AUTHOR TESTIMONIALS

'In over thirty years of engagements with many first rate publishers and editors on both sides of the Atlantic I have had very few exceptionally gifted people with whom I have been fortunate enough to work and thought their impeccable professional care and competence have immensely helped my work reach a wider and more diversified audience. Jakob Horstmann is one of them. He combines a rare chemistry of old fashioned hard and conscientious work and a savvy flair in understanding the challenging environment of publishing in the age of new media. Lucky is the next author that he picks to publish, and fortunate the publisher that will have him at its helm.'

Hamid Dabashi

Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature, Columbia University

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'Jakob is always at the ready. Just as you think you have no more energy to continue the next dialogue about your manuscript Jakob intervenes in new,  exciting ways and you re-think your position. I have written and published many books but working with Jakob ranks at the top. He was not simply efficient, or timely, or methodically brilliant - he was fun and imaginative and creative. If you are needing a critical eye and a wonderfully warm heart Jakob is the editor to be in touch with.'

Zillah Eisenstein
Author and Professor, Anti-Racist Feminist Theory, Ithaca College, New York

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'The publishing machine was new to me when I first met Jakob. He gave gentle but consistent guidance, and brutally honest answers. He continues to work fast and efficiently, and is incredibly dedicated to bringing out the best in authors. He has helped increase my overall confidence as a writer. His knowledge and expertise have been invaluable, and he is an absolute pleasure to work with!'

Heidi Hoefinger

Lecturer in Social Anthropology, Birkbeck College, University of London

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'I have had the pleasure of working with Jakob Horstmann in the last two years. He has shown himself to be exceptionally courteous, hard working, knowledgeable and creative as a publisher. We have worked in a very easy and productive partnership both in relation to my own books and in relation to the series of books on gender and environment.'

Wendy Harcourt

Editor of 'Development', Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the International Institute of Social Studies, University of Erasmus, The Hague

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'I have been enormously impressed by Jakob's skills and responsiveness as a commissioning editor.'

Dennis Altman

Author of 'Gore Vidal's America', Director of the Institute for Human Security at La Trobe University.

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'What makes Jakob such a pleasure to work with is not only his intellectual sparkiness, creativity and ability to get things done, but his wonderful sense of humour and comradely warmth, which sustained me through what felt like an interminable process of getting my most recent books finished.'


Andrea Cornwall

Professor of Anthropology & Development, University of Sussex

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'Jakob Horstmann is an exceptional commissioning editor with a great talent in providing support to an author during the complicated process of the making of a book. My book involved a translation process (German to English) and it needed the insight and sensitivity of a multi-lingual person with an expertise in sociological concepts all of which Jakob Horstmann could offer. He managed and put at ease not only me as an author but also the translator and the production staff. In my view he is an outstanding professional with excellent communication capacities.'

Helma Lutz

Professor for Gender Studies, Goethe University Frankfurt

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'Jakob Horstmann combines business savvy with a deep appreciation of intellectual work and its optimal presentation. His expert advice will be of great value to fledgling authors.'

Thomas Pogge

Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs, Yale University

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'Working with Jakob was a delight. He's clever, funny and stunningly efficient.'

Carol Dyhouse

Research Professor in History, University of Sussex, Author of 'Glamour'

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'As a series editor for a list of publications I needed to juggle a lot of projects at various stages from commissioning to publication. Jakob was invaluable in managing this process and maintaining that a myriad of deadlines were never missed. His grasp of the importance of the publishing process from initial commissioning of work to publication, marketing and sales was vital.'

Paul French

Author, 'Asian Arguments' Series Editor

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'I am extremely grateful to Jakob Horstmann's guidance as the commissioning editor for my latest book 'Common Ground', for which he was unfailingly supportive and offered sound advice in the latter stages of drafting. His knowledge of the publishing industry, the target readership and other, wider issues around my book was exceptional. This has indeed been the start of a continuing positive relationship, with Jakob also helping determine the emphasis within my next book.'

Mark Everard,

Author of 'Common Ground', Chairman of the Insitution of Environmental Sciences.

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'Jakob has a rare combination of great imaginative and creative flair and a detail-oriented, „get the job done“ work style which is tremendously effective as a Commissioning Editor.'

Julian Agyeman

Professor and Chair, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University

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'Jakob is great at spotting ideas that are worth working up into a book and then
very effective at following through the process to publication. His honest
feedback and insight have delivered a book that I feel proud of seeing against
my name and Jakob should be proud of his role in its gestation. As an author, I
recommend Jakob highly and would be very pleased to work with him again.'

Peter McManners

Author of 'Fly and be Damned'

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‘Responsive, astute and affable, Jakob was just fantastic to work with. As my second book was making its way towards publication, Jakob was terrific in  shepherding it through the various stages needed.’

Julian CH Lee
Senior Lecturer, Monash University

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'As a new author, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from my editor. Jakob immediately put me at ease. He maintained the perfect balance between encouragement and criticism, between patience and nudging. He was helpful across the board - from voicing his thoughts on the cover design and book title, to giving intellectual input, to advising on promotion strategies and endorsements. I especially appreciated Jakob's commitment to his work and his pragmatism.'

Michael Barr

Lecturer in International Politics, Newcastle University, and author of Who's Afraid of China?

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'Jakob supported us with the public release of the Social Cohesion Radar. Despite the very short deadline, Jakob delivered excellent quality before time, not only for the initial brief but also for a spontaneous follow-up on the project. We will be very happy to call on his services again in the future.'

Kai Unzicker

Project Manager, Bertelsmann Stiftung

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'Jakob has been collborating with CROP since autumn 2013 in order to re-launch the book series 'International Studies in Poverty'. His familiarity with the publishing business and his diplomatic skills make him a highly appreciated member of our team. Jakob serves as the important liaison between our institution, the publishing house and the series editors, volume editors and authors of the almost ten books that we currently have in the pipeline. It has been a pleasure working with him during these past months.'

Alberto Cimadamore

Director, Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP)