Meet the Team: Ben Ashurst
Each month, we shine a spotlight on a member of the Heroic team, exploring their role within the company and their background in the creative industries. This month, we chat to Ben Ashurst, Brand and Technology Manager at Heroic Books, to learn more about his role, his career to date, and some of the exciting things Heroic has planned for 2021 and beyond.
Tell us about your professional background and what brought you to Heroic Books.
BA: I discovered Heroic Books through its co-founder, Chris Arnold. Before the pandemic, I was a graphic designer at his other company, Smaller Earth, and he offered me the opportunity to come on board with Heroic.
As the Brand and Technology Manager, I work simultaneously across a lot of different projects and brands within the Heroic Group — and, with a background in design, I develop and lead on the brand’s visual identity which makes my job really fun.
What does the average day look like for you?
BA: Very busy! Because my role at Heroic spans across various different components within the larger Heroic Group, I work on lots of diverse and varied projects day-to-day. From building websites and designing visual assets for marketing campaigns to type-setting for books, no two days are the same and there’s always a project for me to get stuck into.
What’s the most exciting part of working at Heroic?
BA: Definitely the potential. Heroic is a young company, but one that’s growing quickly and has lots of ambition. We have a really talented team of creatives, readers, writers and marketers here, all of whom have brilliant ideas for how we can develop Heroic moving forwards.
The things we have in the pipeline make me really excited for the future of Heroic!
What exciting things does Heroic Books have planned for 2021 and beyond?
BA: We’ve got a big project at the moment that I’m leading on, which is a new subscription-based platform for fans of fantasy and science fiction. It’ll house books, audiobooks, reviews, author interviews, art and so much more, and I’m really excited to be able to launch it later in the year!
There’s plenty more happening behind the scenes, too, which is going to really showcase what Heroic is about and the ambitions we have for the future.
To find out more about Heroic Books head to www.heroicbooks.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for exciting updates about our forthcoming books.
If you’re a fantasy or science fiction writer, then check out our open call for submissions. We’re currently looking for short stories for our upcoming anthology The Hero’s Journey, as well as submissions of novels for our 2022 publishing schedule.
