Frederick Studemann, Financial Times
- Been in post for five years as Literary Editor
- 2/3 fiction, 1/3 non-fiction
- Non-fiction covering core topics relating to finance / economics / business / society / geopolitics / China / tech
- British based but a very international operation
- Occasionally review books in other languages
- Publish earlier through the week online, and then appears in print in that weekend’s FT
- Most of their readers are outside of the UK, which can be an issue with different publication dates between US and UK
- Review led but always open to do other things – interviews, column where themes can be explored
- Fred keeps an eye on the business of publishing, though doesn’t tend to write about it himself
- Proofs and finished copies to be sent to the office, as well as physical catalogues which are the best way to ensure a book is on their radar
- Too much email – won’t respond to emails asking if they’re covering the book and deletes chases/follow-ups usually unread
- Plan as far ahead as possible – have things in the diary for August/September already – but can turn things around fairly quickly as a newspaper
- Aim to close everything up on Wednesday – a more tricky day for pitches
- Have several genre focuses – audiobooks, science fiction, debuts, thrillers, politics/economics, climate. Should send books directly to the established reviewers for genre round-ups
- Have cut back on kids and young adult reviews
- Laura Battle largely looks after fiction, Fred looks after non-fiction, and don’t do paperbacks generally
- Lorien Kite for coffee table books / currently appointing a new food and drink editor
- HTSI Magazine – do features around books as beautiful objects
- Don’t suggest reviewers
- Doesn’t generally cover prizes unless it’s the really big/relevant ones – wouldn’t do longlist, earliest would be shortlist
Alice Giddings, The Metro
- On Lifestyle desk at Metro, across print and digital – just had a big merge – Alice across podcasts too
- Manages regular lifestyle content and podcasts
- Send book content only to Alice – if you email anyone else, it just gets passed back to her
- Don’t tend to just review a book, unless there is a big hook – exceptions are BookTok books which do really well for them, had the exclusive on Colleen Hoover’s newest book
- 6 Books – biweekly round-up, but doesn’t need input from publicists on that – normally on a specific topic, theme – recent one has been relevant to a new TV series
- Non-fiction features with a lifestyle angle – recent example How To Amplify Your Influence
- Catchy, clickable headlines, always need author interview time, can be more personal experience so would also work for fiction authors
- Book content usually runs Wednesday in print, and will also run online
- Likes to write about book prizes, shortlists, events – prizes focused on underrepresented voices of particular interest
- Most interested in bestselling authors or popular BookTok authors
- An effective way to pitch is 4 headline ideas with a press release for the book
- Will soon be monetising BookTok – Metro will have their own BookTok channel – so please send hard copies of books to be featured in round-ups that are appropriate, both new and backlist
- Will also be filming author interviews for BookTok so keep them in mind if you have time with an author
- Send one copy to Alice at the office – proof or finished copy but not both. Books to other journalists will just be directed back to Alice
- Book content tend to also be shopping pieces through affiliates – can link out to physical and audiobook copies
- No follow ups unless Alice has already been in touch with you
Johanna Thomas-Corr, The Sunday Times
- Literary Editor, in post 4 months, Laura Hackett – deputy
- Consider themselves more writer-editors so are changing the approach slightly with a focus on bringing in new, young readers
- Reviewing in a way that’s interesting, authoritative, but ultimately straight-talking
- Lively, mischievous, fun, informative, gossipy, quarrelsome, sees the books pages as a place to stage debates and offer escapism – 9 book slots usually
- Will do intelligent trend pieces. See themselves as providing stimulating books for debate for book clubs
- Love meetings and coffees but has just been really busy since starting the role so hasn’t had as much time as she would like
- Increasingly a pipeline to the rest of the paper about upcoming books that could work
- Paper conference on a Tuesday – ideas on a Monday and first thing Tuesday morning best time to pitch for news-hooked pieces
- Go to press on a Wednesday currently, will soon be moving to Tuesday
- Wednesday is the forward planning meeting across all the supplements – books play an important role, flagging exciting books coming up, coordinating when to run reviews
- Audrey Ward deals with extract
- Doing more crossover pieces and not feeling bound to any particular format – paper in a period of flux currently
- Interested in reissues, newly translated books
- Will do double reviews where there are thematic links, thinking about a podcast in the future
- Books being sent to the office are the prompt – proofs and finished copies – and catalogues
- John Dugdale – thrillers
- Nick Rennison – historical
- Joan Smith – crime
- Patricia Nicol – popular fiction
- Nicolette Jones – children’s books
- Not averse to putting debut fiction in Book of the Week slot
- Books to be sent 6 weeks in advance of the book coming out
- At the moment their paperback coverage is a weekly slot that tends to be something they had reviewed in hardback, don’t have audiobook coverage currently
- Follow up with things that are relevant and don’t suggest reviewers
- Prize shortlist coverage within the newsletter, and interested in interview pitches for winners of prizes – Robbie Millen at The Times more able to be nimble with daily coverage as Sunday Times timing would need to work
Cal Revely-Calder, The Telegraph
- Happy to receive proofs/finished copies to the office – just one needed
- Clear communication on embargoes appreciated
- Plans to expand and make some changes to the Telegraph – will update in a few weeks