25/07/2023
We are delighted to announce Pantera Press commissioning editor Tom Langshaw as the 2023 winner of the Australian publishing industry’s Rising Star award, proudly supported by Media Super.
Tom was selected as this year’s Rising Star from a shortlist of five industry professionals. The award recognises emerging talent in the Australian publishing industry, who show ongoing growth and excellence in their career. It is open to Australian publishing professionals who have been part of the industry for no more than 10 years.
Judges said Tom stood out among an ‘amazing group of innovators’ who ‘will prove to be leaders in their fields in years to come’, saying:
‘It was stiff competition, but ultimately we were impressed with Tom's commitment to improving his editorial methods and standards of care for authors. This was particularly evident with his interest and empathy in editing texts that contain the author's personal trauma. Tom is an emerging thought leader in his pursuit for best practice publishing.’
The award was presented following the BookUp conference in Melbourne, where the shortlist came together for a fantastic closing panel.
After starting his career as a publishing and editorial assistant at Penguin Random House, Tom became an editor there in 2017 working on a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, and from 2020 also worked in audio production for the local list.
Tom began his current role of commissioning editor for the Pantera list in 2021, with a focus on memoir, narrative non-fiction and personal development titles. Some of these include working on Caught in the Act, drag queen Courtney Act’s ABIA-nominated memoir, plus the bestseller and ABIA-winner The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan.
Congratulations to Tom, and all the nominated and shortlisted candidates this year. More information about the Rising Star award can be found on our website. To learn more about Tom’s career, read our interview with Tom here, and one with Books+Publishing here.
The Rising Star award is proudly supported by Media Super, the super fund dedicated to those who publish, inform, entertain, create and inspire.