Author


Jasbinder Bilan is the author of eight books including the Costa Award winning Asha and the Spirit Bird. In her writing she loves creating magical worlds inspired by her love of nature and wild places. Jasbinder was born on a farm close to the foothills of the Himalaya and now lives in a wooded valley close to Bath with her husband, two teenage boys and dog Enzo. Her latest book, Nush and the Stolen Emerald, is a historical mystery adventure inspired by her Indian heritage

Editorial Director, Knights Of

Eishar Brar is Editorial Director at Knights Of, where she is focused on publishing underrepresented writers and proving that inclusive books can be commercially successful. In her role she creates space for non-trauma led narratives and aims to widen the scope of authentic and representative publishing through her commissioning. A 2021 Bookseller Rising Star, she has published joyful middle-grade and YA books from a wide range of authors, including A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll (winner of the Blue Peter Best Story Book Award and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize), The Council of Good Friends by Nikesh Shukla, Friendship Never Ends by Alexandra Sheppard, and the Vivi Conway series by Lizzie Huxley-Jones.

Author

A life-long gamer, Sarwat decided to embrace his passion for over-the-top wild adventure stories by trading in a stable, twenty-year career in engineering for a highly unstable, brand new one as a writer. That resulted in his first novel, DEVIL’S KISS, back in 2009. Since then he has been published in a dozen languages, writing comic books, TV shows and novels, preferring non-European settings and legends, such as the award-winning Indian mythology-inspired ASH MISTRY series, the epic high fantasy SHADOW MAGIC trilogy (as Joshua Khan) and CITY OF THE PLAGUE GOD for Rick Riordan Presents, featuring the imprint’s first Muslim hero. While he’s traveled far and wide, including Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas, he’s most at home in London.

He is @sarwatchadda on Twitter/X and on Instagram as @sarwat_chadda or visit sarwatchadda.com.

Lecturer and Author

Dr Darren Chetty is a lecturer at University College London, who taught in primary schools for over twenty years. Darren contributed to the best-selling book The Good Immigrant (Unbound) with a chapter entitled ‘You Can’t Say That! Stories Have to Be About White People’.

Darren co-authored, with Jeffrey Boakye, What Is Masculinity? Why Does It Matter? And Other Big Questions (Wayland) and contributed to The Mab: Eleven Epic Stories from the Mabinogi edited by Matt Brown and Eloise Williams. Since 2018, he has written a regular column for Books for Keeps with Professor Karen Sands O’Connor examining racially minoritised characters in children’s literature, entitled 'Beyond the Secret Garden'. His first picture book I’m Going To Make A Friend, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat, will be published in the UK and US in 2025.

Author

A. M. DASSU is the internationally acclaimed author of Boy, Everywhere, Fight Back and Kicked Out which have collectively been listed for over 50 awards, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Indie Book Award, the Week Junior Book Award, the Carnegie Medal, The Little Rebels Award for Radical Fiction, the American Library Association Notable Book List and Jane Addams Peace Book Award. A. M. Dassu grew up in the Midlands dreaming of becoming a writer but studied economics instead and worked in marketing and project management before realising her dream. She writes books that challenge stereotypes, humanise the “other” and are full of empathy, hope and heart. Her World Book Day novella, Boot It! was a bestseller published in March 2023. Her latest book, Can you find my Eid presents? was published in March 2024

Author

Smriti Halls is an internationally bestselling, award winning author of picture books which have been translated into 43 languages… and counting. They include Rain Before Rainbows and the I’m Sticking With You series. She loves creating stories that are big on humour, humanity and heart; stories that ask big questions and allow every reader to feel seen.

Reading development and Children’s book consultant

Jake Hope was the Reading and Learning Development Manager for Lancashire Libraries, one of the largest library authorities in the UK. He has judged nearly every major children's book award in the UK, and has chaired numerous promotional selection panels. Alongside delivering training and public speaking on books and reading,

Author
Savita was born in her grandparents’ home in a village in Indian Punjab and came to live in the UK when she was little. She practically lived in her local library, but never believed she could actually be a writer. She went to live in the Middle East as an English teacher. It was then she embarked on an epic writing project – a hand-written 600,000 word fantasy epic. Back in the UK she turned her hand towards writing more edgy, gritty fiction for teenagers and young adults. Savita is now a double Carnegie nominated author. Her books – That Asian Kid, The Girl in the Broken Mirror and The Long Weekend have won regional prizes voted for by teenagers. The common themes of her books are friendship, family, empathy, boundaries and respect, as well as culture-clash and identity. She’s not afraid to tackle hard- hitting issues and topics that are relevant to teenagers growing up today.

Executive Commissioning Editor, Tate Children’s Publishing

Cherise Lopes-Baker is Executive Commissioning Editor for Tate Children’s Publishing where she has re-envisioned the list to put inclusivity and accessibility at its heart, and expanded it to include illustrated MG and YA. Originally from California, she is now based in London. She earned a Law degree from Durham University, with a focus on international human rights, and a Masters in Publishing from UCL, with a focus on diversity in children’s literature.

Writer

Hiba Noor Khan is the award-winning author of six books for children. These include her debut novel; Safiyyah's War, which won the Indie Book Award and Jhalak Prize in 2024, and was shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. She has written a picture book - The Little War Cat, and non-fiction; Inspiring Inventors and One Home. Her books have been recognised by numerous national awards and have been translated into over ten languages, and her newest novel; The Line they Drew Through Us explores the Partition of India, and is due to publish in April '25. Her academic background is in engineering/physics, and she has worked as a journalist, a refugee advocate, assisted the United Nations IOM, and has recently completed an MA at SOAS exploring Muslim Minorities in Global Contexts. She has three fluffy cats and is happiest when surrounded by nature.

CEO, Bonnier Books and President of the Publishers Association

Perminder Mann is the CEO of Bonnier Books UK, the seventh largest publisher in the UK. Mann holds the position of Chair of the Publisher's Association Consumer Publishing Council, is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the advisory board for Kingston University's publishing programme, and of the BBC100 steering group committee. She is recognised as one of the UK's most powerful leaders and as a publishing innovator.

Author & Publisher

ZANIB MIAN is an accomplished children’s author whose books have featured on BBC’s Cbeebies Bedtime Stories and The Guardian for their contribution to diversity in children’s literature. Zanib studied Molecular Cell Biology at University College London and went on to teach Science in secondary schools. She launched Sweet Apple Publishers and launched Muslim Children's Books where she publishes Islamic children's books that truly speak to Muslim children of today. In 2024 Zanib Mian won the Inclusive Books for Children award for Meet the Maliks - Twin Detectives: The Cookie Culprit. In 2018, Zanib Mian was the winner of theLittle Rebels Award for The Muslims, which Hachette Children's Group published as Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet (2019). It was shortlisted for The Diverse Book Awards. In September 2021Lime Pictures announced a TV option deal with Hachette Children's Group [HCG] for Planet Omar.

Author

Zohra grew up inventing stories for her two younger sisters. She studied law at Cambridge and Oxford universities, but secretly dreamed of being an author. Now she lives in London, browsing bookshops and writing magical adventures. The Kingdom over the Sea is her first book, followed by its sequel The City beyond the Stars.

Illustrator


Rikin Parekh is an illustrator who studied art at the Camberwell College of Arts and the University of Westminster. He has since worked designing monsters for the film industry and selling books for a national chain. He also works part-time as a Primary School Teaching Assistant.

When he’s not drawing you’ll probably find him at the cinema or at Comic Con.

Author and illustrator


Krina Patel-Sage is an author, illustrator and book designer. She has worked in children’s publishing since 2012 and was shortlisted for the Penguin Write Now illustration prize in 2018. Her Debut author illustrator title My Mindful A to Zen was published by Lantana in 2021, followed by the sequel Watch Me Bloom in 2023. She also illustrated a poetry title called Caterpillar Cake written by Matt Goodfellow, published by Otter Barry Books in 2021. Her latest book Love Is All We Need was published by Otter Barry in 2024. She lives in London with her two young sons and enjoys making her own kimchi!

Author & Lecturer

Nazneen Ahmed Pathak is a British Bangladeshi children's writer and Lecturer at the University of Exeter. Her first novel for children, City of Stolen Magic, came out in June 2023, with Puffin Books, and was Waterstones Children's Book of the Month for July 2023. Her academic research has focused upon histories and geographies of migration, and is now focusing on historical children’s literature and the representation of empire and colonialism. She has held creative residencies at Southampton Central Libraries, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton Museums and Archives, and the Francis Crick Institute in association with Poet in the City. She is represented by Louise Lamont at LBA Literary Agency. Twitter/X: @nazneen372 Instagram: @nazneen372

Novelist and Screenwriter

Nikesh Shukla is a novelist and screenwriter, currently working on a Spider-Man India comic book miniseries for Marvel as well as numerous television projects. Most recently, he released his first children’s book, called The Council Of Good Friends. He is the author of Coconut Unlimited (shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award), Meatspace and the critically acclaimed The One Who Wrote Destiny. Nikesh is the editor of the bestselling essay collection, The Good Immigrant, which won the reader's choice at the Books Are My Bag Awards. He co-edited The Good Immigrant USA with Chimene Suleyman. He is the author of three YA novels, Run, Riot (shortlisted for a National Book Award), The Boxer (longlisted for the Carnegie Medal) and Stand Up. He is the co-founder of The Good Literary Agency. Nikesh’s memoir, Brown Baby: A Memoir Of Race, Family And Home was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize. He has also written a book on writing called Your Story Matters. Nikesh wrote the award-winning short film, Two Dosas, a Channel 4 Comedy Lab called Kabadasses and has worked in numerous writer’s rooms both in the UK and US.

Photo credit: Abi Bhansal

Author

Bali Rai is a leading voice in UK teen and children’s fiction, writing over fifty books since 2001, and winning multiple awards. Born in Leicester, his writing is inspired by his working-class, multicultural background. A passionate advocate of libraries, reading for pleasure and promoting literacy, he has over twenty years of experience in working with young people across the UK and further afield.

Bali has worked closely with The Reading Agency, Booktrust, The National Literacy Trust, Empathy Lab UK and many other organisations, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by De Montfort University in 2014. He also featured on BBC1’s Rebel Writers and is an ambassador/patron for several high-profile literacy and arts projects such as Listening Books and Reading Ahead. Bali latest books, Bobby Bains Plays A Blinder, and Hardit Singh Malik (World War One Flying Ace), were published in Summer 2024.