The Literary Consultancy has appointed Crystal Mahey-Morgan in the newly created role of Marketing and Development Officer.
Mahey-Morgan has been tasked with conducting a branding and marketing review, to support TLC’s strategic business plan as it heads into the latest Arts Council England NPO funding period 2018-2022. The aim of the review is to rationalise and strengthen TLC’s position on the author service market, to serve its writer-clients, and the literature community of the UK, in new and exciting ways. This will include looking at areas of growth for the company’s commercial editing services, as well as its work with marginalised writers through its Free Reads scheme, new professional development opportunities, and exploration of what ‘great literature’ means in this day and age, through a cutting-edge programme of literary events for writers with a range of new creative partners. Mahey-Morgan joins TLC on a part-time basis while continuing in her role as Managing Director of independent publisher OWN IT!.
Mahey-Morgan said: “I’m really excited to be working with TLC. Their passion for finding and supporting emerging talent through the writing process and beyond shines through their work. It’s great to be part of an organisation with not only a great history but also a very bright future ahead, with Aki Schilz as the newly appointed Director.”
TLC Director Aki Schilz said: “We are delighted to welcome Crystal into the TLC team. Crystal brings a wealth of publishing know-how combined with truly blue-sky innovative thinking, and a razor sharp eye for detail and data trends. This is an important transitional moment for TLC as we honour the legacy of TLC’s Founder-Director Rebecca Swift, who we lost tragically in 2017, and look at the same time to a future for the company that develops our work in ways that push boundaries and continues to champion, with renewed vigour, the value of literature and the creation of literature beyond the restrictive value-judgment laden dichotomy of ‘publishable’ and ‘not publishable’ work. I am excited to see what this year brings.”
Crystal Mahey-Morgan Biography
Crystal Mahey-Morgan began her career as a freelance journalist at the age of 16 writing for publications such as the Guardian and The Face Magazine. While still 16, she promoted a series of open mic events which were a fusion of hip hop and more conventional forms of poetry and was a performance poet herself.
At the age of 19 Mahey-Morgan became Marketing Manager for Raindance Film festival and soon after embarked on a career within Publishing, firstly working as Literary Assistant at Peter, Fraser and Dunlop (PFD), then joining Random House in 2009. She left her position as Online/Digital Account Manager for Penguin Random House in 2014 to realise a long held vision of bringing fresh voices and new stories to market in representative, inclusive and pioneering ways.
Mahey-Morgan founded OWN IT! – a storytelling lifestyle brand across books, music, fashion and film – in 2015 which she runs with Creative Director Jason Morgan.
Crystal is open to approaches from new partners and in particular interested sponsors wanting to work with TLC to support great and inclusive literature in the UK and beyond. She works Tuesdays and Thursdays for TLC, and can be reached on
