About Us
The home of great genre fiction
For over 50 years, Severn House has been bringing readers everywhere the very best in genre fiction: from gripping mysteries and thrillers to mind-bending sci-fi, heart-stopping romance, intriguing historical fiction, nerve-shredding horror and more.
Basically, we love books that wear their genre – and their hearts – on their sleeve!
Established in 1974, Severn House has become one of the most recognised and beloved independent publishers of commercial fiction in the US, the UK and beyond. We have a long history of working closely with libraries in particular, though these days you’ll find our books available in many different formats from most booksellers and online retailers.
We are passionate about the unique thrill of a beautifully crafted story that grabs its readers and refuses to let go. Our list includes beloved authors like Simon Brett, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, Candace Robb, David Mark, Simon R. Green, Qiu Xiaolong and Paul Doherty, as well as exciting new voices like Esme Addison, Tessa Wegert, Adam Oyebanji, Maria Dong, Alex Myers and Erica Wright.
Our team has a wealth of publishing experience and brings a passion for helping books find the right audience. We work closely with authors at all stages – from editorial and production right through to marketing and distribution – with an independent spirit and infectious enthusiasm.
If you are interested in becoming a Severn House author, you can find out more about what we’re looking for and how to submit at our submissions page.
If you are a reader looking to discover more, join our newsletter or follow us on social media to receive updates on books we think you’ll love.
Librarians and booksellers can browse our catalogues for upcoming releases and join our librarian newsletter for more.
Meet the severn house Team
Editorial
Joanne Grant
Publisher
Joanne joined Severn House as Publisher in October 2021. She previously spent 16 years working at Harlequin, and despite her background in Romance, she is a keen Crime, Thriller and Horror reader which makes her a perfect match for Severn House’s broad genre list! Joanne is proud to be at the helm of Severn House as they celebrate 50 years of publishing in 2024. Joanne is originally from Leicester, where she met her husband, but they now live in the leafy suburbs of Surrey with their young son.
Laurie Johnson
Editorial Director
Laurie joined Severn House in 2024. Armed with 12 years’ experience with Harlequin, she’s a Romance expert with a penchant for reading Crime, Mystery, Fantasy…you name it! As Senior Commissioning Editor, Laurie acquires a broad spectrum of genre fiction. Got something spooky, cosy or just unputdownable? Send it her way! At home, Laurie is a mum of twins – it’s chaos, but she loves it and is thankful for her hero/husband who saves her from being outnumbered! She also has a pristine white cat with one ear, loves to crochet (when the twins allow) and is powered by coffee.
Sarah Delmege
Senior Commissioning Editor
Sarah joined Severn House as Senior Commissioning Editor in 2025. With 15 years’ experience working in books – including at Sweet Cherry Publishing, HarperCollins and Penguin Random House – she live and breaths all kind of genre fiction. She’s particularly loves a twist-filled psychological thriller or a romance that’s the equivalent of hot buttered toast on a winter afternoon. When she’s not reading, you’ll find her out walking her (very naughty) chihuahua Patsy with her (slightly better behaved) husband.
Sara Porter
Editor
Sara started her career in publishing with editorial and sales roles at Hachette and Penguin before moving to Severn House. She manages the editorial critical path for the Severn House list, and works closely with freelancers and cover designers, as well as authors and the whole team to project-manage titles from final edit through to print. Sara also oversees and edits her own list, including acclaimed and bestselling authors such as Lucy Burdette, Amy Patricia Meade, Graham Hurley, Priscilla Masters and Chris Nickson. A Yorkshire lass, she loves football, discovering new bands and trying to design and make her own clothes – often with disastrous consequences.
Lianne Slavin
Managing Editor
Lianne joined Severn House in July 2024, after 14 years working for Manchester University Press. She is Severn House’s Managing Editor and manages Severn House’s editorial workflow processes, working directly with production to ensure our books are published on time. She moved to Edinburgh in 2024 and loves exploring the city and spending time scouting out the perfect cinnamon bun.
Tina Pietron
Editor
Tina joined the Severn House team as an Assistant Editor after spending three years as a Content Editor at Collins Learning. Covering a broad range of subjects and levels, she developed numerous educational books and authored a small number of children’s phonics books. At Severn House, she is part of the editorial team, covering the genre fiction list from exciting mysteries to skin-crawling thrillers and more.
Sianna King
Editorial Assistant
Sianna joined Severn House as an Editorial Assistant in November 2024. She is based near London and loves all things genre fiction – especially thrillers and crime fiction! – making this the perfect first publishing role for her. Outside of work, Sianna is interested in music, theatre, and Slavic languages and culture. You will usually find her reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and struggling to improve her Polish.
Sales
Design & Marketing
Piers Tilbury
Head of Design
Piers is head of the Severn House design department, having previously worked at Victor Gollancz and Dorling Kindersley, before joining Severn House in 2000. As Head of Design, Piers is responsible for all of Severn House’s beautiful cover art, ads, and anything visual. During his time here, he’s worked with many respected and high-profile authors including Simon Brett, Fern Michaels, and Sally Spencer. Piers lives with his family in London and loves playing piano whenever there’s time.
Martin Brown
Senior Brand Manager
Martin joined the Severn House team as Senior Brand Manager in the summer of 2021. He works closely with our authors on marketing their books and manages Severn House’s online presence, advertising, and general publicity. Originally from Glasgow, he started working in publishing with independent presses such as Cargo Publishing. After 6 years living in the US and working with a large book distributor, he returned to Scotland to join Severn House. He lives in Edinburgh with his partner and their cat.
