Hamza Jahanzeb is a London-based Publishing professional (The Bookseller Rising Star ’20).

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. In 2019, Hamza worked for Octopus Publishing Group. Hamza created Enhanced Marketing Content for books displayed on the Amazon website (A+ pages), improved discoverability (SEO, BIC/BISAC metadata), and drove online sales across a multitude of retailers. He worked on the following Sunday Times bestselling books: Truth to Power, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty, From the Oven to the Table and Bazaar. Additionally, he commissioned Remember Me? by dinnerladies and Doctor Who actress Shobna Gulati.

A former UK Trade Sales Director at Hachette 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 in Canterbury. He then received a scholarship to study Mandarin in Beijing. During this time, he sourced and successfully applied to intern at Penguin Books’s N. Asia office.

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. Born and raised in Lancashire, and a Queer Muslim, he knows just how exclusive the Arts can be to aspirant publishing professionals and creative industry specialists; and that is why he continually seeks to alleviate barriers that currently exist, in order to inspire a new generation of publishers. A passionate campaigner for the #BookJobTransparency initiative, it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest Hamza’s campaigning has had a profound impact across the industry by changing the landscape, ensuring a level playing field is deployed and structural inequalities are tackled head on, and with results for his clients.

hamza@hamzajahanzeb.co.uk
www.twitter.com/hamzajahanzeb