Louise Dean is the Founder and CEO of The Novelry. Louise has been longlisted for the Booker Prize, and was the winner of Le Prince Maurice Prize and the Betty Trask Prize, as well as being nominated for other awards and a finalist for the Costa Book Awards short story prize. Louise graduated from Cambridge University in History and worked in advertising in London, Hong Kong and New York before becoming an author. Her novels have been published by Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House worldwide. In 2017, the Bookseller announced a challenge for writers to join her to write their novels in ninety days, and The Novelry was born.

Lizzy Goudsmit Kay is Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of The Novelry. Previously she was Senior Commissioning Editor at Transworld Publishers (Penguin Random House), home to authors including Kate Atkinson, Dan Brown, Lee Child, and Paula Hawkins. She is also a bestselling crime novelist.

Tash Barsby was a Commissioning Editor at Transworld Publishers and worked at Vintage Books, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster before moving to Penguin Random House, where she worked with authors Sarah Pearse, Fiona Barton, Lesley Kara, and Tess Gerritsen.

Katie Khan is Creative Director at The Novelry and the author of two novels including Hold Back the Stars, praised by Matt Haig, translated into 20 languages, an RNA Romance Novel of the Year finalist, and optioned for film by the producers of Stranger Things.

Josie Humber was a Senior Commissioning Editor at Hodder & Stoughton (Hachette), home to authors including Jodi Picoult, Stephen King, David Nicholls, and Erin Kelly. Josie has worked with bestselling authors such as Kate Mosse, Kate Morton, and Joanna Trollope.

As Events Manager, Elsa looks after our writer members to ensure they get live classes, workshops, and events to cover all their needs.

Previously, Elsa gained experience at literary agency Peters Fraser + Dunlop, Deliciously Ella, and the EmpowHer Society.

Elsa has an MA (first class) in English Language and Literature from the University of St. Andrews.

As Writer Experience and Operations Manager, Vicki takes care of our writers and the systems that support them, serving as the primary point of contact for our community. The role involves liaising with our wonderful writers, managing the systems that keep their records up to date, and being the first friendly face in our inbox.

Bestselling author of multiple middle-grade books for children, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize winner The Dark Wild.

Award-winning author of children’s middle-grade fiction, notably Counting Thyme, winner of the International Literacy Association Teacher’s Choice Award and the Nerdy Book Award.