Former head of Atlantic Books joins Eye as publisher and MD

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Will Atkinson, the former head of Atlantic Books, has joined Eye Books as its publisher and managing director.

After a 40-year career in the book industry which included two decades at Faber & Faber and nine years at Atlantic, where he was also publisher and managing director, Atkinson has now taken on the challenge of growing a much smaller house.

Opportunities

‘As a former chair of the Independent Publishers Guild, I’ve always had an interest in all parts of the independent sector,’ Atkinson said.

‘I was invited in just before Christmas to see if I could transform the business. Having spent some time with the team, that is now my belief and intention. Being a small publisher is not at all easy, but there is always room for good books that are well published, as Eye’s are. At a time when mainstream publishing has become increasingly risk-averse, opportunities continue to open up.’

Wide range

Eye was founded by Dan Hiscocks in 1996 with the original aim of publishing work by ‘ordinary people doing extraordinary things’. It now publishes a broad range of fiction and non-fiction, with recent titles shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize, the Portico Prize and the Paul Torday Memorial Award. In 2022 it was named the Midlands Small Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards.

In 2023 it had its strongest seller to date when it published the Sunday Times-bestselling memoir of Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan. Other authors on its list include EM Forster Award-winner Dan Rhodes, Women’s Prize nominee Catherine Chidgey, film critic Peter Bradshaw, romantic comedy bestseller Nicola May and comedian Josh Berry.

Following Atkinson’s arrival, Eye has engaged the services of former Faber PR head Sophie Portas, former Headline marketing director Fergus Edmondson and former Penguin brand manager Merle Bennett.

Shot in the arm

‘Will has been a friend and a mentor for many years, but I can’t quite believe my luck in persuading him to come and work with us,’ said Hiscocks. ‘Working at the small end of independent publishing is not without its frustrations, so his arrival is a massive shot in the arm for us, as well as a great vote of confidence.

’We’re hoping Will can now help us make more of our own nearly three decades’ experience in the industry and move to the next level.’

Atkinson is planning to bring new authors of his own to Eye’s fiction and non-fiction lists, starting in 2026.