Contributors

Laura Ries is a graduate of Northwestern University and a partner in the marketing strategy firm Ries & Ries. They act as consultants of major corporations, including Alcoa, Frito-Lay, Glaxo Wellcome, Merck and Pillsbury.

Peter Riley lectures in American literature at the University of Exeter, and the inaugural winner of the Profile-Aitken Alexander Prize. He has been investigating the world of the whale scavengers since his teens.

Christopher Robbins is the author of five non-fiction books, including the award-winning The Empress of Ireland. He became intrigued by Kazakhstan sitting on an aeroplane next to an American from Arkansas on his way there to collect an Internet bride.

Jim Robbins is a frequent contributor to the science section of the New York Times. He has written for Vanity Fair,Sunday Times, Scientific American, Discover, Psychology Today and numerous other magazines. He lives in 20 acres of woods in Helena, Montana.

Simon Rich has written for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, and he worked on Inside Out for Pixar. He is the creator and showrunner of TV series Man Seeking Woman (based on THE LAST GIRLFRIEND ON EARTH) and the forthcoming Miracle Workers, starring Steve Buscemi and Daniel Radcliffe, which is based on his novel WHAT IN GOD'S NAME. His other collections include Spoiled Brats and The World of Simon Rich. He is a contributor to The New Yorker and BBC Radio 4.

Ren Richards is the pen name for New York Times and USA Today Bestselling YA author Lauren DeStefano. DeStefano has published seven YA novels, four middle-grade novels and the psychological thriller, The Broken Ones.

C. E. Riley is a writer and director of the literary festival, Primadonna, which is described as 'books, with a little bit of rock'n'roll' – a festival that showcases established and emerging voices that aren't heard enough in the mainstream. She lives in London, and has previously published two works of non-fiction. Is This Love? is her debut novel.

Martin Robbins is a writer and freelance journalist who worked in the tech industry for over a decade learning everything there is to know about how organizations fail.

His work has featured in the Guardian, New Statesman and Vice among others, and he has been shortlisted for a Comment Award for Best Foreign Commentator. He lives in Bedfordshire with his partner Kat and they hope to have a spaniel one day.