Ruby Allen-Cadman
Founder
Ruby (she/her) is an author and editor. She first got the idea to launch To Be Read back in 2015 in her first publishing job as an editorial assistant. Often, while sifting through manuscript submissions she’d come across stories or ideas that just needed some extra support to be acquired, but there was never enough time or resources to nurture the would-be author’s work. Ten years later and thanks to some grant funding, a couple of author contracts and a lot of coffee, her idea has become an actual business venture. Ruby lives in Edinburgh with two cats, a husband and a houseplant called Peggy.
Nghiem Ta
Trustee
Nghiem (Neem, she/her) is a designer, paper engineer and industry icon. She is currently an Art Director at Walker Books, where she applies her expertise, intuitiveness and innovative mindset to brand & character publishing, picture books, novelty books and specials for the Walker Studio list. Her creativity, kindness and enthusiasm bring joy and inspiration to every page. Nghiem is of Chinese heritage and came with her family to the UK at the age of three as part of the diaspora following the Vietnam War, an experience echoed in the recently published The Endless Sea written by Chi Tha, illustrated by Linh Dao and designed by Nghiem herself.
Emily Sharratt
Trustee
Emily (she/her) is an editor and writer with almost 20 years’ experience in the children’s publishing industry. She has written several excellent books, including Health Heroes: The People Took Care of the World and Feeling Words to Explain My Emotions, and is currently working as a Senior Commissioning Editor at Walker Books, with a focus on character publishing.
Emily believes passionately that every child should be able to see themselves as a reader, and that books should reflect the diversity of experience, not just those of a small part of society. A huge part of that is expanding our idea of who gets to create books.
Perry Emerson
Trustee
Perry (he/him) is Commissioning Editor at Little Tiger Press where he works mostly on picture books, sometimes on novelty books, and sometimes on writing his own stories. He loves books that feel a little bit anarchic, and particularly enjoys working with new writers and artists who bring fresh and authentic perspectives to the world of children's publishing. He is the author of Perfectly Imperfect and Just One More Story, the lead guitarist in the band Strawberry Fires and lives in London with his wife and their much-too-fluffy cat.
Catherine de Mello
Trustee
Catherine (she/her) has worked in publishing since 2015, and is currently Rights Manager at Hachette UK, selling fiction and non-fiction to publishers around the world. Having found her start in publishing through Creative Access, she is passionate about promoting diversity in the book industry and is interested in supporting new and emerging voices from all kinds of backgrounds. In her spare time, Catherine can usually be found reading the latest viral bestseller or binge-watching a good TV show, while attempting to cuddle with her cat, Bambi.
More trustee and partner announcements, plus opportunities to join our network coming soon. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date, or follow us at @toberead_official on instagram or on LinkedIn