Emma Knight launches Studio 49 – a new communications agency providing an innovative approach to book publicity

Emma Knight, the award-winning book publicist who has worked on all David Nicholl’s novels to date, has left Hodder & Stoughton to launch her own communications agency.

Studio 49 will provide a “creative and complete approach” to book publicity for authors, publishers and agents “looking for a premium service”.

Studio 49 is being set up alongside a sister company, Milk Publicity, a leading specialist in film and television PR. Together they will “cross-pollinate ideas” from TV, film and publishing to “offer a broad suite of services and highly creative campaigns”.

Emma has been shortlisted four times and twice won the overall Publicity Campaign of the Year award at the Nibbies. She has deep experience working in fiction – with Graham Norton, Sara Cox, Jasper Fforde and many others – and non-fiction, including celebrity, memoir, lifestyle, wellbeing, sport and cookery. Milk Publicity was set up by Victoria Brooks to deliver innovative communications strategies for the film and television industry. Milk has a global reputation for working on TV and film projects such as Downton Abbey, Peaky Blinders, Agatha Christie, A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, The Forsyte Saga and many more. Milk also handles personal PR for A-list talent and corporate PR for a number of global entertainment brands and companies including International Literary Properties.

Emma chose to leave her role at Hodder & Stoughton in May after over two decades at the company to set up Studio 49. Before working in publishing, Emma was a TV drama publicist at the BBC which is where she first collaborated with Victoria Brooks.

Emma Knight said: “I couldn’t be more excited to launch Studio 49. We want to take on a small number of projects that get our full attention. Some authors need – and deserve – more time and energy spent on their campaigns. And that’s what I want to provide. I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Vic and her inspiring team at Milk Publicity. They are dynamic and talented publicists. Together, I know we will bring new ideas and depth to campaigns. Our arrangement reflects the reality of our clients’ careers: their work is not confined to one medium”.

Victoria Books said: “This is the perfect time for collaboration in our industry and we could not ask for a better partner than Emma and Studio 49. We are extremely excited to explore the opportunities ahead and in doing so offer something unique to clients in television and in publishing.”

Jonny Geller, CEO The Curtis Brown Group, said: “As a literary agent you look for three main skills in a publicist – vision, execution and problem solving. Emma has all these qualities and more. Her charm, expertise, connections and understanding of what not to do as much as what to do make her one of the great publicity professionals in our industry.”

David Nicholls, author, said: “I honestly can’t imagine a better publicist than Emma. She has been absolutely instrumental in the success of all my books. Wonderful judgement and imagination, an endlessly positive attitude, any writer would be thrilled to have Emma working on their behalf.”

Lucy Hale, Managing Director Pan Macmillan, said: “Emma is one of the very best publicists I have ever worked with. She sees opportunitieswhere others see barriers, and delivers outstanding campaigns.I have seen her consistentlytransformauthors careers and create big bestsellers.”