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Cornerstone has announced two new appointments: Katie Sheldrake, most recently commercial TV broadcaster at UKTV, joins as Cornerstone’s new deputy publicity director while Zennor Compton joins from Penguin Random House imprint Michael Joseph as senior editor for non-fiction. Both began in their new roles last week.
Sheldrake, commercial TV broadcaster at UKTV for the last three years, replaces Francesca Russell who left for Bonnier Zaffre back in January. Charlotte Bush, director of Publicity and Media Relations, to whom Sheldrake will now report, said she had been looking for a candidate with experience outside of publishing and was delighted to have found her. “Her passion for her work is contagious and I am thrilled she is joining the team,” said Bush.
During her time at UKTV, Sheldrake managed the publicity for channel brands including Drama, Alibi and UKTV Play and led show campaigns including for “Quantico” starring Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, “Natural Curiosities” with Sir David Attenborough and “Secrets in My Family” hosted by Alex Jones from "The One Show". She also executed brand stunts such as the reality TV parody Geek Island and the award-winning Real Mr Darcy, a story created around an academic study on what Pride and Prejudice's leading man would actually have looked like, intended to launch Drama's Jane Austen season.Prior to UKTV, Sheldrake started out at Michael Joseph where she worked across bestselling fiction and celebrity non-fiction including Marian Keyes, Giovanna Fletcher, James Oswald, Lucy Mecklenburgh and Coleen Nolan.
Sheldrake said: “I’m very much looking forward to bringing my energy and experience to the team and helping to create defining moments for the company. There is nothing better than great storytelling and as such I am a huge fan of the authors at Century and Arrow in particular. I cannot wait to get started.”
Katie Sheldrake and Zennor Compton
Compton is tasked with bolstering Century’s non-fiction output, joining the non-fiction editorial team comprising editor Becky Millar and assistant editor Lauren Nesworthy. Nesworthy recently joined from DK, bolstering Century’s growing licensing programme, which includes official books for Star Wars, Stranger Things, Minecraft and Avatar.
While at Michael Joseph, Compton published and worked on titles including The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, The Stepney Doorstep Society by Kate Thompson and The Boy Who Followed His Father Into Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield. Her recent acquisitions include Molly and Me by Colin Butcher and Moss by Ulrica Nordstrom. Before this she worked at Pan Macmillan, publishing books including The 365 Bullet Guide, which she also authored.
Ben Brusey, publishing director at Century, praised Compton as “a talented commissioner and publisher with a brilliant nose for discovering new trends and the next bestseller”. He added: “She will strengthen and offer breadth to Century’s successful non-fiction publishing list, which this year ranges from Tina Turner’s memoir to Tim Peake’s Astronaut Selection Test Book to the official inside guide to Stranger Things.”
Compton said: “I’ve loved working at Michael Joseph and am sad to be leaving such talented authors and colleagues. However, the opportunity to build on the success of the Century non-fiction list with Ben and his team proved too tempting to pass up. I’ve long admired Century’s impressive roster and shrewd publishing, and can’t wait to begin a list of my own with the team.”