With over two decades of experience in the publishing industry, James has edited and published multiple Sunday Times bestselling authors including Alastair Campbell, Damian McBridge, Liz Truss, Ken Hom, Eliza Filby, Terry Jones, Anthony Seldon and Andrew Pierce.
He led Biteback Publishing for sixteen years, steering it to become one of the UK’s leading independent publishers of commercial non-fiction. Specialising in politics, business and current affairs, but with a broad range of experience across other genres including sport, history, music, military and memoir, James’ overriding passion is working with new authors of all abilities to identify the story they want to tell and helping them frame and develop it. His approach to editing combines imagination, publishing experience and commercial focus to help writers structure and strategise their writing and deliver a product true to them but with maximum sales potential.
Selected Publications
Business
- Inheritocracy, by Eliza Filby (Biteback, 2024)
- The Alchemists, by Jim Ratcliffe (Biteback,2018)
- Progressive Capitalism, by David Sainsbury (Biteback, 2013)
- Return to Growth, by Jon Moynihan (Biteback, 2024)
- Passport to Success, by Peter Cruddas (Biteback, 2022)
- The Good, the Bad and the Greedy, by Martin Vander Weyer (Biteback, 2021)
- Nine Crises, by William Keegan (Biteback, 2019)
- The Corruption of Capitalism, by Guy Standing (Biteback, 2017)
- Black Horse Ride, by Ivan Fallon (Biteback, 2015)
- Capitalism, by John Plender (Biteback, 2015)
Politics
- Diaries Volume 5: Outside, Inside, 2003–2005, by Alastair Campbell (Biteback, 2016)
- Diaries Volume 6: 2005 – 2007, by Alastair Campbell (Biteback, 2017)
- Diaries Volume 7: 2007–2010, by Alastair Campbell (Biteback, 2018)
- Diaries Volume 8: 2010–2015, by Alastair Campbell (Biteback, 2021)
- Power Trip, by Damian McBride (Biteback, 2013)
- From Acorns to Oaks, by Michael Heseltine (Biteback, 2025)
- May at 10, by Anthony Seldon (Biteback, 2019)
- Ten Years to Save the West, by Liz Truss (Biteback, 2024)
- Pandemic Diaries, by Matt Hancock (Biteback, 2022)
- The English Job, by Jack Straw (Biteback, 2020)
- The Mind of the Minister, by Tom Brown (Biteback, 2024)
- Call Me Dave, by Michael Ashcroft (Biteback, 2015)
- Punch & Judy Politics, by Ayesha Hazarika and Tom Hamilton (Biteback, 2014)
- Coalition, by David Laws (Biteback, 2017)
- British General Election Campaigns 1830–2019, by Iain Dale (Biteback, 2024)
- People Like Us, by Caroline Slocock (Biteback, 2019)
- The Strange Survival of Liberal Britain, by Vernon Bogdanor (Biteback, 2022)
- Didn’t You Use to Be Chris Mullin? Diaries 2010–2022, by Chris Mullin (Biteback, 2023)
- Greater: Britain After the Storm, by Penny Mordaunt and Chris Lewis (Biteback, 2021)
- Where We Go from Here, by Bernie Sanders (Biteback, 2018)
- The Briefing, by Sean Spicer (Biteback, 2018)
- The Honourable Ladies, by Iain Dale and Jacqui Smith (Biteback, 2018)
- Equal Ever After, by Lynne Featherstone (Biteback, 2016)
- The Alternative, by Lisa Nandy and Caroline Lucas (Biteback, 2016)
- Distilling the Frenzy, by Peter Hennessy (Biteback, 2012)
- Ernest Bevin: Labour’s Churchill, by Andrew Adonis (Biteback, 2020)
- The Purple Revolution, by Nigel Farage (Biteback, 2016)
- Breaking The Code, by Gyles Brandreth (Biteback, 2024)
- Brexit Unfolded, by Chris Grey (Biteback, 2023)
- Beyond a Fringe, by Andrew Mitchell (Biteback, 2022)
- Torrid Times, by Peter Brookes (Biteback, 2023)
- Edwina Currie Diaries 1987-1992, by Edwina Currie (Biteback, 2012)
- The Art of Delivery, by Michelle Clement (Biteback, 2025)
Current Affairs and general
- Breaking the Taboo, by Theo Clarke (Biteback, 2025)
- Finding Margaret, by Andrew Pierce (Biteback, 2024)
- Ladies Who Punch, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (Biteback, 2020)
- The Trial of Vladimir Putin, by Geoffrey Robertson KC (Biteback, 2025)
- Music, Sense and Nonsense, by Alfred Brendel (Biteback, 2017)
- My Stir-Fried Life, by Ken Hom (Biteback, 2016)
- Goodbye Pet & See You in Heaven, by Bel Mooney (Biteback, 2016)
- The Madness of Modern Parenting, by Zoe Williams (Biteback, 2014)
- Authenticity is a Con, by Peter York (Biteback, 2014)
- Who Murdered Chaucer?, by Terry Jones (Methuen, 2004)
- Running Out of Tears, by Esther Rantzen (The Robson Press, 2011)
- Tales I Never Told, by Michael Winner (The Robson Press, 2011)
- The Dogs of Mariupol, by Tom Mutch (Biteback, 2025)
- No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason, by Martin Brunt (Bitebeack, 2024)
- Islands, by Mark Easton (Biteback, 2022)
Sport
- Get It On, by Jon Spurling (Biteback, 2022)
- Just One More Goal, by David Pleat (Biteback, 2024)
- Kicking Back, by Nedum Onuoha (Biteback, 2022)
- Sacré Bleu, by Matthew Spiro (Biteback, 2020)
- Newbon, Bloody Hell, by Gary Newbon (Biteback, 2024)
- Va Va Voom: Arsenal’s Invincible Season, by Piers Morgan (Methuen, 2005)
- The Greatest Comeback, by David Bolchover (Biteback, 2018)
- When Footballers Were Skint, by Jon Henderson (Biteback, 2018)
- Tennis Maestros, by John Bercow (Biteback, 2014)
