Tom Langshaw and Kajal Narayan shortlisted for 2023 Rising Star Award

We are thrilled that two of our very own superstars have been shortlisted for the Australian publishing industry’s 2023 Rising Star Award.

Commissioning Editor Tom Langshaw and Head of Marketing Kajal Narayan have both been recognised by a panel of industry experts as ‘emerging talents to watch in an industry where they’re already making a mark’.

The judges said of the shortlist and nominees: ‘we have an amazing group of innovators who are making real change in their areas of expertise, and will prove to be leaders in their fields in years to come.’

Tom began his current role of commissioning editor at Pantera in 2021, with a focus on memoir, narrative non-fiction and personal development titles. He has worked on Caught in the Act, drag queen Courtney Act’s ABIA-nominated memoir, and bestseller and ABIA winner The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan. Authors he has commissioned for the Pantera list include journalist Elfy Scott, writer James Colley and content creators Esmé Louise James and Chantel Mila. In 2022 Tom was selected to participate in the APA’s Residential Editorial Program.

Kajal joined Pantera Press as Marketing Manager in 2020, and was promoted to head of Marketing in 2022. Kajal manages marketing campaigns from initial conception through to execution, leading highly successful campaigns including the ABIA-winning The Dreaming Path – Pantera’s most successful marketing campaign to date, achieving unprecedented engagement on social media ads – and ABIA-nominated Caught in the Act.

The Rising Star award will be announced at this year’s BookUp conference at the State Library Victoria on 16 August. Read more about the award and the full shortlist here.