Fresher is a Bournemouth University press, run by staff and students from the Faculty of Media and Communication. We are fortunate to also be supported by an executive board made up of key figures in the publishing industry, including marketing managers, literary agents, and senior management.
The Executive Board
Edward Peppitt
Publisher and Consultant
Ed Peppitt is an experienced UK publisher, former Publishing Director at Letts, and consultant to leading publishers, including Hodder & Stoughton and Harper Collins. Ed runs regular publishing workshops, seminars and events, as well as self-publishing Masterclasses for the Guardian.
Madeleine Milburn
The Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency was formed in 2012 and it has quickly become one of the top literary agencies in the UK. Madeleine Milburn represents a wide range of bestselling authors writing literary and popular fiction including crime and thrillers, psychological suspense, women’s fiction, comedy, romance, high-concept, children’s, Young Adult and crossover fiction. She represent authors based all around the world and has a reputation for growing writing careers internationally. She is proactively seeking upmarket adult fiction that has a strong talking point and is suitable for book club discussion; crime and thrillers and commercial fiction that combine fresh voices with memorable characters.
Madeleine has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of St Andrews and started her career at a small independent publisher based in Berlin. She then established herself in foreign rights at the oldest Literary Agency in the UK. She later became the Head of Rights and Deputy MD of Children’s Books at the most commercial agency in the UK, handling the rights to three No.1 bestselling authors, and building a strong list of clients.
Francesca Main
Francesca is an Editorial director at Picador, where her authors include Jessie Burton, Naomi Wood, Mark Watson and Lottie Moggach. In 2015 she won Editor of the Year at the Bookseller Industry Awards.
Francesca has also worked in the editorial departments of Simon & Schuster and Penguin and has been a tutor for the Arvon Foundation and Singapore Writers Festival, among others. She grew up in Dorset and now lives in London.
Humfrey Hunter
Humfrey Hunter is the Publisher of Silvertail Books, an independent publisher which he founded in 2012. He is also a literary agent through his agency Hunter Profiles and occasional author and publishing consultant.
Silvertail publishes fiction and non-fiction, and its list so far includes books by award-winning BBC journalist John Sweeney (Elephant Moon and The Church of Fear), Terry Waite (The Voyage of The Golden Handshake) Pulitzer Prize-winner Lawrence Wright (Going Clear), and debut novelists Thomas W. Hodgkinson (Memoirs of a Stalker) and Dan Clements (what will remain).
As an agent Humfrey’s clients have included: Scott Mills, Matt Potter, Isabel Oakeshott, Kenny Dalglish, Calum Best, Nicholas Booth and PC David Rathband.
Ali Sparkes
Ali Sparkes is a children’s author, whose books include The Shapeshifter series, Out of this World (a prequel to The Shapeshifter and first released as Miganium), Unleashed (a spin-off/sequel series of The Shapeshifter, centred on some of the other Shapeshifter characters), Dark Summer, Frozen in Time, Wishful Thinking, Destination Earth, the Monster Makers series, and S.W.I.T.C.H. Her debut book The Shapeshifter: Finding the Fox was nominated for the 2007 Bolton Children’s Book Award. She has also won two Blue Peter awards: “Book I Couldn’t Put Down” and “Book Of The Year”, for her book Frozen in Time.
The Fresher Team
Emma Scattergood
Role: Editorial Director of Fresher Writing Anthologies, Fresher Writing Prize, Writing Wizardry Prize and Writing Witches.
Emma is an author and a senior lecturer at Bournemouth University, where she leads the new MA in Creative Writing & Publishing, and undergraduate Writing, Editing and Publishing units. A former journalist, she has written seven non-fiction books and one novel to date and has an MA in Creative & Critical Writing. She is now embarking on a phd. Emma particularly enjoys spotting and supporting new talent – when she is not out walking her border terrier on the beach.
Rob Munday
Role: Digital Director
Having worked in various online environments since graduating from University in 2002, Rob has become a specialist in content management, search engine optimisation, social media and data visualisation. Since 2006, Rob has been using the WordPress system to create websites and now specialises in creating/developing sites and managing content on this platform. Rob is also an editor for the popular short film platform Short of the Week and writes for independent film website Directors Notes and now focuses this experience in pushing Fresher’s online presence to the masses.
Saeed Rashid
Role: Art Director
When not teaching layout and design at Bournemouth University, Saeed can be found submerged in his other passion – underwater photography. An award winning photographer, Saeed has made a name for himself as an expert in his chosen field, speaking at conferences and sharing his skills in workshops all over the world. Bringing his love for design to the Fresher brand, Saeed is the driving force behind the art direction for our publishing house.
Daisy White
Role: Editorial Assistant
Hello! My name is Daisy White, and I have recently joined the Fresher Publishing team as Editorial Assistant, ready to assist with the next year of the Fresher Writing competition!
Alongside this role, I also write blog posts for the University’s student blog, aimed at prospective students; take a million photos from my dog to sunsets; bake to my heart’s content and read!
My favourite types of books are crime thrillers! I’ve recently enjoyed reading Steph Broadribb’s debut novel ‘Deep Down Dead’ and Sophie Hannah’s ‘A Point of Rescue’. As well as books, TV crime dramas also hold a place in my heart, and seem to be aired all year round luckily!!
Emma Brocklehurst
Role: Publishing Assistant
Hello there! My name is Emma and I’m studying English at Bournemouth University. I’m thrilled to take up the position as publishing assistant to work behind the scenes of Fresher Publishing, to help get everything ready for the Fresher Writing Prize 2018. I am Danish and had originally spent a year studying English at Copenhagen University before I decided to transfer to BU. I took the leap and moved from the big city to the countryside. I now live in The New Forest where you will most likely find me walking my dog or spending hours in Waterstones trying to settle on only one book! I especially have a weakness for Nordic Noir and Scandinavian Crime Fiction.
Vanita Patel
Role: Digital Marketing Assistant
Hi! My name is Vanita Patel and my role on the Fresher Publishing Team is as the Digital Marketing Assistant and I decided to get involved with Fresher to get some experience in publishing and to improve my skills in marketing. I love reading young adult fiction (it’s my guilty pleasure!) as well as horror and sci-fi. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year promoting Fresher Publishing and helping new writers get published.
Kelsey Regan
Role: Editorial Assistant
Hello, my name is Kelsey and I am an Editorial Assistant at Fresher Publishing. I am a keen creative writer and avid book hoarder. With shelves mostly filled with whimsical Victorian Gothic novels and pessimistically witty Postmodern explorations, I’m rarely seen without a book in hand. Coming from a Scottish family, whilst growing up literature was always a focus from Rabbie Burns to Iain Banks, although my all-time favourite is Audrey Niffenegger ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’. I’m really excited to read all of the amazing work submitted into Fresher!