The Bookseller – News – Ellis joins Sphere as non-fiction publisher

HarperCollins’ Kelly Ellis is moving to Little, Brown Book Group to lead Sphere Non-Fiction. 

She joins the company on February 19th as Sphere non-fiction publisher and will report to Cath Burke, Little, Brown deputy m.d. Ellis replaces Emily Barrett who joined the Blair Partnership this autumn. 

Currently publishing director at HarperNonFiction, Ellis leads on the Entertainment list and oversees the HarperElement imprint, and has over a decade of experience in commercial non-fiction.  

Her bestselling authors include Rob Beckett, Noel Gallagher, Geezer Butler, Tanya Burr, Kate Garraway and Cathy Glass while she was head of John Blake and publishing director for Blink. 

A former journalist, Ellis secured her first publishing role at Ebury when her debut acquisition, Katie Piper’s Beautiful, became an instant bestseller. “Ellis is passionate about social mobility and has a particular expertise in publishing for non-traditional book buying audiences,” Little, Brown said. 

Ellis said: “The chance to head up Sphere Non-Fiction is an unmissable opportunity. It is clear the imprint is supported by a hugely ambitious and creative team. I’m particularly looking forward to working closely with the editorial team, who share many of my own passions, to shape Sphere Non-Fiction into a truly commercial list that is home to the most exciting and talked-about non-fiction.  

“The way in which readers engage with non-fiction is evolving quickly and my mission is to ensure Sphere Non-Fiction is a nimble, agile list that embraces change and publishes brilliant books for all readers. Expect to hear a lot more from us very soon.” 

She added: “Working at HarperCollins has been a wonderful experience. I will look back at these years as a hugely valuable period of my professional life, where I learned a great deal and was privileged to work with an incredibly talented team and exceptional authors. I will miss them all.” 

Burke added: “The opportunity to bring Kelly to Little, Brown, with her stellar publishing experience and passion for reaching non-traditional book buyers, really chimed with all we want to achieve and what I know we can achieve together with the incredibly ambitious Sphere non-fiction team. We are all enormously looking forward to working with her.”