Boldwood is delighted to announce the recruitment of a new Publishing Director and the acquisition of ten more authors – bringing the total number of writers on the list to 101.
Isobel Akenhead will join the company from Bookouture in January 2023, where she is currently Associate Publisher. Her stellar roster of bestselling authors includes Rona Halsall, Kate Hewitt and Suzanne Kelman. Previously she worked for Kobo, developing their UK business over several years and before that she held various roles at Hachette. She will be building her own new list at Boldwood across all the commercial fiction genres.
She says: ‘I am so thrilled to be joining the dynamic, exciting team at Boldwood. After five brilliant years at Bookouture, working with so many talented colleagues and authors, I am ready for the next step. Boldwood’s passion for publishing the best in commercial fiction is completely in line with my own, and I’m excited to start building an exceptionally high-performing, bestselling list.’
The new line-up of Boldwood authors includes bestselling psychological thriller writers Amanda Reynolds, Diana Wilkinson, Ruby Speechley and Danielle Ramsay; powerful historical fiction novelists Siobhan Daiko, Catherine Law and Helen Parusel; cosy crime afficionado Michelle Salter, and Kate Lovell who writes warm multi-generational women’s fiction. They are joined by the hilarious and bestselling US romantic comedy author Sara L. Hudson. All authors have been contracted on multi-book deals and will be published in every format simultaneously in all English-language territories.
Amanda Ridout, Founder and CEO said: ‘As we pass the significant milestones of 100 authors on the Boldwood list and 10m copies sold across the globe, we are delighted to welcome Isobel Akenhead to the team. She will bring her impressive experience and commercial nous to help us further build our growing company. We have had an extraordinary award-winning and financially successful year and as ever I am so thankful to our brilliant authors and dedicated team for making it all possible.’
Boldwood’s latest additions to their team and to their author list are attached with biographical and title detail.
The Latest Boldwood Authors
Siobhan Daiko writes powerful and sweeping historical fiction set in Italy during the second World War, with strong women at its heart. She now lives near Venice, having been a teacher in Wales for many years. Her first book for Boldwood, The Girl from Venice, will be published in June 2023.
Sara L.Hudson is a bestselling romantic comedy author whose books include the hilarious Space series, featuring the men and women of NASA and their panty-melting happily-ever-afters. She lives in Houston and her first title for Boldwood, Anyone But the Billionaire, will be published in January 2023.
Catherine Law writes dramatic romantic novels set in the first half of the 20th century, during the First and Second World Wars. Previously published by Zaffre, her books are inspired by the tales our mothers and grandmothers tell, and her first title for Boldwood will be published in April 2023. Originally a journalist, she lives in Kent.
Kate Lovell writes warm women’s fiction – based on community and friendship. Previously published by Quercus and Bloodhound, her first book for Boldwood, The Secret Swim Club at the Ladies Lido, will be published in January 2024. She lives in Sheffield, but her books are set in the Wye Valley where she grew up.
Helen Parusel is a debut historical novelist, having been a teacher and a clothes buyer for M&S. She lives in Hamburg, and her first book is based on the Nazi invasion of Norway in 1940 and will be published in May 2023; while her second is inspired by war stories from her mother’s homeland of Austria, where she spent her early holidays.
Danielle Ramsay is the author of the DI Jack Brady crime novels and other dark thrillers. She is a Scot living in the North-East of England and was previously published by Hodder & Stoughton and Avon. Her first psychological thriller for Boldwood, The Missing Husband, will be published in June 2023.
Amanda Reynolds is the bestselling psychological suspense author whose debut novel, Close To Me, was adapted as a major six-part TV series for Channel 4 in 2021. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and her first book for Boldwood, The Assistant, will be published in April 2023. Previously published by Headline, she lives near Cheltenham.
Michelle Salter writes historical cosy crime set in Hampshire, where she lives, and inspired by real live events in 1920s Britain. The first book in her Iris Woodmore series, Death at Crookham Hall, will be published by Boldwood in January 2023 and draws on her interest in the aftermath of the Great War and the suffragette movement.
Ruby Speechley is a bestselling psychological thriller writer, whose titles include Someone Else’s Baby. Previously published by Hera, her first title for Boldwood, Gone, will be published in February 2023. She has been a journalist and worked in PR and lives in Cheshire.
Diana Wilkinson writes bestselling psychological thrillers, including her debut novel 4 Riverside Close. Formerly an international professional tennis player, she hails from Belfast, but now lives in Hertfordshire. Previously published by Bloodhound, her first title for Boldwood, One Down, will be published in January 2023.
The Latest Boldwood Team Member
Isobel Akenhead has been Associate Publisher at Bookouture for the past five years, publishing many international bestselling authors including Rona Halsall, Kate Hewitt and Suzanne Kelman. Before that she was a merchandiser for the ebook retailer Kobo, developing their UK business successfully over several years. She has also worked in digital promotion and in editorial roles at Hachette.
