Clara Whitmore

2004

BA English Literature – University of Exeter

Four years immersed in the English literary tradition, from Chaucer to Ishiguro. It was here that I first became fascinated by the relationship between text, voice and audience – a thread that would run through everything I did afterwards.

2006

Editorial Assistant, major London publisher

I joined one of London’s leading imprints straight out of university, initially working across literary fiction and narrative non-fiction. The commute from Islington on the Northern Line became a daily reading ritual.

2006–2021

Commissioning Editor – literary fiction & narrative non-fiction

Over fifteen years, I worked with some of the most distinctive voices in British and international fiction. I signed debut novelists, stewarded prize-listed titles, and championed books I believed in. I also started reviewing audiobooks for The Guardian Books and The Literary Review from 2013 onwards – initially as a side project, then as a serious parallel practice.

2013

Discovered audiobooks on the Northern Line

I’d forgotten my book one morning. I downloaded a title I’d been meaning to commission. By the time I resurfaced from the Tube, I was hooked. What followed was twelve years of listening – and growing frustration at the lack of honest, UK-focused audiobook criticism.

2022

Founded My Audiobook

After twenty years working in and around British books, I built the resource I’d been searching for: an independent, UK-first audiobook review site with no undisclosed sponsorships, no recycled press kits, and no American bias. My Audiobook is the guide I wanted to find on the Northern Line in 2013.