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School of Journalism, Media and Performance
Greenbank Building, GR303
+44 (0) 1772 89 5796
Debbie Williams joined UCLan after many years in the book and publishing industry. Before joining the University she was the Children’s Book Buyer for Waterstones Head Office where she coordinated the buying, event and project management of many important books including Harry Potter.
Debbie established the world’s first and only student-led, student-run publishing house, UCLan Publishing. The publishing house works with communities, authors and contributors from around the globe to produce books for the open market. Project teams have collaborated with the Maasai in Kenya, the Inuit community in Greenland and the Sami people in the Arctic.
Debbie continues to take a lead in the publishing industry and regularly works with industry partners such as HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Egmont, BookTrust and New Writing North to further important research into the impact of reading, particularly in the Early Years.
… “Does China present publishing opportunities?” article for China Daily
… “Letters to Africa: A Case Study” ESCalate Bulletin
…“What Will We do Now? Harry Potter and the trauma of the last book” The Telegraph
…“Harry Potter and the Crossover Phenomenon” article in The Observer
Currently working with industry partners including Egmont and Nielsen Bookscan to examine the impact of children reading for pleasure on academic attainment and success.