Hamza Jahanzeb (he/they) is a London-based Publishing professional (The Bookseller Rising Star ’20), theatre writer, public speaker, Authenticity Editor (née Sensitivity Reader) and all-round DEI Cultural Consultant.
In 2020, he was selected as one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars – book trade professionals who are tipped as future leaders of the trade. The year previous, after reading one of Shobna Gulati’s (dinnerladies, Doctor Who, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) blog posts for Alzheimer’s Research UK, he brought forth an idea to have her publish a memoir, titled ‘Remember Me?‘.
Most recently, he worked at a small independent publisher playing a vital role in the publishing of underrepresented voices in the following books: The Boy With Two Hearts (which was adapted for the stage at the National Theatre) and Hijab Butch Blues.
A former Sales Director at Hachette UK had to say the following: “Hamza worked across our online platforms, reviewing and improving on page content, keywords and SEO and made a significant impact on the business, optimising online book sales. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him.”
Prior to beginning his career in UK publishing Hamza completed a BA (Hons) at University of Kent. He then received a scholarship to study Mandarin in Beijing. During this time, he sourced and successfully applied to intern at Penguin Books N. Asia.
Alongside publishing endeavours, Hamza has a great interest in politics and current affairs; aged 18, he was selected to to sit on the inaugural Youth Select Committee. The committee presented their findings to Ministers the House of Commons and published their findings in the form of a report which can be read in UK Parliament.
Hamza is a staunch advocate for inclusivity, DEI/EDI work and community cohesion ; born and raised in Lancashire, and as a Queer Muslim, he knows just how exclusive “the Arts and Cultural sector” can be to aspirant creative industry professionals from a working-class and non-conforming background; and that is why he continually seeks to alleviate barriers that currently exist, in order to inspire a new generation.
A passionate campaigner for the #BookJobTransparency initiative, Hamza has had a profound impact by changing the landscape for aspiring entrants to the industry by ensuring a level playing field by tackling structural inequalities head on.
📧hamza@hamzajahanzeb.co.uk
💻www.twitter.com/hamzajahanzeb
You can sign up to Hamza’s substack and support their work, below⬇️:
