or school library, a worrying sign for the future talent pool of the book trade, given how nearly two decades of governmental budgetary body blows to the library service has meant that there are fewer of these spaces.
It is a wonderful thing that the book trade is blessed with those who come into the industry with talent and ambition, backed by an underlying purpose. And that it does not just lure fresh-faced newbies, but the siren song of books draws some from other sectors. This year’s tranche features Collins’ digital products manager Sophie Williamson and BooksForTopics founder Alison Leach, who both came into their education businesses armed with lessons learned from their years in teaching. Happy Reading Children’s Bookshop owner Nicci Rosengarten, began her life in children’s bookselling after a career in healthcare management and, as hip-hop DJ Nicci Cheeks, a recording artist managed by rap legends Public Enemy. I do not think I am going out on a limb here, but I imagine Rosengarten is the only person in the British and Irish book trade who used to regularly hang with Nas and Flavor Flav.
Continues…
Read More
What not one of the 659 people who have been Rising Stars since 2011 has said is that they came into the book industry for the money. Granted, this is not what one would necessarily reveal to a journalist. Yet Rising Stars tend not to be shy about the filthy lucre when talking about earning for their company and clients (I mean, some are agents, for goodness’ sake). And many are at the sharper end of the commercial sphere – in the Class of 2026 that would include One More Chapter’s publishing director Jennie Rothwell, who brought kajillion-units-selling romance superstar Laurie Gilmore to these shores.
You may argue that a “do what you love” philosophy is common in creative industries, yet I would counter that it is book trade exceptionalism. Yes, a good portion of film-makers, actors and musicians begin with a love of craft, but the central desire for many is fame and fortune. I realise my main evidential texts for this are 50 Cent’s seminal album and subsequent film Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which may not be entirely representative.
Yet, I bring this up because of an issue noted by many of this year’s Rising Stars, including Faber Children’s commissioning editor Ama Badu, this year’s Shooting Star. A sidestep: the Shooting Star is the person on the list to whom we give a bit of extra recognition. As part of its sponsorship, Frankfurt will give Badu an all-expenses-paid trip to FBF 2026, with the opportunity to appear on seminar panels and have one-to-ones with industry insiders. Additionally, the Book Society will also bestow on Badu free membership to the society as well as free attendance at selected dinners and parties.
Badu, and others, noted that the book trade has a pressing issue of staff retention. This may even be an offshoot of the commendable work coming out of the many schemes geared at attracting those from backgrounds currently under-represented in the industry. Which I truly believe comes from a genuine desire for change, not CSR box-ticking. But the road to hell, right? The cynical might think that there is less systemic support to ensure those recruited have long-term career pathways because they can be easily replaced by the many clamouring to get into the industry, who are driven by that aforementioned love of books. The feeling from our Rising Stars is that the book trade is doing its damnedest to attract the bright and the best from all walks of life, but not enough to keep them.
Rising Stars 2026: The Class of 2026 – click here for the full list of entries.
