HBG In the News
Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben To Write First Collaborative Suspense Novel, Grand Central Publishing To Publish in Fall 2025
New York, NY— October 2, 2025
Ben Sevier, President & Publisher of Grand Central Publishing (GCP), announced today the acquisition of a new suspense novel by two luminaries of the book and entertainment worlds, Oscar winning actor, producer, New York Times bestselling author and Reese’s Book Club/Hello Sunshine founder Reese Witherspoon and # 1 international bestselling author and TV creator Harlan Coben. Sevier brokered the North American rights deal with Cait Hoyt at CAA for Witherspoon and Lisa Erbach Vance at the Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency for Coben. Century, a division of Penguin Random House UK, will publish simultaneously in the UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada). The book will be published around the world in the Fall of 2025 in hardcover, e-book and audio editions.
Major Publishers and the Authors Guild File Renewed Challenge Against the State of Iowa, for Book Removal Provision in Senate File 496
This complaint follows a federal court of appeals ruling that the First Amendment applies in school libraries
(New York, September 26, 2024)— Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, and Simon & Schuster, alongside The Authors Guild, filed a renewed challenge today to the book removal provision in Iowa Senate File 496. This is one of two lawsuits that the coalition has brought challenging school library book removal mandates. On August 29, the group, along with Sourcebooks, filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida challenging the unconstitutional book removal provision in Florida House Bill 1069.
Also joining in this challenge are the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) and four renowned authors whose books have been removed in Iowa school and classroom libraries—Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak and Shout), John Green (Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars), Malinda Lo (Last Night at the Telegraph Club and A Scatter of Light), and Jodi Picoult (Nineteen Minutes). Additionally, this complaint includes new plaintiffs: two educators and a high school student.
While the State of Iowa initially defended the ban by arguing that the First Amendment does not apply to school libraries, this argument—known as the “government speech doctrine”—was squarely rejected by the 8th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals prior to this filing.
George Tattersfield joins Hachette Book Group as the new Vice President of Sales Operations
Hachette Book Group is excited to announce that George Tattersfield will be joining sales as the new Vice President of Sales Operations. With a strong track record of innovative leadership and strategic execution, George brings invaluable experience to team.
During his 18 years at Ingram Book Company, George played a key role in several important initiatives, including the development of the Guaranteed Availability Program (GAP) to capture lost sales through Print on Demand services. He was also instrumental in establishing the Publisher Fulfillment Program, which ensured seamless order fulfillment by partnering with publishers during the pandemic. Most recently, as Client Director at W.W. Norton & Company, George expanded the client base and strengthened his expertise in client relationship management and customer service.
Hachette Book Group, Five Additional Publishers and Authors Guild File Landmark Lawsuit Against State of Florida for Unconstitutional Book-Banning Provisions with House Bill 1069
The lawsuit follows recent legal action by Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks in Iowa as publishers continue to challenge book bans across the country – New York, August 29, 2024
Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks have filed a lawsuit against Florida public officials, challenging sweeping book removal provisions of HB 1069, an education law that restricts books in school libraries. The additional plaintiffs joining the publishers are the Authors Guild, bestselling authors Julia Alvarez, Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, Jodi Picoult, and Angie Thomas, two students, and two parents.
As a result of HB 1069, hundreds of titles have been banned across the state since the bill went into effect in July 2023. The list of banned books includes classics such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, as well as contemporary novels by bestselling authors such as Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, and Stephen King. Among nonfiction titles, accounts of the Holocaust such as The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank have been removed.
Hachette Book Group is proud to sponsor the inaugural Latinx Kidlit Book Festival Storytellers Conference on September 13-14 in New York City, kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month
The historic event will be the largest, in-person, national gathering of Latinx writers, illustrators, editors, and literary agents for children and adult books to date Hachette Book Group is proud to sponsor the inaugural Latinx Kidlit Book Festival (LKBF) Storytellers Conference set for September 13-14 in New York City. This event marks the beginning of Hachette Book Group’s annual Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month festivities as the company celebrates the rich culture, significant contributions, and profound influence of the Hispanic and Latinx community. “The LKBF Latinx Storytellers Conference is a groundbreaking event that highlights the rich and diverse talent within the Latinx community,” said Carrie Bloxson, SVP, Culture and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of Hachette Book Group. “We are thrilled to support this initiative and look forward to the incredible stories and voices that will be shared, fostering greater inclusion and representation in the literary world.”
World Renowned Artist and Music Historian Michael Feinstein to Collaborate and Highlight Minnelli’s Trailblazing Career and Extraordinary Life Story
New York, NY— August 6, 2024
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) is excited to announce the acquisition of a memoir by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award (EGOT) icon Liza Minnelli. Contributing to the project are Heidi Evans, a Pulitzer Prize and two-time George Polk Award winner, and Josh Getlin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning veteran Los Angeles Times Correspondent and New York Bureau Chief, who covered arts, entertainment, politics, and publishing for over 30 years. Liza Minnelli stands alone as one of the most iconic and enduring figures in entertainment history, and her eagerly anticipated memoir promises to capture her vibrant and irreverent voice. From her childhood in the spotlight as the daughter of iconic actress and performer Judy Garland and legendary film director Vincente Minnelli to her breakout successes in Cabaret and Liza with a Z, and through her high-octane marriages and struggles with substance abuse, this memoir offers an intimate look at the star we cherish. It reveals the raw and triumphant experiences that have solidified her status as one of the most compelling performers ever in entertainment history. Colin Dickerman, Senior Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at GCP, acquired North American Rights from Mel Berger at William Morris Endeavor. International rights are being handled by Tracy Fisher at William Morris Endeavor. The relationship between Mel Berger, Tracy Fisher, Liza Minnelli, Michael Feinstein, and Grand Central Publishing was announced today by Stephen Roseberry (President and CMO) and Jon Carrasco (EVP and Worldwide Creative Director) for SWC. Ms. Minnelli & Mr. Feinstein are managed exclusively by SWC.
Gabrielle Gambrell Joins Hachette Book Group as Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer
New York, NY – August 1, 2024
Hachette Book Group (HBG) announced today that Gabrielle Gambrell has been named Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer. The appointment was made by David Shelley, Hachette Book Group Chief Executive Officer, to whom Gambrell will report. Gambrell will be a member of HBG’s Executive Management Board. In this role, she will oversee Hachette Speakers Bureau; branding; corporate, internal, and executive communications; media relations; strategic communications; trade fairs; HBG’s philanthropic activities and environmental program; and will work closely with Hachette UK. Her role replaces that of HBG’s current SVP Communications, Sophie Cottrell, who is leaving the company at the end of August. Shelley said: “I’m really excited to be working with Gabrielle. Her creativity, flair and experience across a range of disciplines and industries will help us hugely in getting the message out there about the new worlds of ideas, entertainment, learning and opportunity which books offer. An industry in growth mode, I believe there’s never been a more dynamic or interesting time for book publishing, and Gabrielle will be instrumental in communicating the possibilities to the widest audience.”
New Book by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to be Published by Grand Central Publishing in Fall 2024
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of THE ABCs of DEMOCRACY by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. The book, with 26 4-color illustrations, is scheduled for publication on November 12, 2024, in hardcover and e-book editions. Colin Dickerman, Senior Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, at GCP, acquired North American Rights from literary agent Howard Yoon of William Morris Endeavor. On January 7, 2023, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries made his first official speech as House Minority leader on Capitol Hill in front of the new Congress, affirming Democratic values one letter of the alphabet at a time. The ABCs of Democracy brings this rousing speech to vivid, colorful life, including vibrant illustrations by Shaniya Carrington for each letter. In clever and memorable turns of phrase, Jeffries paints a road map for a brighter American future. Equal parts inspiring and urgent, THE ABCs OF DEMOCRACY is a timeless reminder of what it means to be a country with equal opportunities for all.
Orbit Announces New Horror Imprint, Run for It
New York, NY (July 22, 2024)
Orbit, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced today the launch of Run for It, a new horror imprint. Run for It will become the division’s fourth imprint, alongside the existing Orbit, Redhook, and Orbit Works imprints. The new imprint will publish Orbit’s current horror authors and will be adding more in due course. The first titles from the new imprint are expected to be published in summer 2025. “We’ve been steadily increasing the number of horror titles we publish each year, and with so many exciting things happening in the horror genre over recent years it seemed the perfect time to launch a dedicated imprint,” said Tim Holman, President and Publisher of Orbit. “Our goal is to make Run for It a destination imprint for the most exciting writers in the field—and we can’t wait to take the genre into new and possibly terrifying places.” “Horror has long been a favorite genre of mine and many others on the team, and publishing authors such as Craig DiLouie and Andy Marino, amongst others, has certainly whetted our appetite for publishing more,” said Bradley Englert, Executive Editor at Orbit. “It’s a genre that allows writers to experiment, push boundaries, and test the limits of fiction (and good taste). Dedicating an imprint to horror will allow us to find more new voices, more terrifying stories, and more ways to keep readers up at night.”
Hachette UK and Hachette Book Group Announce Promotions and New UK Structure
New York and London, May 7, 2024
Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK have today announced promotions and structural changes designed to meet consumer needs in all formats and fuel Hachette’s growth in the UK, the US, and international markets. In the US, Hachette Book Group’s Ben Sevier steps up to President and Publisher, Grand Central Publishing Group to recognize his successful leadership of Grand Central Publishing and to support the ongoing strategic growth of Hachette Book Group, Matt Wright becomes CEO of Hachette UK and Hachette Book Group Distribution, and, as announced in April, Carrie Bloxson is promoted to SVP of Culture and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In the UK, Hachette will be structured into three core areas of publishing: Adult Trade, Children’s Trade, and Education. These strands will be headed up by three CEOs: Katie Espiner, Seshni Jacobs, and Hilary Murray Hill. They will report to and work closely with Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK’s CEO, David Shelley, to lead Hachette UK’s publishing.
Carrie Bloxson Promoted to Senior Vice President of Culture and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
London & New York – April 15, 2024
David Shelley, CEO of Hachette Book Group (HBG) and Hachette UK (HUK), announced today the promotion of Carrie Bloxson to SVP Culture and Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion. Bloxson will bring her experience and leadership as HBG’s VP Chief Diversity Officer to an expanded role encompassing Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK.
Since joining HBG in February 2021, Bloxson has led the business’ commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion, and increasing representation in HBG’s leadership, workplaces, and publishing programs. Now, in this newly created role, she will drive Hachette’s Changing the Story initiative across the UK and the US, to further strengthen the company’s mission to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment, and opportunity.
Orbit Announces First Acquisitions by New Digital Imprint Orbit Works
New York-February 5, 2024
Orbit Works, Orbit’s new digital publishing imprint, will publish its first four science fiction and fantasy novels starting in Fall 2024. The first Orbit Works title will be Sophia Slade’s Nightstrider, a dark fantasy about creatures with the ability to cross the boundary between the dream realm and the real world. Slade has previously independently published seven books, ranging from dark fantasy to poetry.
Lagardère Third Quarter and YTD 2023 Results
Paris-October 13, 2023
At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s third quarter revenues included strong performance in backlist, audiobooks, science fiction and fantasy, Mini Kits, children’s books, and travel books. Year to date our revenues trail 2022, due to challenging comparisons with two of the year’s biggest breakouts, Dolly Parton and James Patterson’s Run, Rose, Runand Colleen Hoover’s Verity, and a generally soft market for new titles and print formats. We’re anticipating a strong Q4 with a thrilling lineup of new books from Kerry Washington, James Patterson, Kerri Maniscalco, Ben Mezrich, Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwell, David Baldacci, Jenna Bush Hager & Barbara Pierce Bush, and Philip Glass.”
Lagardère First Half 2023 Results
Paris-July 25, 2023
At Hachette Book Group:
Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “It’s been a full and exciting first half at Hachette. We launched a new ecommerce-enabled website, moved our NYC Workman colleagues into our midtown headquarters, Moon Travel celebrated their 50th anniversary with a festive gathering in Berkeley, and Orbit launched its new digital publishing imprint, Orbit Works. Our authors enjoyed major honors including James Patterson becoming the first author to tally 100 million books sold on Bookscan, Walter Mosley receiving the Crime Writers’ Association’s Diamond Dagger, Michael Connelly being named a Grand Master by Mystery Writers of America, Ira Wallace winning the James Beard Leadership Award, and Jefferson Cowie winning the Pulitzer for History for Freedom’s Dominion.
The ebbing of the pandemic lift that began in the second half of 2022 continued for HBG into 2023’s first half. We were happy to see sales growth from bookstore chains and independent bookstores, our downloadable audio program continued its strong positive trajectory, and travel book sales grew significantly. But sales of backlist titles, children’s and Christian books, and general and prescriptive nonfiction faced particular challenges in a down market. Cost-reduction measures we began in 2022 mitigated the profit impact of our revenue decline versus 2022’s dynamic first half.
Backlist sales began to grow toward the end of the first half and we anticipate a considerably stronger second half, with continued strength from our adult fiction programs, our market-leading travel books from Rick Steves and Moon Travel, and TikTok-promoted nonfiction and fiction. Our third quarter brings exciting nonfiction including Thomas Sowell’s Social Justice Fallacies, Gary Kasparov’s The World After Ukraine, Bernie Taupin’s Scattershot, Kerry Washington’s Thicker Than Water, Joyce Meyer’s Blessed in the Mess, Leslie Jones’ Leslie F*cking Jones, and Ross Gay’s The Book of (More) Delights. Fiction highlights include Ntozake Shange’s Sing a Black Girl’s Song, Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot Protects, Grace Lin’s Chinese Menu, Thrity Umrigar’s The Museum of Failures, James Patterson and Mike Lupica’s 12 Months to Live, and Robert Galbraith’s The Running Grave. And for the youngest readers, we have Indestructibles: Elmo Says Surprise, the first in our new Sesame Street partnership, and My First Brainquest: Feelings and Opposites coming in September.
Little, Brown Spark Announces New Voices Award In Partnership With Psychotherapy Networker To Amplify Underrepresented Experts In Psychology Space
New York, New York – April 19, 2023
Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company, announced the launch of the New Voices Award, an initiative aimed at amplifying the work of underrepresented experts in the field of psychology. The award is offered in partnership with Psychotherapy Networker, an educational nonprofit dedicated to serving psychotherapists, and the Robinson Psychology list of Little, Brown UK. The New Voices Award contest will run in alternating years, with the submission process starting today for Little, Brown Spark (open to writers in the US), and in Spring 2024 for Robinson (open to writers in the UK). The Little, Brown Spark contest is open to previously unpublished and unagented writers, who are invited to submit a nonfiction book proposal on any topic within any branch of psychology. Winners will receive an introduction to a literary agent; feedback and guidance from Little, Brown Spark’s editorial team on turning their proposal into a manuscript; and the opportunity to enter a publishing contract with Little, Brown Spark.
Orbit Announces Orbit Works, New Digital Publishing Imprint
New York, New York – April 19, 2023
Orbit, a division of Hachette Book Group, has announced a new imprint called Orbit Works, publishing Science Fiction and Fantasy in digital formats. The imprint will be led by Orbit Executive Editor Brit Hvide and Editor Stephanie Clark.
The Orbit division based in New York currently consists of the titular Orbit imprint, one of the world’s leading publishers of Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as the commercial fiction imprint Redhook, launched in 2013. Its authors include New York Times bestsellers James S.A. Corey, N.K. Jemisin, Ann Leckie, Kim Stanley Robinson, Andrzej Sapkowski, and Brent Weeks.
Orbit Works titles will be published by the Orbit team based in New York, including Clark, who was hired specifically to acquire for the new imprint. Authors will be published globally, in both ebook and digital audiobook formats, with audiobooks being produced by the award-winning Hachette Audio division.
Orbit SVP and Publisher, Tim Holman, said, “We are thrilled to be launching a new imprint that harnesses our team’s expertise in publishing Science Fiction and Fantasy, the exciting opportunities presented by high-quality digital publishing, and our commitment to author partnership. Orbit Works will complement our two existing imprints perfectly and we can’t wait to welcome our first authors to the team!”
The Orbit Works imprint is now open to submissions from both agented and unagented writers. More information is available at the Orbit Works website, orbitworks.net.
Little, Brown and Company to Publish Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning, by Liz Cheney
New York, New York – April 18, 2023
Bruce Nichols, publisher of Little, Brown and Company, proudly announces a dramatic memoir and urgent warning, OATH AND HONOR: A Memoir and a Warning by former Congresswoman Liz Cheney. Little, Brown and Company acquired world rights and expects to work with partner publishers around the world to bring this book to the widest possible international audience. Nichols will edit. Cheney was represented by Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly. OATH AND HONOR is slated to publish November 14, 2023. To protect our nation and preserve our freedom, the framers required the President and all members of Congress to swear a solemn oath to the Constitution. In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump and many around him, including other Republican officials, intentionally breached that oath: they ignored the rulings of dozens of courts, plotted to overturn a lawful election, and provoked a violent attack on our Capitol. In this book, Cheney will tell the story of this perilous moment in our history, those who helped Trump spread the stolen election lie, and the risks we still face.
Lagardère First Quarter 2023 Revenues
Paris-April 18, 2023
At Hachette Book Group:Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s revenue for the quarter declined, reflecting a generally softer market especially for hardcovers and a comparison to an ebullient Q1 in 2022 that included the launch of Dolly Parton and James Patterson’s Run, Rose, Run. Hachette Audio was a standout in the quarter with increased sales across frontlist and backlist offerings, and three Audie Awards.
Fiction highlights in the first quarter include big bestselling thrillers – James Patterson and Mike Lupica’s The House of Wolvesand Patterson and Brendan Dubois’ Countdown, Harlan Coben’s I Will Find You, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, and continuing strong sales of Colleen Hoover’s Verity. Leading nonfiction titles were Dr. Mark Hyman’s Young Forever, Dr. William Li’s Eat to Beat Your Diet, Joyce Meyer’s The Answer to Anxiety, and James Patterson and Matt Eversmann’sWalk the Blue Line. We had much to cheer on the awards front – Audies for The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope, A Door Made for Me by Tyler Merritt and Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris, a PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel for Oscar Hokeah’s Calling for a Blanket Dance, and a Whiting Award for Linda Kinstler’s Come to This Court and Cry.
The second quarter started on a high note with Admiral William McRaven’s highly anticipated The Wisdom of the Bullfrogbecoming an instant #1 bestseller and Sandra Boynton’s irresistible Woohoo! You’re Doing Great! launching onto the bestseller list in its first week on sale. We have a superb quarter ahead with new books from David Baldacci, Vashti Harrison, T.D. Jakes, Christopher Kimball, Diane Ladd and Laura Dern, Joyce Meyer, James Patterson, Rick Steves, Brent Weeks, Rainn Wilson, and many others.
Beyond exciting publications across all our imprints, we’re very much looking forward to our New York Workman colleagues moving into our Sixth Avenue offices in May. It will be wonderful to have all our NYC publishing divisions together under one roof.”
Announcing New Distribution Agreement Between Hachette Book Group and Callaway
Landmark Title Bob Dylan: Mixing Up The Medicine Leads Fall 2023 List NEW YORK, NY (March 16, 2023)
Callaway Arts and Entertainment and Hachette Book Group are pleased to announce a new partnership for the sales and distribution of Callaway’s book list, beginning with its Fall 2023 frontlist titles. Callaway is celebrating its 43rd year as the preeminent publisher of the highest-quality illustrated books in the world. Under this new, long-term arrangement, Hachette will exclusively distribute Callaway frontlist and backlist trade titles into all channels in the United States and Canada beginning July 1, 2023. Todd McGarity, VP Corporate Business Development & Strategy, says, “Callaway’s publications are beautiful, whether created for children, art enthusiasts, or pop culture fans. We are excited to welcome Callaway into our family of clients, and help new audiences discover their wonderful books.”
Lagardère Announces Full Year 2022 Results
Paris-February 15, 2023
Lagardère announced their 2022 full-year revenue and profits today. Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “Hachette Book Group’s revenue in 2022 was up from 2021 thanks to the acquisition of Workman Publishing, and declined slightly from last year’s peak like for like. Especially strong sales for Verity by Colleen Hoover, Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson, and The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski, and in our Audio and Third-Party Distribution businesses, helped offset lower backlist sales and a decline in the hardcover format. Despite strong sell through and careful cost management, 2022 profits were lower than 2021’s high levels due to sharply rising manufacturing and freight costs. Highlights for the year included #1 New York Times bestsellers from Kwame Alexander, David Baldacci, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Holly Black, Michael Connelly, Elin Hildebrand, and Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, among others. And our authors received major honors – a Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a James Beard Award for Melissa Martin, National Book Critics Circle awards for Clint Smith, Rebecca Donner, and Jeremy Atherton Lin, a Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Clint Smith, a Grammy Award for John Lewis, and a Nobel for Svante Pääbo.
Little, Brown Spark to Publish Memoir by Award-Winning Actor and Activist Kerry Washington
New York, New York – January 30, 2023
Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company, announced the planned publication of THICKER THAN WATER by Kerry Washington, celebrated actor, director, producer, and activist. The book will be published in hardcover on September 26, 2023 and released simultaneously in the United Kingdom by Sphere, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group in the UK. Tracy Behar, VP and Publisher of Little, Brown Spark acquired North American rights from Cait Hoyt of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), with Catherine Burke, Deputy Managing Director of Little, Brown Book Group and Executive Publisher of Sphere acquiring UK & Commonwealth Rights from Caspian Dennis of Abner Stein, on behalf of CAA. In THICKER THAN WATER, Kerry Washington gives readers an intimate view into both her public and private worlds—as an artist, an advocate, an entrepreneur, a mother, a daughter, a wife, a Black woman. Chronicling her upbringing and life’s journey this far, she reveals for the very first time how she faced a series of challenges and setbacks, effectively hid childhood traumas, met extraordinary mentors, managed to grow her career, and crossed the threshold into stardom and political advocacy, ultimately discovering her truest self and, with it, a deeper sense of belonging.
Little, Brown Young Readers Receives Unprecedented Number of Accolades from the American Library Association
New York, New York – January 30, 2023
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (LBYR), a division of Hachette Book Group, is pleased to share the following accolades announced today at the 2023 American Library Association (ALA) LibLearnX meeting, held in New Orleans. Amina Luqman-Dawson has received the 2023 John Newbery Medal for Freewater (JIMMY Patterson Books/LBYR). The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Amina was also named the 2023 Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Winner for Freewater. The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.
Phenomenal Media and Hachette Book Group Divisions Announce New Publishing Partnership: Phenomenal Media Books
Los Angeles-January 24, 2023
Phenomenal Media, a values-driven, 360-degree media company that centers women and historically excluded communities, announced today the launch of a publishing partnership, Phenomenal Media Books. Together with two Hachette Book Group divisions, Phenomenal Media Books will develop and acquire works from underrepresented voices across multiple genres, fiction and nonfiction, and for audiences of all ages, from children to adults. The books will be published in collaboration with imprints of Grand Central Publishing and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Under the Phenomenal Media umbrella, this new venture will reflect Phenomenal’s core mission to champion women and historically excluded communities in the publishing world. The flexibility of this partnership to publish across multiple Hachette Book Group imprints will grant Phenomenal the ability to find the best creative path to nurture authors and their works.
Lagardère First Half 2022 Results
Paris-July 27, 2022
At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “2022’s first half was solid, with revenues ahead of 2021 thanks to Workman joining us and a rise in trade paperback and downloadable audio sales, high backlist sales, strong sales in independent bookstores and in Canada, and continued growth in our third-party distribution business. Like for like, revenues were down very slightly due to a lighter release schedule. Profits remain strong but below 2021’s extraordinary results due to sharply rising costs in paper, manufacturing, and shipping. Results were buoyed by the success of Dolly Parton and James Patterson’s Run, Rose, Run, the best-selling new hardcover of 2022, and continued strong demand for Colleen Hoover’s first suspense novel, Verity. We’ve also had #1 bestsellers from David Baldacci, Kelly Barnhill, Harlan Coben, Vashti Harrison, Elin Hilderbrand, James Patterson, David Sedaris, Tom Segura, and Nicholas Sparks. And our books and authors have received significant honors this year, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s The Disordered Cosmos, James Beard Award for Melissa Martin’s Mosquito Supper Club, Barnes & Noble’s Children’s and YA Book Award for Christopher Denise’s Knight Owl, and Chautauqua Prize for Rebecca Donner’s All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days. The second half is full of big, exciting new books including Kwame Alexander’s The Door of No Return, David Baldacci’s Long Shadows, W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz’s Do the Work!, Misty Copeland’s The Wind at My Back, Patricia Cornwell’s Livid, N.K. Jemisin’s The World We Make, Joel Osteen’sYour Greater Is Coming, James Patterson’s Triple Cross, Stacy Schiff’s The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, and Rick Steves’ Barcelona.”
Voracious Acquires Paris, J’Adore!, The Official Tie-in to Netflix Hit Series Emily in Paris
New York-June 28, 2022
Little, Brown and Company’s Voracious imprint has acquired North American rights to Emily in Paris: PARIS, J’ADORE!, the official guide to the hit Netflix series. The book will be published in hardcover on October 27, 2022, and released simultaneously in the United Kingdom by Quercus. Katy Follain, Nonfiction Publisher at Quercus, acquired World rights from Risa Kessler at Paramount, with Emma Brodie, Executive Editor at Voracious, acquiring domestically. PARIS, J’ADORE! is series star Emily Cooper’s diary and guidebook to living the Parisian way, featuring tips on fashion, romance, and where to capture the perfect selfie in the City of Light. The diary will be written in Emily’s voice and will include sections about Emily’s favorite designers, Paris’s best well-kept secret gems, how to navigate tensions and emotions in a French boardroom, and what to wear in Saint-Tropez.
Grand Central Publishing to Publish Book Magical Coming-of-Age Memoir by Tom Felton
New York- May 26, 2022
At Hachette Book Group: Grand Central Publishing is excited to announce the publication of BEYOND THE WAND: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, a magical coming-of-age memoir from Tom Felton, on October 18, 2022. Suzanne O’Neill, VP, Executive Editor of Grand Central Publishing, acquired North American rights to the book from Sarah Scarlett at Penguin Random House UK. Billed as the first and only behind-the-scenes Harry Potter memoir from one of the films’ biggest stars, BEYOND THE WAND, will be published in print and digital formats by Grand Central Publishing in the US and Ebury Spotlight in the UK. An audiobook edition, read by the author, will be released simultaneously by Hachette Audio in the US and Penguin Random House Audio in the UK. Tom Felton’s adolescence was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame in beloved films like The Borrowers catapulted him into the limelight, but nothing could prepare him for what was to come after he landed the iconic role of the Draco Malfoy, the bleached blonde villain of the Harry Potter movies. For the next ten years, he was at the center of a huge pop culture phenomenon and yet, in between filming, he would go back to being a normal teenager trying to fit into a normal school.
Lagardère First Quarter 2022 Results
Paris-April 26, 2022
At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s first quarter revenue was ahead of 2021 on a like-for-like basis, thanks to good performances from most divisions, a thriving third-party distribution business, and continuing high backlist sales. Including Workman, which HBG acquired last September, revenue was up significantly. Leading the strong performance were Dolly Parton and James Patterson’s Run, Rose, Run, a #1 New York Times bestseller for five weeks, and Colleen Hoover’s Verity. Harlan Coben’s The Match, Michael Connelly’s The Dark Hours, Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Last Wish, and Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun all had lively sales. A high point in the first quarter was Little, Brown winning three 2021 National Book Critics Circle Awards, for Clint Smith’s How the Word Is Passed, Jeremy Atherton Lin’s Gay Bar, and Rebecca Donner’s All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days. It was delightful to see Kelly Barnhill’s The Ogress and the Orphans become an instant #1 on the ABA Indies list. And earlier this month Hachette Audio won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Carry On by Congressman John Lewis with Kabir Sehgal, read by Don Cheadle.
93 ‘Til Infinity – A Memoir by Mark Ronson – Acquired by Grand Central Publishing
New York- April 14, 2022
Ben Sevier, SVP and Publisher of Grand Central Publishing (GCP) announced today the acquisition of a memoir – 93 ‘TIL INFINITY – by seven-time Grammy Award and Oscar winning multi-platinum musician, songwriter and music producer Mark Ronson. Colin Dickerman, VP and Editorial Director, Non-Fiction at GCP acquired the North American rights from David Kuhn, Co-CEO of Aevitas Creative Management and Nate Muscato, also at Aevitas. The book will be published in hardcover, e-book and an audio edition by Hachette Audio in 2023. Mark Ronson is one of the most influential DJ-songwriter-record producer-record executives of our time. Having achieved mainstream global success over his career working with legendary performers like Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Paul McCartney, Quincy Jones and so many more, Ronson – now 46 – began his music career as an upstart teenage DJ in New York’s burgeoning 90’s hip-hop scene. For Ronson, there was an undeniable magic to the city’s nightlife at that time, where the fashion crowd and rappers on the rise danced alongside club kids and 9-to-5’ers.
Hachette Book Group launches four new philanthropic partnerships designed to support writers and publishing professionals from underrepresented backgrounds
New York-March 23, 2022
Hachette Book Group has established new expanded partnerships with four esteemed organizations – The City College of New York, Hurston/Wright Foundation, Lambda Literary, and We Need Diverse Books – with the common goal of supporting a broader community of emerging writers and early and mid-career publishing professionals from diverse backgrounds. In customized programs established in close collaboration with these four partners, HBG aims to further improve recruiting, training, mentorship, and support for diverse individuals with a passion for writing and publishing in order to develop meaningful careers in publishing. “We have worked with these excellent organizations in different ways for many years, but we see these expanded relationships and specialized programs as our opportunity to make a greater positive impact on the reading community. Together we’ll strive to open up publishing to a far broader array of talents, perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Our partners’ goals align with HBG’s goals: to make publishing more inclusive, more diverse, and more accessible for all,” said Carrie Bloxson, Hachette Book Group’s Chief Diversity Officer.
Orbit and Riot Games announce first ever novel set in the League of Legends universeLagardère Announces Full Year 2021 Results
New York-March 21, 2022
Orbit and Riot Games, the leading video game developer and publisher best known for League of Legends, have signed a major licensing deal to publish the first ever novel set in the League of Legends universe. The novel, Ruination, written by Anthony Reynolds, Principal Writer at Riot Games, tells the story of Kalista, military general to King Viego, as she searches for a legendary realm that may have access to ancient magic—the only way to cure the poisoned Queen Isolde. Ruination will be published in English in September 2022 by Orbit teams in the US and UK in print, ebook, and audio editions, and distributed internationally. It is also expected to be translated for all major international markets, with publication dates to be announced in the future. “Stories play such an important role in exploring our world and champions in deep and meaningful ways,” said Ashley Maidy, Head of Consumer Products for Riot Games. “This is a foundational story for Runeterra, and will shed new light on the events that shape some of its most pivotal characters. We are thrilled that Orbit will be bringing this to life for our fans.” Senior Vice President and Publisher of Orbit US, Tim Holman, said of the deal, “We are thrilled to be publishing the first novel set in the League of Legends universe. Our goal is to publish stories that will excite not just the millions of League of Legends players but anyone who loves epic adventures set in fantastical worlds. Working with the Rioters has been an amazing experience, and I believe that together we can build a phenomenal publishing program.”
Lagardère Announces Full Year 2021 Results
Paris-February 17, 2022
Lagardère announced their 2021 full-year revenue and profits today, including 3.7% revenue growth at HBG. Highlights are as follows:Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “Hachette Book Group’s revenue and profits grew strongly in 2021, propelled by outstanding performances from all our publishing groups and marketplace growth especially in Chain, Independent, Gift and International accounts. Our results were boosted by high sell-through, a significant increase in hardcover sales in our adult divisions, exciting growth for Running Press’s Minis program, and an excellent year for our Client Services business.We had a stellar array of #1 bestsellers in 2021 including Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s The President’s Daughter, Elin Hilderbrand’s Golden Girl, Michael Connelly’s The Dark Hours, and Nicholas Sparks’ The Wish, in adult fiction; Katie Couric’s Going There, James Patterson and Matt Eversmann’s Walk in My Combat Boots, and Clint Smith’s How the Word Is Passed in adult non-fiction; and Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ The Hawthorne Legacy, Meena Harris’ Ambitious Girl, Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun, and Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi’s Stamped for young readers.
Grand Central to Publish Patricia Cornwell’s New Scarpetta Novel-LIVID-in October 2022
New York-February 8, 2022
Grand Central Publishing (GCP), a division of Hachette Book Group, has jointly acquired with Little Brown UK, a division of Hachette UK, the world rights to LIVID by international bestselling author Patricia Cornwell for simultaneous English-language publication in hardcover print, e-book and audio editions on October 25, 2022. For GCP, Ben Sevier, SVP and Publisher, acquired the book with Karen Kosztolnyik, Editorial Director, Fiction, editing. Cath Burke, Deputy Managing Director of Little, Brown Book Group and Executive Publisher at Sphere, will be working with Sphere Editorial Director, Tilda McDonald, on their Sphere publication. In this thrilling new installment of Patricia Cornwell’s #1 bestselling Kay Scarpetta series, LIVID finds the chief medical examiner after she inherits one of the most notorious cases of her career. Two years after the body of a former beauty queen washed up on the shore of Wallops Island, Virginia, Scarpetta must act as the expert witness for the case—an investigation botched by another forensic pathologist. After a grueling cross-examination by the prosecutor, Scarpetta leaves the court only to discover that the sister of the judge on her case has been found dead. Scarpetta ultimately finds herself facing a powerful, invisible enemy who’s planning the unthinkable.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Receives Accolades from the American Library Association
New York-November 23, 2021
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group, is pleased to share the following accolades announced today at the 2022 American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting, held virtually. Regis and Kahran Bethencourt have received the Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe New Talent Award for their photographic illustrations in The Me I Choose to Be by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley. The John Steptoe New Talent Award is established to affirm new talent and to offer visibility to excellence in writing and/or illustration. Author A.S. King has received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her novels Ask the Passengers and Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future. The Margaret A. Edwards Award honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. Author and illustrator Grace Lin has been awarded the Children’s Literature Legacy Award, which honors an author or illustrator who has made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children through books that demonstrate integrity and respect for all children’s lives and experiences. Author Laekan Zea Kemp received a Pura Belpré Award Young Adult Honor for her debut novel, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet. The Pura Belpré Award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. Tasha Spillett-Sumner and Michaela Goade’s I Sang You Down from the Stars has received an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor. The AIYLA identifies and honors the very best writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America.
Levar Burton and Don Cheadle GRAMMY® Nominees: Nods for Two Hachette Audio Productions
New York-November 23, 2021
The Recording Academy® has announced their 2022 GRAMMY Awards nominees, and two Hachette Audio productions have been honored in the category Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audiobooks, & Storytelling). Recording Academy members voted this year in record numbers, and recognized both LeVar Burton’s new recording of his prescient sci-fi novel AFTERMATH and Don Cheadle’s interpretation of Representative John Lewis’s inspirational message in CARRY ON: REFLECTIONS FOR A NEW GENERATION. Fellow GRAMMY nominee, musician Jon Batiste, announced the Spoken Word category today during a livestream with millions of viewers, and winners in this star-studded field will be announced at the 2022 GRAMMYs Awards show, officially known as the 64th GRAMMYs®, on January 31, 2022. Hachette Audio productions have been nominated a total of 27 times, and have won the top GRAMMY Best Album recognition in their categories nine times. Both of this year’s nominated stars have had many accolades bestowed upon them in their illustrious careers, including previous GRAMMY nominations for Hachette Audio publications – Cheadle for Walter Mosely’s modern classic FEAR ITSELF, and Burton’s Best Spoken Word-winning performance of THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, Jr.
Lagardère Third Quarter 2021 Results
Paris-October 28, 2021
Lagardère announced results for the first nine months of 2021 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s year-to-date revenues through the third quarter are significantly above 2020, despite a difficult comparison in the third quarter due to the August 2020 publication of Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun. This growth comes in part from comparison to 2020’s pandemic-impacted marketplace, along with strong sales of adult hardcovers and significantly increased sales for our third-party distribution clients. The most important and exciting development in the third quarter was our acquisition of Workman, which closed September 23. It has been a joy to welcome Workman’s employees, authors, and illustrators to HBG, and to begin experiencing Workman’s uniquely creative approach to publishing. Major publications in the third quarter included Nicholas Sparks’ The Wish and James Patterson and Nancy Allen’s The Jailhouse Lawyer in adult fiction, and Joyce Meyer’s Authentically, Uniquely Yours in Christian publishing, a particularly strong category for HBG in 2021. Sales of Running Press’s Mini Kits program, led by the irrepressible Wacky Waving Inflatable Tube Guy, were also up significantly. Four HBG titles were #1 New York Times bestsellers in the quarter: James Patterson and Bill Clinton’s The President’s Daughter, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Bloodless, Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ The Hawthorne Legacy, and James Patterson’s Ali Cross: Like Father, Like Son. HBG’s illustrated books publishers are off to a great holiday-season start with new bestsellers Gastro Obscura, Paint By Sticker: Christmas, and Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Schitt’s Creek Story. We’ll finish the year with a glorious lineup from David Baldacci, James S.A. Corey, Katie Couric, Sutton Foster, Victor Davis Hanson, Faith Jenkins, Christopher Kimball, Admiral William McRaven, Joel Osteen, Todd Parr, James Patterson, and Nikki Sixx, among many other bestselling and conversation-starting authors.”
Jerry Pinkney, Caldecott Medal–Winning Illustrator, 1939–2021
New York- October 20, 2021
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is saddened to announce the passing of Jerry Pinkney, one of the most heralded children’s book illustrators of all time. The illustrator of more than one hundred books, he had the rare distinction of being the recipient of five Caldecott Honors and the winner of the 2010 Caldecott Medal for The Lion and the Mouse. He died at age eighty-one after a brief non-Covid-related illness on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. A titan in the publishing industry, Pinkney was in the vanguard of those depicting Black life in children’s books and a champion of the work of emerging Black artists and illustrators. He won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award five times and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor four times, and was awarded the 2016 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for lifetime achievement (now known as the Children’s Literature Legacy Award) and the 2016 Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Award for lifetime achievement. He found great success in retellings that featured animal characters and was the creator of such acclaimed works as The Tortoise & the Hare (2013) and 2020’s The Little Mermaid, which the New York Times Book Review called “lovingly rendered with rich detail.” At the time of his death, he was working on a memoir with his wife, minister and author Gloria Jean Pinkney, his high school sweetheart of sixty-four years, detailing his childhood struggling with a learning disability and his path to becoming an artist against the odds, to be published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Grand Central Publishing Acquires Two Psychological Thrillers by Bestselling Author Colleen Hoover
New York- October 5, 2021
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) – the home to bestselling thriller writers such as David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Harlan Coben, James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Steve Berry and more — is excited to announce a deal for a new psychological thriller by powerhouse bestselling author Colleen Hoover, as well as the takeover of Hoover’s self-published bestseller, VERITY. Karen Kosztolnyik, VP, Editorial Director, Fiction, at GCP acquired the rights from Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. GCP acquired world rights to an as-yet untitled psychological thriller – which will be written in the vein of VERITY – and will publish in hardcover, ebook and audio editions in the summer of 2023. GCP is also excited to acquire the North American print and e-book rights to VERITY and to bring that book to an even wider audience. GCP will release an e-book edition on October 5, 2021 and will follow with a trade paperback edition in November 2021. VERITY – Hoover’s first thriller — was independently published in December 2018 and has recently spent multiple weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, selling almost 900K copies in e-book and trade paperback formats. VERITY is also currently in development at Amazon Studios with Nick Antosca & Alex Hedlund producing.
Stacy Lellos joins Workman Publishing as Publisher of Workman Children’s publishing program
New York-September 28, 2021
Workman Publishing (WP) is pleased to announce that Stacy Lellos is joining the company as Publisher of Workman Children’s books on October 18, 2021. A twenty-eight-year veteran of book publishing and children’s retail, Lellos will report directly to Senior Vice President and WP Publisher Dan Reynolds, while working closely with Susan Bolotin, Publisher and Editorial Director of the Workman imprint. “The Workman Children’s program is one of the strongest parts of our business, consisting of tremendous brands like Brain Quest, The Big Fat Notebooks, and Indestructibles, and filled with titles that represent our commitment to innovative, smart publishing and thinking outside the book. In Stacy, we think we’ve found just the right person to lead our highly talented and hard-working children’s team, and we couldn’t be more excited to see where she takes us,” said Reynolds. “Finding the right publisher for Workman’s children’s group wasn’t easy,” Bolotin adds. “We knew we needed an experienced visionary who would grow the business while honoring what it is and the people who create it—but we have found that person in Stacy. I look forward to working closely with her as we make this important transition.”
Hachette Book Group Completes Acquisition of Workman Publishing
New York-September 23, 2021
Hachette Book Group announced today that they have completed their acquisition of Workman Publishing. Michael Pietsch, CEO of Hachette Book Group, said, “This is a significant and exciting milestone for Hachette Book Group, as we welcome an extraordinary publisher to HBG. We have deep admiration for Workman’s publishing, its people, its authors and illustrators, its books, its commitment to backlist and its culture. The opportunity for HBG to join forces with Workman is one I believe will be enormously beneficial to both companies, and our goal is to provide a new home that will enable Workman to continue to thrive and grow in exciting ways.” Workman Publishing will be HBG’s eighth publishing group, comprising the imprints Workman, Algonquin, Algonquin Young Readers, Artisan, Storey Publishing, and Timber Press. The new group will be led by Dan Reynolds as Senior Vice President and Publisher. He will report to CEO Michael Pietsch and will join HBG’s Executive Management Board. Dan Reynolds said, “One glorious Workman era has ended today, and another, full of promise and opportunity, has begun. We are very excited to join the Hachette family of publishers and energized by the prospect of learning ways of working and finding new muscles to flex. But I also want to use this moment to thank Carolan Workman for her wise leadership before and during this transition. I speak for everyone at Workman in wishing her a retirement filled with the joys of life, including getting lost in a good book.”
Basic Books to Publish Four New Books by Prize-Winning Historian Martha S. Jones
New York-August 16, 2021
Basic Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, a Hachette Book Group company, announced today that it has acquired four new books by award-winning historian Martha S. Jones, the author of Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All (Basic Books, 2020). Jones’s next book offers a profound and powerful reassessment of racial identity in the United States by centering the history of slavery’s sexual violence and its legacies. Braiding history and memoir, Jones grapples with her own family’s story across five generations and two hundred years–not only as the child of a white mother and a Black father, but also as the great-great granddaughter of a Black woman named Isabella Holley and the white man who enslaved and raped her. Lyrical and deeply personal, the book reckons with what it means to be marked by and to bear the legacy of sexual violence. In the process, it will transform how we understand Black biracial and mixed-race identities, colorism and so-called light skin, “passing,” and the very idea of race itself. Subsequent books include a manifesto on the role of history in America’s ongoing racial reckoning; a family history that provides a major new account of the Black women’s Atlantic world out from the Haitian Revolution and across the nineteenth century; and a landmark new biography of U.S. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney that emphasizes his consequential relationships with Black Americans across his lifetime.
Hachette Book Group to Acquire Workman Publishing
New York-August 16, 2021
Hachette Book Group and Workman Publishing announced today that they have entered into a binding commitment for Hachette to acquire Workman, one of the largest and most respected independently owned book publishers in the US. The transaction is expected to close after regulatory approval is received. Michael Pietsch, CEO of Hachette Book Group, said “We have admired Workman for decades, marveling at the spirit of innovation that drives their business, their strong brand franchises, their focus on backlist, the work culture they have nurtured, and the outstanding reputation they have established among authors, agents, booksellers, and the media. I could not be more thrilled to welcome Workman’s incredibly talented employees and their brilliant authors and illustrators to Hachette. The Workman program will powerfully complement HBG’s existing publishing programs, and this acquisition will unlock new opportunities for growth in exciting directions.” Carolan Workman, Executive Chair and President of Workman, said, “When Peter Workman launched our quirky little company over a half-century ago, it marked the beginning of a bold and joyful voyage. All these many years later, when I recognized that the time had come for Workman to have a new home, my first and foremost goal was to find a place where Workman’s unique culture could prosper long into the future, a place where we could nurture and protect our greatest assets: our authors, illustrators, and, most of all, our amazingly wonderful staff. I am so happy to be joining with Hachette. They clearly respect not only what we are but who we are. I truly believe that our two companies will thrive together in this partnership.”
Dolly Parton and James Patterson Coauthor a Novel, RUN, ROSE, RUN. Parton to Release an Album of Twelve Original Songs Tailor-Made for the Novel.
New York-August 11, 2021
The internationally beloved entertainer Dolly Parton and the world’s bestselling author, James Patterson, will publish a novel they have written together, Little, Brown and Company announced today. The first novel Dolly Parton has ever written, RUN, ROSE, RUN will be published on March 7, 2022. Parton will simultaneously release an album of the same name, consisting of twelve original songs she was inspired by the book to write, record, and produce. The novel also includes lyrics to the songs, which are essential to the story. This dual release will mark the first time a #1 bestselling author and an entertainment icon who has sold well over 100 million albums worldwide have collaborated on a book and an album. Set in Nashville, RUN, ROSE, RUN is a novel about a young woman who comes to country music’s capital city to pursue her music-making dreams. The source of her heart-wrenching songs is a brutal secret she has done everything to hide. But the past she has fled is reaching out to control her future—even if it means destroying everything she has worked for. Pairing James Patterson’s brilliant character-building and dramatic skills with Dolly Parton’s unparalleled insight into the music world’s star-making machinery, RUN, ROSE, RUN will be the blockbuster novel of 2022. Fans will also be able to listen to original songs inspired by the book and written, performed, and produced by Parton. The album, also entitled RUN, ROSE, RUN, will likewise be released in March 2022 and is coproduced by Richard Dennison and Tom Rutledge. Parton’s new album will be released on her own Butterfly Records in partnership with another record label that has yet to be determined.
Lagardère First Half 2021 Results
Paris-July 26, 2021
Lagardère announced results for First Half 2021 revenues today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s revenues in the first half are ahead of last year, in part because the comparison includes Q2 2020, when many retailers were closed, and thanks to strong hardcover sales and good performance in the children’s and Christian categories. HBG’s third-party distribution business is also solidly ahead of 2020. HBG had thirteen #1 bestsellers in the first half of the year, includingJames Patterson and President Bill Clinton’s The President’s Daughter, Clint Smith’s How the Word Is Passed, Elin Hilderbrand’s Golden Girl, Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped and Stamped (for Kids), David Baldacci’s A Gambling Man, Don Lemon’s This is the Fire, Vashti Harrison’s Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, and Meena Harris’s Ambitious Girl.We have an especially robust Fall season ahead, with new books from David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Chris Colfer, Michael Connelly, James S. A. Corey, Katie Couric, Sutton Foster, Jamie Foxx, Faith Jenkins, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, Stevie Van Zandt, and many more.” At Hachette Livre: Hachette Livre delivered first half 2021 revenue of €1.13 billion. “After recording robust like-for-like growth of 13.9% in the first quarter of 2021, growth surged by 22.9% in the second quarter compared to the same prior-year period,” according to Lagardère’s press release . The first-half 2021 figures below are presented on a like-for-like basis.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Little, Brown and Company to Publish Award-Winning Author Kwame Alexander
New York-July 22, 2021
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Little, Brown and Company are excited to announce the acquisition of several new books from award-winning and bestselling author Kwame Alexander. The multi-book deal includes THE DOOR OF NO RETURN, a middle grade trilogy launching in Fall 2022, as well as a chapter book and picture book, to be edited by LBYR Executive Editor Margaret Raymo. Also included in the deal is LOVE POEMS, a book of poems for adults, to be edited by Little, Brown’s Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, Judy Clain and published in February 2023. Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President and Publisher, LBYR and Bruce Nichols, Senior Vice President and Publisher, Little, Brown and Company, acquired world rights in a 5-house auction, from Deneen C. Howell of Williams & Connolly LLP. “From Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes to David Sedaris and Vashti Harrison, Little, Brown has been at the forefront of publishing meaningful and majestic books that matter by great authors and illustrators,” said Kwame Alexander. “To be in this good company is a dream to build on, and my imagination is gonna thrive.”
Orbit to Publish Deluxe Edition of Witcher Novel
New York- July 9, 2021
Orbit has announced the upcoming publication of a deluxe, illustrated edition of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Last Wish, the book that launched the New York Times bestselling Witcher series. Set to be published in December 2021, the deluxe edition will be a hardcover featuring seven illustrations from seven different award-winning artists. It will be published by Gollancz in the UK. The cover was revealed today by Netflix as part of WitcherCon, a virtual celebration of the series. The Last Wish introduces readers to the Witcher Geralt, and along with Sword of Destiny is one of the primary source materials for season one of Netflix’s hit series The Witcher. The collection features seven short stories about Geralt and the world of the Witcher, each of which will be paired with an original illustration. Artists who contributed illustrations include Jeremy Wilson, Tommy Arnold, Jen Bartel, and more. The Witcher series and adaptations in multiple media are hugely popular worldwide. More than five million copies of the Witcher books have been sold in the United States, and the series has been translated into thirty-seven languages worldwide. The TV adaptation The Witcher was the second most-watched Netflix series release of 2019.
Grand Central Publishing to Publish Book By Academy Award Winning Actor Jamie Foxx
New York- June 15, 2021
Grand Central Publishing is excited to announce that Jamie Foxx’s book, ACT LIKE YOU GOT SOME SENSE: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me, will be published on October 19, 2021. Suzanne O’Neill, VP, Executive Editor of Grand Central Publishing, acquired North American rights to the book from Anthony Mattero at CAA. The book will be published simultaneously in hardcover, e-book and an audio edition, read by the author, by Hachette Audio. Jamie Foxx is not only an actor, comedian, and musician, he’s also starring in his most humbling and long-running role yet as father to two independent girls: Corinne and Anelise. While his daughters have very different views on the world, there is one thing they can agree on: Dad gets on their motherf***ing nerves. Though every day with his girls brings hurdles and hilarity, he’s learned a lot along the way. In ACT LIKE YOU GOT SOME SENSE—a title inspired by his beloved and fierce grandmother—Jamie reveals his rocky parenting journey through priceless stories about the tough love and old-school values he learned growing up in the small town of Terrell, Texas; his early days trying to make it in Hollywood; and life after achieving stardom. You would think being an A-lister would ease his dad-duty struggles, but if anything, it has only made things more complicated. It seems that a teenage girl who just wants to blend in with her friends will not be excited to see her dad’s flashy new convertible at the front of the carpool lane.
Grand Central Publishing to Publish Book By Tony Award Winning Actress Sutton Foster
New York- May 27, 2021
Grand Central Publishing is excited to announce the acquisition of HOOKED: How Crafting Saved My Life, a memoir and crafting book by Tony Award winning actress Sutton Foster. Suzanne O’Neill, VP, Executive Editor of Grand Central Publishing, acquired North American rights to the book from Mollie Glick at CAA. The book will be published simultaneously in hardcover, e-book and an audio edition, read by the author, by Hachette Audio on October 12, 2021. Whether she’s playing an “aging” book editor on television or dazzling audiences on the Broadway stage, Sutton Foster manages to make it all look easy. How? Crafting. From the moment she picked up a cross stitch needle to escape the bullying chorus girls in her early performing days, she was hooked. Cross stitching led to crocheting, crocheting led to collages, which led to drawing, and so much more. Channeling her emotions into creations centered Sutton as she navigated the significant moments in her life and gave her tangible reminders of her incredible experiences. In HOOKED, Sutton shares those moments, including her fraught relationship with her agoraphobic mother; a painful divorce splashed on the pages of the tabloids; her struggles with infertility; the thrills she found on the stage during hit productions like Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes, and Violet; her breakout TV role in Younger; and the joy of adopting her daughter, Emily. Accompanying the stories, Sutton has included patterns, recipes, and so much more!
A Fearless, Inspiring, and Refreshingly Candid Memoir by Grammy-Award Winning Rapper, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist, and Cultural Icon Lil’ Kim
New York-April 28, 2021
Mary Ann Naples, VP and Publisher of Hachette Books, announced today the forthcoming publication of THE QUEEN BEE (Hachette Books, 11/02/21), by Lil’ Kim, with Kathy Iandoli. The embargoed book is edited by Associate Editor Carrie Napolitano, who acquired World English rights in a deal with Robert Guinsler of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., and will be available in hardcover, eBook, and an audio edition by Hachette Audio. When teenager Kimberly Denise Jones—better known as Lil’ Kim—burst on the hip-hop scene in the mid-nineties, no one was prepared for how she would shake-up the entire music industry. As the sole female member of the Notorious B.I.G.’s rap collective, Junior M.A.F.I.A., and an affiliate of Puff Daddy and the Bad Boy family, Lil’ Kim always stood out from the pack. But she was determined to make an even greater name for herself and emerged as a solo superstar. In 1996, she dropped her solo debut album, Hard Core, which topped the Billboard charts, went double-platinum, and is now widely considered to be one of the most influential rap albums of all-time. With her dynamic lyricism, her unflappable no-nonsense attitude, her iconic looks both on and off the red carpet, and her unapologetic sexuality, Lil’ Kim quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with—and was crowned the Original Queen Bee.
Lagardère First Quarter 2021 Results
Paris-April 27, 2021
Lagardère announced First Quarter 2021 revenues today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s first quarter revenues gained solidly on last year’s, led by significant growth in hardcover sales. Strong children’s hardcovers included Meena Harris’s Ambitious Girl, Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped, and Vashti Harrison’s Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History. Adult hardcover fiction bestsellers included James Patterson and James O. Born’s The Russian, Harlan Coben’s Win, and Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child’s The Scorpion’s Tail, and nonfiction leads included Don Lemon’s This Is the Fire, Dana Perino’s Everything Will Be Okay and James Patterson and Matt Eversmann’s Walk in My Combat Boots. HBG’s third-party distribution business had an excellent start to the year, with double-digit growth over Q1 2020. Looking ahead, we have an extraordinary publishing lineup in the second quarter, with highly anticipated new books from David Baldacci, Malcolm Gladwell, Elin Hilderbrand, T.D. Jakes, Christopher Kimball, Andrew McCarthy, William H. McRaven, Joel Osteen, Yusef Salaam, and Jake Tapper.”
HBG’S Green Progress Report for 2019-2020
New York–April 13, 2021 Hachette Book Group (HBG) is dedicated to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources. We are committed to publishing this annual report on our progress toward the goals laid out in our environmental policy. Download the full report here. Reducing Climate Impacts We continued to optimize wherever possible to reduce our carbon footprint, with an annual reduction goal of 2.5% for the 2017–2020 period. In measuring HBG’s carbon emissions we track a range of factors that includes employee commuting and business travel, electricity for all our facilities, product transportation, and physical audiobook materials, as well as the paper we purchase for our books. Excluding paper, HBG’s carbon footprint declined 34% last year, due to large reductions in office electricity, business travel, and other pandemic-related impacts. However, the paper we procure accounts for approximately 95% of HBG’s overall carbon footprint, and we printed significantly more books in 2020 than we did in recent years. Due to this increase, the company’s carbon footprint rose 2% overall in 2020.
Voracious/ Little, Brown to Encourage Plant-Based Cooking for a Better World with LINDA MCCARTNEY’S FAMILY KITCHEN
New York-March 26, 2021
Little, Brown and Company has acquired North American rights to LINDA MCCARTNEY’S FAMILY KITCHEN: Over 90 Plant-Based Recipes to Save the Planet and Nourish the Soul, by Linda, Paul, Mary, and Stella McCartney. The book will be published under Little, Brown’s Voracious imprint on June 29, 2021. Over thirty years ago, Linda McCartney first blazed the trail for meat-free cooking and shared the pleasure of eating compassionately around her family table. Now Paul McCartney, along with daughters Mary and Stella, bring Linda’s kitchen up to date, reinventing her best-loved recipes for the plant-based cook, alongside their favorite family stories and the dishes that they now eat at home. An original food pioneer, Linda believed in great-tasting, wholesome, meat-free food, and embraced kindness and compassion in everything she did. Her legacy lives on in LINDA MCCARTNEY’S FAMILY KITCHEN, a collection of over 90 simple, fresh, and inventive plant-based recipes that fit perfectly with how we want to eat now.
Lagardère Full-Year 2020 Results
Paris-February 25, 2021
Lagardère announced their 2020 full-year revenue and profits today, including 3.9% revenue growth at HBG. Highlights are as follows: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “We were incredibly fortunate that readers sought out our books despite the disruptions of the year and that retailers found creative ways to sell them. And we are especially grateful to our warehouse colleagues who kept our books shipping all year in the face of the pandemic. HBG’s strong performance was enhanced by Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun, the #1 bestselling novel of 2020; Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series; and many books that were part of the national Black Lives Matter conversation, including Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You, Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want To Talk About Race, and Beverly Tatum’s Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?Like many publishers in 2020, we had the benefit of increased sales of ebooks and downloadable audiobooks and higher backlist sales
I.W. Gregorio and Monica Hesse Receive ALA 2021 Accolades
New York-January 25, 2021
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group, is pleased to share the following accolades announced today at the 2021 American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting, held virtually. Author I.W. Gregorio has received the Schneider Family Book Award for YA for This Is My Brain In Love. The Schneider Family Book Award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Author Monica Hesse has received a Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor for YA for her novel They Went Left. The Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. “We are thrilled to see this recognition for I.W. Gregorio and Monica Hesse from ALA. These spectacular novels intimately portray the experiences of mental illness and post-war trauma with tenderness and depth, and it is an honor to publish them” said Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President and Publisher of LBYR.
Jayme Boucher joins HBG as Director of the Hachette Speakers Bureau
New York-January 11, 2021
Jayme Boucher will join Hachette Book Group as Director of Hachette Speakers Bureau (HSB) on January 20. Boucher comes to Hachette Book Group (HBG) from the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau, where she spent ten years as a founding member and senior leader of the boutique lecture agency within Penguin Random House. During this time, she has held director-level positions in the Random House, Penguin, and Crown divisions, working closely with many notable speakers including Ed Catmull, Lee Child, Junot Diaz, Lisa Gardner, John Green, Lauren Groff, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Charlaine Harris, Daniel Libeskind, Ruth Ozeki, Jeff Shaara, Elizabeth Strout, Alice Waters, Isabel Wilkerson, and Jacqueline Woodson.
Carrie Bloxson joins Hachette Book Group as Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion
New York-January 7, 2021
Michael Pietsch, Hachette Book Group CEO, announced today that Carrie Bloxson will join the company as Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion. Bloxson comes to Hachette Book Group (HBG) from social impact organization DoSomething.org, where she was interim CEO and Chief Marketing Officer, overseeing social impact, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, brand development, and creative strategy. Prior to her role at DoSomething.org, Bloxson spent six years as the Vice President of Marketing at HarperCollins. She will start at HBG on February 1 and will join the Executive Management Board.
HBG Green Progress Report for 2018-2019
New York-December 20, 2020
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is dedicated to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources. We are committed to publishing this annual report on our progress toward the goals laid out in our environmental policy. Download the full report here. Reducing Climate Impacts We are continuing to optimize wherever possible to reduce our carbon footprint, with an annual reduction goal of 2.5% for the 2017–2020 period. In 2019, HBG’s carbon footprint declined 3%, due primarily to decreases in business travel, mailings, office paper, and improvements in electricity usage in our Boulder office.
Grand Central Publishing to Publish THE HERO CODE by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S Navy Retired)
New York-December 3, 2020
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) is thrilled to announce the acquisition of THE HERO CODE:LESSONS LEARNED FROM LIVED WELL LIVED by William H. McRaven(U.S. Navy Retired), a short, inspirational book about the qualities of true, everyday heroes, on April 6, 2021. Sean Desmond, VP, Publisher of Twelve acquired the North American rights to the book – which will be published on the GCP list – from Robert Barnett of Williams and Connelly. The book will be published in hardcover, e-book and an audio edition by Hachette Audio on April 6, 2021. Ben Sevier, SVP, Publisher of GCP, said: “In The Hero Code, the long-awaited follow-up to the multimillion-copy seller Make Your Bed, Admiral McRaven deploys powerful examples to define innate qualities of the human spirit that will uplift our next generation of everyday heroes –and profoundly shape our future. GCP is proud to bring this important and inspirational work to readers everywhere.”
Grand Central Publishing Acquires BETTER, NOT BITTER by Yusef Salaam, Prison Reform, Activist, and Member of the Exonerated Five
New York-November 23, 2020
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) is excited to announce the acquisition of BETTER, NOT BITTER: Living On Purpose in The Pursuit of Racial Justice by Yusef Salaam, member of the Exonerated Five and an award-winning motivational and transformational speaker, thought leader, NYT bestselling author and coach. Seema Mahanian, Editor at GCP acquired the North American rights from Cait Hoyt of Creative Artists Agency. BETTER, NOT BITTER: Living On Purpose in The Pursuit of Racial Justice will be published in hardcover print, e-book and audio editions in the Spring of 2021.
Nana K. Twumasi Joins Grand Central Publishing as VP & Publisher of a New Imprint, GCP Balance
New York-November 18, 2020
Ben Sevier, SVP and Publisher of Grand Central Publishing (GCP) announced today that Nana K. Twumasi will join GCP on December 1, 2020 as Vice President and Publisher of a new imprint, GCP Balance. Twumasi joins GCP from Callisto Media where she led a team of editors responsible for initiating approximately 80 books per year in the wellness space. Her expertise in self-help/psychology and wellness publishing, and in mining consumer interest to drive publishing strategy, has led to bestselling titles such as The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners by Amy Ramos, Retrain Your Brain by Seth Gillihan, and The Complex PTSD Workbook by Arielle Schwartz. Prior to Callisto, she held editorial positions at Jossey-Bass/John Wiley & Sons and at several non-profits in the Bay Area. GCP Balance will be dedicated to publishing the best practical nonfiction across the wide spectrum from health/wellness to business/success, including psychology, self-help, diet, how-to, inspiration, work/life, management, and leadership. Planned to launch in the first quarter of 2022 with approximately 24 titles per year, GCP Balance will combine the best of GCP’s strengths in author-driven and platform-driven publishing with a digital-forward, consumer-focused mindset. Twumasi will take over as Publisher of Dr. William Li’s bestselling Eat to Beat series; the bestselling DASH Diet franchise by Marla Heller; and will champion a backlist that includes category bestsellers across the practical nonfiction spectrum, from Deep Work by Cal Newport and It’s Your Ship by Captain Michael Abrashoff to Mindbody Prescription and Healing Back Pain by John Sarno, MD.
Lagardère Third Quarter 2020 Results
Paris-November 5, 2020
Lagardère announced results for the first nine months of 2020 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG had an extremely strong third quarter, as bookstores reopened across the country, with revenues 19.2% above 2019. This is due to strong performances in several areas, especially children’s books, science fiction, general fiction, and audio, which have helped to offset the impact of the continuing global health crisis on some of our businesses. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers had a stellar quarter, with two major #1 bestsellers – Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun, one of the biggest books of the year, and Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. Orbit Books continued its success with Andzrej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series, and had two significant industry awards, a Hugo Award for The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey and a World Fantasy Award for Kacen Callendar’s Queen of the Conquered. Grand Central Publishing had another massive #1 bestseller with Nicholas Sparks’s The Return, and Hachette Audio continued its growth thanks to downloadable audio sales of Midnight Sun, The Witcher series, and continuing sales of Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers. A strong lineup of anti-racism titles from our backlist were among HBG’s top sellers of the quarter, including Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (Bold Type Books), So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (Seal Press) and Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum (Basic Books).
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Announces Arrival of Christy Ottaviano Books
New York-October 29, 2020
The acclaimed imprint Christy Ottaviano Books will move to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, effective November 30. Executive Vice President and Publisher Megan Tingley announced that Christy Ottaviano, currently publisher of her eponymous imprint at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, will join Little, Brown Books for Young Readers as Vice President, Publisher of Christy Ottaviano Books along with Editor Jessica Anderson. The team will publish approximately thirty titles per year encompassing literary and commercial fiction and nonfiction from preschool through young adult. Their inaugural list will launch in 2022. “In our conversations over the years, I’ve always felt that Christy is a kindred spirit—we share the same mission of publishing works that speak directly to young readers and that reflect the diversity of our world,” Tingley notes. “She is truly an ‘editor’s editor’—the fact that her long-time authors plan to move to Little, Brown with her is a testament to Christy’s dedication to nurturing both debut and established authors and to building fulfilling long-term careers for them. This is a rare opportunity to bring an established imprint to our division, and we are excited to welcome Christy, Jessica, and their extraordinary list of authors and illustrators and helping them flourish here.”
Hachette Book Group Announces Legacy Lit, An Exciting New Imprint Celebrating Social Justice and BIPOC Voices
New York, NY—October 29, 2020
Michael Pietsch, CEO of Hachette Book Group, announced today the launch of Legacy Lit, the first imprint dedicated to books for and by people of color at Hachette Book Group. The new imprint will be led by newly named Vice President and Publisher Krishan Trotman. Trotman and her team will publish books that give voice to issues, authors, and communities that have been marginalized, underserved, and overlooked. Legacy Lit will publish narrative nonfiction, memoir, investigative, women’s interest, current events, social justice, cultural and empowerment titles, along with select fiction offerings. The imprint will launch its first titles in January 2022. Trotman and her team will curate a list of about twelve to fifteen titles a year. Books by authors such as Faith Jenkins, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Van Lathan, Marisa Renee Lee, David Ambroz, Baynard Woods, Shanita Hubbard, D. Watkins, Daniela Pierre-Bravo, Devin Allen, V. Maia Thomas and others will be published under the new imprint. Trotman will build a diverse list and aims to put a much-needed spotlight on stories for and by BIPOC writers, and create awareness and expand visibility of BIPOC voices, industry professionals, booksellers, influencers, and press.
Hachette Book Group Partners with Education Industry Leaders to Donate Anti-racist Book Sets to School Libraries Across the U.S
New York—September 15, 2020
Hachette Book Group (HBG) has launched a program to provide select school libraries across the country with a collection of books that provide resources to students to learn about the importance of anti-racism, empathy, and social justice. These collections have been carefully curated for elementary and secondary school libraries and include such notable and bestselling titles as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Becoming Kareem, Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race, Sharee Miller’s Princess Hair, Todd Parr’s Be Who You Are, Jason Reynolds and Ibram Kendi’s Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism and You, Jewell Parker Rhodes’ Ghost Boys and Sugar, and Beverly Tatum’s Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, among others.
Forever Announces Open Submissions for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Authors
New York—September 15, 2020
Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing (GCP), believes that everyone deserves a happily-ever-after. To help give voice to typically underrepresented stories in the romance and women’s fiction genres, Forever is announcing an open submissions policy for BIPOC authors. This new policy is effective immediately. “The ongoing conversations about diversity and inclusion within publishing has brought more awareness to our need for better representation on our lists,” said Beth de Guzman, VP Digital and Paperback Publisher at Grand Central and Forever. “We’re looking forward to hearing from new voices, reading their work, and helping to share it.”
Lagardère announces first half 2020 results
Paris—July 30, 2020
Lagardère announced results for First Half 2020 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s first-half revenues held, declining only slightly despite the vast business challenges of the pandemic. Especially strong performances came from the Orbit division with The Witcher novels, fueled by the successful Netflix series, and Little, Brown, with continuing sales of Malcolm Gladwell’s 2019 bestseller Talking to Strangers. Unit sales grew over last year, with an increase in sales of lower-price formats such as mass-market paperbacks, ebooks, and downloadable audio largely offsetting decreases in adult hardcovers and trade paperbacks. During the pandemic, the work of our warehouse team to keep our books shipping has been remarkable, and our marketing and publicity groups have nimbly reinvented the ways we connect writers with readers. The fact that the massive retail disruption caused by the pandemic did not impact revenues significantly demonstrates the enduring appeal of books, the benefits of our multi-outlet, multi-format business, and the deep attachment readers have to Hachette’s authors. Readers need books and will seek them out in many places even when favorite independent and chain bookstores are closed. We have worked closely with independent bookstores to help them reopen, with an extensive offer of special terms.
Lagardère announces first quarter 2020 results
Paris—April 30, 2020
Lagardère announced results for First Quarter 2020 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows:
At Hachette Book Group:
CEO Michael Pietsch said, “We started the year strongly, with revenues and profits solidly up over 2019. Major publications in the quarter included James Patterson’s #1 bestseller Blindside, Harlan Coben’s #1 bestseller The Boy from the Woods, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child’s Crooked River, Dr. Mark Hyman’s Food Fix, and Anne Glenconner’s Lady in Waiting, plus four #1 bestsellers from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram Kendi, A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer, Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison, and Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher series continued its long run, helping the Orbit imprint achieve #1 market share in Science Fiction and Fantasy for the quarter. And the downloadable audio format continued its growth trajectory, led by Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers. “We continued growing with the acquisition of Disney Book Group titles, adding a rich catalog of over 1,000 backlist and 40 forthcoming books to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. And we took on a new third-party distribution client, National Geographic, which goes live October 1. “As the first quarter closed, we entered a world completely changed by COVID 19. We are grateful for the partnership and close connection with our employees, booksellers, authors, librarians, and everyone in the community of publishing that is helping us to move forward resolutely and hopefully through these extreme circumstances.”
Bruce Nichols to join Hachette Book Group as SVP, Publisher of Little, Brown and Company
New York—March 15, 2020
Michael Pietsch, CEO of Hachette Book Group, announced today the hiring of Bruce Nichols as Senior Vice President and Publisher of Little, Brown and Company. He will join the company on May 4. Nichols has been SVP and Publisher of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt since 2009, during which time he has led significant expansion of the company’s range of publishing and grown revenue more than 65%. In 2019, Nichols took on the leadership of HMH’s new audiobooks division. At HMH, Nichols oversaw the full range of adult publishing which includes fiction, nonfiction, and lifestyle books. He is recognized for publishing bestselling books in politics, history, and science, among other categories, and he has overseen publishing programs for major commercial brands including The Whole30 and the Tolkien estate. Under his leadership HMH has also built their fiction list and notched commercial successes including Rachel Kadish’s The Weight of Ink, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Friday Black, Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway mystery series, and The Chosen Ones, the first novel for adults by Veronica Roth, #1 bestselling author of the Divergent series. And Nichols has led the creation of a powerful catalog of lifestyle titles from diverse voices such as Antoni Porowski, Urvashi Vaid, and Maangchi, among others.
Lagardère announces full year 2019 results
Paris—February 27, 2020 Lagardère announced their 2019 full-year revenue and profits today. Highlights are as follows: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch commented “Hachette Book Group’s profit growth in 2019 was propelled by excellent performances in our adult and children’s publishing divisions, at Hachette Audio, and by continued focus on efficiency. Despite a challenging comparison to 2018, which featured the major fiction hits The President Is Missing by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson and Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks, in 2019 we achieved almost the same level of revenues, led by news-driving nonfiction bestsellers including Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers, A Warning by Anonymous, Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill, and Donald Trump Jr.’s Triggered. Fiction top sellers included James Patterson’s 18th Abduction and Criss Cross, three novels from David Baldacci (Redemption, One Good Deed, and A Minute to Midnight), and Michael Connelly’s The Night Fire. We also saw exceptional sales from our backlist, notably Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass, Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and Admiral William McRaven’s Make Your Bed. Downloadable audio continued its steady upward trend with a 28% increase in 2019, led by Talking to Strangers, which has held the #1 slot on the New York Times Audio Bestseller list for seven months.
Hachette Book Group to distribute National Geographic
New York—February 20, 2020
Hachette Book Group (HBG) announced today that they have signed an agreement to sell and distribute National Geographic Partners’ physical adult and children’s books. Already the country’s largest distributor of client publishers, HBG’s new partnership with National Geographic further strengthens its distribution business. The agreement takes effect October 1, 2020 and covers all global trade book markets with some exceptions in certain international territories. Hachette Book Group’s Vice President of Business Development, Todd McGarity, said, “I have long admired National Geographic’s vibrant publishing program, and have been impressed by their ability to outpace the trade market and grow their book business. As a premier brand, their publishing program fits our strategic vision for distributing a small number of large, innovative publishers, and we couldn’t be more excited to help them expand and thrive.” “Hachette has consistently published many of the most notable bestselling authors. Their leadership within the industry along with their robust distribution business, make this an exciting partnership and growth opportunity for National Geographic Books. We look forward to a strong future together,” said Senior Vice President and General Manager at National Geographic Partners, Hector Sierra.
Hachette Book Group Acquires More than 1,000 Disney Book Group Titles
New York—February 6, 2020 Hachette Book Group (HBG) announced today that they have acquired more than 1,000 titles published under Disney Book Group. The catalog includes Newbery, Caldecott, and Geisel award-winners, bestselling series, and backlist titles by children’s literature luminaries, as well as a number of new books releasing in 2020 and beyond. These titles will begin publishing under HBG’s Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (LBYR) division and imprint, effective immediately. Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) will focus on acquiring and developing content that can be leveraged beyond books across multiple platforms and media. Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “We’re thrilled to be the new home for this extraordinary collection of books. HBG already knows and loves these titles after many years of handling sales and distribution for Disney Book Group’s imprints, and we are proud now to become their publisher. This acquisition is a natural step in HBG’s plans for growth and backlist expansion. I’m looking forward to seeing LBYR turn its creative and collaborative energies and its market expertise to this superb group of children’s book creators.”
Hachette Audio & Wisdomfeed/Better Listen! Announce Partnership
New York—January 21, 2020
Hachette Audio is pleased to announce a new partnership with WisdomFeed/BetterListen!, a publisher of popular inspirational audio works. Select titles from WisdomFeed’s proprietary content will be made available in both the retail and library markets for the first time ever in collaboration with Hachette Audio. The new WisdomFeed imprint from BetterListen! represents a partnership with Hachette featuring highly curated, newly released titles, including those from mindfulness pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn, best-selling author Dr. Bernie Siegel, entrepreneur & founder of Collectible Exchange Brandon Steiner, and the esteemed Jungian analyst Marion Woodman. BetterListen!’s current list of publications represents some of the best-known names in the fields of Spirituality, Mindfulness, Wellness, and Religion. As the partnership develops, new voices will be added to the WisdomFeed imprint of curated offerings and this preeminent list of authors, to be distributed to the retail and library markets by Hachette Audio.
Lagardère announces third quarter 2019 results
Paris—November 7, 2019 Lagardère announced results for Q3 2019 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “Hachette Book Group’s third quarter revenue was essentially even with last year’s, despite a challenging comparison to 2018, when James Patterson and Bill Clinton’s The President Is Missing was propelling HBG’s sales. Sales were bolstered by the publication of Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers, by continued growth in downloadable audio, and by a strong program of adult thrillers. HBG had 55 New York Times bestsellers in Q3 2019 including four titles at #1 – Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers, Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, David Baldacci’s One Good Deed, and Elin Hilderbrand’s Summer of ’69. The fourth quarter is off to a strong start, with newsworthy books such as Ronan Farrow’s bestseller Catch and Kill and intense anticipation for A Warning by Anonymous, on sale November 19. Our #1 bestsellers so far this quarter include The Night Fire by Michael Connelly, A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer, The 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, and Shea Serrano’s Movies (and Other Things). We were thrilled at the news that PublicAffairs authors Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics, with their new book Good Economics for Hard Times to be published on November 12. We are looking forward to a strong finish to the year, with rising holiday sales of the bestsellers above, a large and lively slate of conservative political books including Triggered by Donald Trump Jr., and new books from many of our most exciting authors, including James Patterson’s dual laydown Criss Cross and Ali Cross, David Baldacci’s A Minute to Midnight, Holly Black’s The Queen of Nothing, Joel Osteen’s The Power of Favor, and Flea’s memoir Acid for the Children. And we are looking forward to welcoming a new Publisher for Hachette Nashville, Daisy Hutton, who arrives November 11 and will oversee the Christian and conservative publishing programs at FaithWords, Worthy, and Center Street.”
Daisy Blackwell Hutton Joins Hachette Book Group as Publisher of Hachette Nashville
New York, NY—October 25, 2019
Michael Pietsch, CEO of Hachette Book Group, announced today that Daisy Blackwell Hutton will join Hachette Book Group (HBG) as Vice President and Publisher of the Hachette Nashville division. Hutton will join HBG on November 11 and will be a member of the company’s Executive Management Board.
In her new role, Hutton will lead Hachette Nashville’s publishing programs at its three imprints, FaithWords, Center Street, and Worthy Publishing. She will work with the imprints’ editorial teams on their excellent roster of authors and focus on expanding and deepening that roster, guiding acquisitions and list development for the division. Hutton will be responsible for growing sales and creating marketing strategies that appeal to the Christian, inspirational, and conservative markets and beyond, while identifying new business opportunities and strategic partnerships.
Hachette Books Introduces Hachette Go–A New Imprint Dedicated to Books that Change Our Lives Every Day
New York–October 14, 2019
Mary Ann Naples, VP and Publisher of Hachette Books, announced today the launch of a new imprint under the Hachette Books name. Hachette Go will feature exciting and motivating books that will help readers change their lives for the better. Hachette Go will uphold the Hachette Books tradition of publishing meaningful and bold nonfiction voices, and will do so across many categories including health, inspiration, food, psychology, self-help, and work.
Hachette Go will launch officially in March 2020 with a full list of bright and inspiring authors including NBC-TV Today’s Al Roker, FOX-TV The Real’s Loni Love, leading women’s empowerment and business coach Gina DeVee, award-wining Atlantic staff writer Olga Kazhan, beloved cookbook author Pamela Salzman, and many more. Hachette Go’s mission is to publish the boldest voices in the health and self-improvement spaces, and to make positive life change accessible to everyone.
HBG’s Green Progress Report for 2018
New York–October 10, 2019
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is dedicated to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources. We are committed to publishing this annual report on our progress toward the goals laid out in our environmental policy. Download the full report here. Reducing Climate Impacts We are continuing to optimize wherever possible to reduce our carbon footprint, with an annual reduction goal of 2.5% for the 2017–2020 period. In 2018, HBG’s carbon footprint grew by 5%, due primarily to carbon heavy paper stock needed for several of our 2018 titles. This was offset by carbon improvements in the following areas: significant decreases in business travel and in mailing out of our New York and Boston offices, and improvements in electricity usage in our Boulder location. Increasing Certified and Recycled Fiber In 2018, our FSC (Forest Stewardship Certified) fiber usage exceeded 97.6%, stable compared to 2017. Combining FSC and SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative), 100% of HBG’s overall paper usage in 2018 came from certified fiber, exceeding our combined FSC/SFI goal of 95%.
SCAM ALERT: Fake Employment Letters from Hachette Book Group
August 1, 2019
Scam Alert – We have recently become aware that some people are receiving fraudulent messages from a scam artist posing as Hachette HR using a fake email address. The impersonator has been sending fake employment letters using Hachette’s company name and logo to trick people into believing that they are interviewing and hiring job candidates or contracting freelance work on Hachette’s behalf. This is a scam. If you receive any such email, we encourage you to report the phishing attempt to your email provider and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Lagardère announces first half 2019 results
Paris—July 25, 2019 Lagardère announced results for first half of 2019 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s revenue declined slightly in the first half, but our profits rose, boosted by major fiction releases like Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand—her first #1 bestseller!—andJames Patterson’s The 18th Abduction and The Chef, Redemption by David Baldacci, Run Away by Harlan Coben, Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly, and nonfiction bestsellers including Sea Stories by Admiral William McRaven, The Case for Trump by Victor Davis Hanson, and The Matriarch by Susan Page. 68 HBG titles have hit the New York Times bestseller list so far this year, with 9 of them reaching #1. Strong backlist sellers including You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, Andrew Sean Greer’s Pulitzer Prize winner Less, Circe by Madeline Miller, Admiral McRaven’s Make Your Bed, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, and Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers also contributed strongly. “Two Orbit science fiction writers recently received coveted honors, with Tade Thompson’s Rosewater winning the 2019 Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel and NK Jemisin’s How Long Til Black Future Month winning a 2019 Locus Award for best story collection. “Some of our most exciting publications of the year lie ahead – Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers, All The President’s Women by Barry Levine and Monique El-Faizy, James Patterson’s Criss Cross and Ali Cross, Stephen Chbosky’s Imaginary Friend, Brent Weeks’s The Burning White, Donald Trump Jr.’s Triggered, Joyce Meyer’s Your Battles Belong to the Lord, Michael Connelly’s The Night Fire, Julie Andrews’ Home Work, and Radicals, Resistance and Revenge by Judge Jeanine Pirro.”
Hachette Books Announces the Publication of “Morning Joe” Co-Host Joe Scarborough’s Revealing Account of His Tumultuous 15+ Year Relationship with Donald Trump
New York—June 12, 2019
Mary Ann Naples, VP and Publisher of Hachette Books, announced today the forthcoming publication of This Ends Badly: How Donald Trump Conned America (Hachette Books, 9/17/19) – a riveting account of MSNBC host Joe Scarborough’s friendship-turned-bad with the President, offering revealing insights into Trump’s mind and an indictment of his hostile takeover of the Republican party and American politics. The book will be edited by executive editor Paul Whitlatch, who acquired world rights to the book, which will be available in hardcover, ebook, and an audio edition by Hachette Audio. As Scarborough and Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski observed Donald Trump’s political rise in 2016, they found themselves uttering the same line to each other: “This ends badly.” But it wasn’t always that way. After first meeting Trump in 2003, Scarborough and Brzezinski found him engaging and generous, if terribly insecure, and frequently invited Trump on Morning Joe.
Lagardère announces first quarter 2019 results
Paris—May 7, 2019
Lagardère announced results for First Quarter 2019 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s first quarter revenues, on a like for like basis, rose thanks to successful publications for major new titles – Run Away by Harlan Coben, The Cornwalls Are Gone by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois, The Fallen by David Baldacci, The Case for Trump by Victor Davis Hanson, and The Keto Diet by Dr. Josh Axe – as well as popular backlist fiction such as Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple and recent Indies Choice winner Circe by Madeline Miller. Q1 also saw continued growth in downloadable audio, and strong performance from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, which brought out Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai’s book about refugees, We Are Displaced, and had its fourth Caldecott Medal winner in the past five years, Sophie Blackall’s Hello Lighthouse. The second quarter has begun with honors for several Little, Brown authors: the Edgar Award for Best Novel for Walter Mosley’s Down the River Unto the Sea, a James Beard Award for Christopher Kimball’sMilk Street: Tuesday Nights, and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Beth Macy’s Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America. In May, we publish several of our most anticipated books of the year – Thomas Harris’s first new thriller in twelve years, Cari Mora, Admiral William McRaven’s Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations, and Jared Diamond’s monumental Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis. We’ll close out the second quarter with major June titles including George Will’s The Conservative Sensibility, Elin Hilderbrand’s Summer of ’69, Kate Atkinson’s Big Sky, and Unsolved by James Patterson and David Ellis.”
Lagardère announces full year 2018 results
Paris—March 13, 2019
Last month, Lagardère announced their fourth quarter sales and their full-year revenue for 2018. Today, they followed up with an announcement of their full year 2018 results, a more detailed report that includes operating profit. Highlights are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s increased profits in 2018 were the result of superb publishing across our divisions, solid revenue growth, a continued rise in downloadable audio sales, and a strong backlist performance. 2019 has started excitingly, with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers winning an unprecedented fourth Caldecott Medal in five years for Sophie Blackall’s Hello Lighthouse, and with Hachette Audio winning an Audie Award forDreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham, narrated by Pyeng Threadgill and Luke Slattery, an inventive production of the young adult novel from Little, Brown Book for Young Readers. The year will be full of important and bestselling publications, including the recently announced Fall title from Malcolm Gladwell, Talking to Strangers, James Patterson’s The 18th Abduction, Admiral William McRaven’s Sea Stories, Harlan Coben’s Run Away, Jared Diamond’s Upheaval, Thomas Harris’s Cari Mora, The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin, David Baldacci’s Redemption, Victoria Osteen’s Exceptional You!, Ann Leckie’s The Raven Tower, George Will’s The Conservative Sensibility, Janet Napolitano’s How Safe Are We?, and Big Sky by Kate Atkinson.”
Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham, Read by Pyeng Threadgill & Luke Slattery, Wins Audie Award for Best Multi-Voiced Performance
New York, NY–March 7, 2019
The Audio Publishers Association (APA) announced the winners of The Audie Awards®, a program recognizing distinction in spoken word and audiobooks, at their annual black tie gala this week. Dreamland Burning, written by Jennifer Latham and narrated by Pyeng Threadgill and Luke Slattery, was honored with the distinction of Best Multi-Voiced performance, in a competitive category featuring An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, Any Man by Amber Tamblyn, Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales, Sadie by Courtney Summers, and There There by Tommy Orange. Author Jennifer Latham reflected on the honor: “There’s really no way to describe the magic of hearing gifted actors like Pyeng Threadgill and Luke Slattery literally breathe life into your characters, or to overstate the creativity, skill and dedication of Elece Green, Michelle Figueroa, Gabino Reyes and the entire crew at Hachette Audio. I’m grateful to everyone who helped transform Dreamland Burning into an audiobook, humbled that their work earned it a place alongside amazing stories by Tayari Jones, Amber Tamblyn, Courtney Summers, Tommy Orange, and Hans Christian Anderson, and thrilled that the Audio Publishers Association has honored our labor of love with an Audie.”
Original Novel Inspired by Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to Be Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in April 2019
Show Creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock collaborate with bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski on middle grade fantasy authored by Kimmy Schmidt New York, NY—February 19, 2019
Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President and Publisher, and Farrin Jacobs, Vice President, Editorial Director, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, announce the acquisition of The Legends of Greemulax by Kimmy Schmidt with Sarah Mlynowski, set to publish on April 2, 2019. With the publication of The Legends of Greemulax, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers makes available the original middle grade fantasy adventure novel featured in Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. In the hit show, the title character garners fame for penning The Legends of Greemulax, which helps young boys understand sexism. April is Child Abuse Prevention month, and in recognition of this book’s release, NBCUniversal will be making a donation in support of Prevent Child Abuse America. The Legends of Greemulax will simultaneously release in hardcover and ebook.
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt offers a unique brand of humor to viewers while also dealing with tough topics sensitively, and we’re thrilled to give fans another avenue to immerse themselves in Kimmy’s world with The Legends of Greemulax,” said Jacobs. “In her completely delightful debut novel, Kimmy tackles pertinent gender stereotyping concerns for kids with enough adventure, comedy, and heart to make the lesson go down easy for readers of all ages. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome her to the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers author list.”
“To paraphrase a great commercial, ‘I can’t believe I wrote-uh da whole thing!’” said Schmidt. “I really hope my book reminds everyone that the world is still good, like when your mystery lollipop flavor is raspberry, even though it sometimes feels disappointing and scary, like when your mystery lollipop flavor is banana.”
Little, Brown and Company to Publish Katie Couric’s Long-Awaited Memoir, Unexpected
New York, NY—February 12, 2019
Reagan Arthur, publisher of Little, Brown and Company, announced today the acquisition of Unexpected, a memoir from Katie Couric, one of the most celebrated and beloved journalists of our time. Judy Clain, Editor-in-Chief at Little, Brown and Company, acquired North America rights from Suzanne Gluck of William Morris Endeavor; publication is slated for spring 2021.
Katie Couric said, “I’ve been privileged to lead an extraordinary life, one that I never anticipated. I’ve experienced so much, both professionally and personally, but have never really had an opportunity to reveal what was going on behind the scenes. I’m excited to share what it was like being at the center of so many historic events and game-changing stories. I’m also ready to talk about the fascinating and sometimes challenging people with whom I’ve worked, the radical transformation of my industry, and the heartbreaking losses I’ve endured. It feels like now is the right time to look back, reflect, and consider what I’ve learned and how those lessons might help others.”
Lagardère announces fourth quarter 2018 results
Paris-February 7, 2018
Lagardère announced fourth quarter and full-year 2018 revenues today. See highlights below: At Hachette Book Group: CEO Michael Pietsch said, “HBG’s strong fourth quarter capped another year of solid revenue growth. The final quarter was lively, with #1 bestselling novels from Nicholas Sparks, Michael Connelly, James Patterson, Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling), and Neil Patrick Harris, newsmaking political hits from Pete Souza and Cory Lewandowski, and backlist powerhouses including Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass, Madeline Miller’s Circe, and Hugo Award-winner N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy. It was especially thrilling to publish the #1 bestselling novel of 2018, Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s The President Is Missing, and this year’s Pulitzer Prize-winner for fiction, Less by Andrew Sean Greer, both of which sold strongly through Q4. And we welcomed the Christian publisher Worthy Books to our Hachette Nashville division. Once again, we saw significant growth in downloadable audio. And, as always, our distribution clients had major hits including Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown from Abrams and Sherri Duskey Rinker’s Construction Site on Christmas Night from Chronicle. 2019 has started superbly, with Little Brown Books for Young Readers bringing home an unprecedented fourth Caldecott Medal in the past five years, for Sophie Blackall’s Hello Lighthouse. And the year holds a powerful lineup of new books from David Baldacci, Holly Black, Sandra Brown, Harlan Coben, James S.A. Corey, Michael Connelly, Jared Diamond, Malcolm Gladwell, Thomas Harris, Elin Hilderbrand, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, James Patterson, and many other important and bestselling writers. It’s going to be an exciting year!”
Hachette Audio Productions Win Twelve Audie Award® Nominations
Calypso, written and read by David Sedaris, nominated for Audiobook of the Year and in the Humor category In Pieces, written and read by Sally Field, finalist for Best Autobiography/Memoir and Narration by Author New York, NY – February 6, 2019
The Audio Publishers Association (APA), the premiere trade organization of audiobooks and spoken word entertainment, announced this week its selections as finalists for The Audie Awards®, a program recognizing distinction in the art form. Finalist titles are selected to recognize achievement in 24 competitive categories. This year’s prestigious awards gala will take place on March 4th in New York City, and will be attended by high-profile authors, narrators, publishers, reviewers, and distinguished judges. Nominated for Audiobook of the Year as well as in the Humor category, Calypso by David Sedaris is also a GRAMMY® Nominee this year. He commented on the honor earlier this month: “I owe this nomination to Maja Thomas, who has produced my audiobooks from the start, and always makes such wise choices for the music—in this case, Daniel Hart.” Academy Award-winning actress Sally Field is also nominated in two fields: Narration by the Author and Autobiography/Memoir. “My memoir, In Pieces, has been nominated for an Audie award in two categories which makes me both thrilled and devastated: thrilled to be recognized—honored and proud of my whole Hachette/Grand Central team—and devastated that on March 4th I will be at the Old Vic in London rehearsing a play. I can’t be there but my heart will be.”
Bestselling Author and Revisionist History Host Malcolm Gladwell’s Next Book, Talking to Strangers, to Be Published by Little, Brown and Company in Fall 2019
New York, NY—February 5, 2019
Reagan Arthur, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Little, Brown and Company, announced today that Little, Brown has acquired North American publication rights to Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, Talking to Strangers. The book is scheduled for publication on September 10, 2019. Gladwell was represented in the negotiation by Tina Bennett of William Morris Endeavor. Little, Brown Vice President and Executive Editor Asya Muchnick will edit the book. Talking to Strangers is Gladwell’s first book since his #1 bestseller David and Goliath was published five years ago, and after the launch of his enormously popular podcast, Revisionist History, entering its fourth season later this year. Gladwell’s new book offers an incisive and powerful examination of our interactions with strangers—and why they often go wrong. How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to each other that isn’t true?
Hachette Audio Productions Win Recognition from the American Library Association
2019 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults: The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan, read by Stephanie Hsu Circe by Madeline Miller, read by Perdita Weeks The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, read by Caitlin Kelly Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles, read by Jaqwan J. Kelly ALSC Notable Children’s Recording: The Wild Robot Escapes, by Peter Brown and read by Kathleen McInerney RUSA Listen List for Outstanding Audiobook Narration: The House of Broken Angels, written and read by Luis Alberto Urrea New York, NY — February 1, 2019
The American Library Association released a number of influential recommendation lists and accolades at their annual midwinter gathering this past week. Six titles, adult and YA, published by Hachette Audio and based on titles published in hardcover by Little, Brown & Company and Little, Brown for Young Readers, were singled out for various honors. The Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults List, curated by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), is comprised of titles that “range the gamut from adult nonfiction that appeals to teens, to social justice, fantasy, sci-fi, and realistic fiction.” The committee named four productions released by Hachette Audio to the list: The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan, read by Stephanie Hsu – “Hsu’s narration is emotionally connected and immersive in this tale of magical realism;” The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, read by Caitlin Kelly – “Kelly narrates the vicious fey with sharp voices and edges, perfect for an otherworldly tale;” Circe by Madeline Miller, read by Perdita Weeks – “Weeks’ narration appropriately lyrical as a narrator of an epic; whilst, her character narrations are befitting their mood, tone, and divine status;” and Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles, read by Jaqwan J. Kelly – “The narration really helps the reader to feel as though they are friends with Marvin and inside his head allowing the reader to ache and grieve right alongside Marvin throughout this audio.”
Sophie Blackall Wins the 2019 Caldecott Medal for HELLO LIGHTHOUSE
Other ALA Award News for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: Grace Lin Wins a 2019 Caldecott Honor for Big Mooncake for Little Star Oge Mora Wins a Caldecott Honor for Thank You, Omu! Oge Mora Wins the 2019 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for Thank You, Omu! Ashley Herring Blake Receives an Honor from the Stonewall – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award for Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World Emily X.R. Pan Receives an Honor from the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Award Committee for The Astonishing Color of After L.C. Rosen’s Jack of Hearts Appears on the Rainbow Committee’s Top Ten List New York-January 28, 2019
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group, is pleased to share the following accolades announced today at the 2019 American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. Sophie Blackall has received the 2019 Caldecott Medal for Hello Lighthouse. The Caldecott Medal is bestowed annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the ALA, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Grace Lin has received a 2019 Caldecott Honor for A Big Mooncake for Little Star. Oge Mora has received a 2019 Caldecott Honor for Thank You, Omu! The Caldecott Honors are bestowed to artists whose books are also truly distinguished. Oge Mora has also received the 2019 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for Thank You, Omu! The Coretta Scott King Book Awards annually recognize outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience. This award is established to affirm new talent and to offer visibility to excellence in writing and illustration. Ashley Herring Blake receives an Honor from the Stonewall ‐ Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award for Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World. The Stonewall Book Awards are presented to English language books that have exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience. Emily X.R. Pan receives an Honor from the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Award Committee for The Astonishing Color of After. The goal of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature is to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit. L. C. Rosen’s Jack of Hearts (and other parts) appears on the Rainbow Book Committee’s Top Ten list. The list is a curated bibliography highlighting books with significant gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning content, aimed at children and youth from birth to age eighteen.
Lagardère announces third quarter 2018 results
Paris-November 8, 2018
Lagardère announced results for third quarter 2018 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: CEO Michael Pietsch, said, “Hachette Book Group’s third quarter revenues were solidly ahead of 2017, led by The President is Missingby Bill Clinton and James Patterson, the bestselling novel of 2018 so far. We had dozens of New York Times bestsellers in the quarter—seven of them #1 bestsellers—Including David Sedaris’s Calypso, Sally Field’s In Pieces, James Patterson’s Juror #3 and Texas Ranger, Robert Galbraith’s (aka J. K. Rowling) Lethal White, Sandra Brown’s Tailspin, Neil Patrick Harris’s The Magic Misfits, and Jeanine Pirro’s Liars, Leakers, and Liberals, along with continued strong sales in backlist and downloadable audio. During the quarter, we also completed our acquisition of the Worthy Publishing Group, an exciting expansion of our vibrant Christian publishing program. We’re anticipating an outstanding finish to the year, with major bestsellers including Nicholas Sparks’s Every Breath, James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein’s Max Einstein, Pete Souza’s Shade, Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul, Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci, James Patterson’s Target Alex Cross, Michael Connelly’s Dark Sacred Night, How Long ‘til Black Future Month by three-time Hugo Award winner N. K. Jemisin, and Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand, among many others.”
Michael Szczerban named VP, Editorial Director of New Imprint at Little, Brown and Company
New York, NY — October 24, 2018
Reagan Arthur, SVP and Publisher of Little, Brown and Company, announced today that Michael Szczerban has been named VP, Editorial Director of a new imprint dedicated to illustrated books. The imprint, yet to be named, will launch in Fall 2019 and will grow to publish 20 to 25 titles a year. “Since he arrived at Little, Brown, Mike has been a bold and creative presence, acquiring, editing, and producing spectacular, bestselling books across a diverse range of subjects. I’m thrilled to see him expand his reach with this exciting new imprint,” Arthur said. The mission of the new imprint is to publish distinctive, bestselling illustrated books of the highest quality that entertain, inform, and inspire—while expanding the possibilities of visually-driven nonfiction and connecting readers to their passions.
The authors and creators the imprint will publish bring expertise, vision, and voice to their work. They are artists, entrepreneurs, cooks, photographers, tastemakers, thought leaders, scientists, storytellers, historians, humorists, and more—and they will continue a tradition of excellence in illustrated publishing at Little, Brown.
Hachette and Epic Games Partner to Launch the Official Fortnite™ Global Book Publishing Program
New York, NY — October 11, 2018
Hachette UK in association with Hachette Book Group (USA), Hachette Illustré (a division of Hachette Livre in France) and Grupo Anaya (Hachette España) today announces a new agreement with Epic Games to create a Fortnite™ branded publishing program in a deal brokered by IMG.
The Fortnite publishing program will launch this fall with a range of stationery followed by a collection of books including handbooks, yearbooks and much more in 2019. The books will be published by Headline in the UK, Hachette Books and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in the US, Hachette Heroes and Hachette Infantil in Spain and by Hachette Jeunesse and Hachette Heroes in France.
Alex Clarke, Publishing Director of Wildfire Books UK, who led negotiations on behalf of Hachette said: “Everyone is talking about Fortnite! We are delighted that Epic Games has chosen to partner with Hachette to produce a global book publishing program to tie in with this amazing gaming phenomenon. We have a thrilling program of titles planned and are incredibly excited to be part of the Fortnite adventure.”
Fortnite is the action building game from Epic Games that lets you drop into a massive 100-player PVP Battle Royale or team up with friends in a co-op campaign to Save The World against a horde of monsters. Craft and loot in giant worlds where no two games are ever the same. Fortnite Battle Royale is free and available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, IOS, and Android.
Little, Brown and Company to Publish THE REUNION by France’s #1 Bestselling Author, Guillaume Musso
New York, NY — October 10, 2018
Reagan Arthur, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Little, Brown and Company, announced today the upcoming publication of THE REUNION, by France’s #1 bestselling author, Guillaume Musso. Asya Muchnick, VP, Executive Editor, at Little, Brown & Company, acquired North American Rights, while Federico Andornino, Commissioning Editor at Weidenfeld & Nicolson, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights; both deals were struck with Musso’s French publisher Calmann-Lévy. The book is slated for publication on July 7, 2019. It will be available in hardcover and eBook, and in an audio edition by Hachette Audio. Calmann-Lévy, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (part of the Orion Publishing Group), and Little, Brown & Company are all part of the Hachette Livre worldwide group. Guillaume Musso has long been France’s #1 bestselling author, and the French edition of THE REUNION has sold over half a million copies since its publication earlier this year. It was the first novel by Musso to be published by Calmann-Lévy. This September, France Télévisions announced that it will broadcast the novel as a six-part miniseries, with Sydney Gallonde attached as producer. Other international broadcasters will be announced soon. The book—pitched as being in the vein of Joël Dicker’s The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair and Harlan Coben’s Tell No One—is set on the French Riviera and takes place during a high school reunion, as dark secrets and past crimes are revealed.
International Bestselling Author Thomas Harris Returns with a New Novel to Be Published May 2019
New York, NY — October 3, 2018
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) is excited to announce the acquisition of the highly anticipated new novel by Thomas Harris, the international bestselling author of Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. It will be his first standalone thriller since Black Sunday was published in 1975. The book will be published in hardcover and ebook editions on May 21, 2019, and narration for the simultaneous Hachette Audio publication will be performed by Harris himself. The title and cover are to be revealed this Fall. Ben Sevier, SVP and Publisher of GCP, acquired the world rights, excluding the UK, from Morton Janklow of Janklow & Nesbit Literary Agency. William Heinemann will publish in the United Kingdom, and publishing partners across the globe will be secured in the coming weeks. Harris said, “I’m very pleased that Grand Central and Heinemann are publishing my new novel.”
Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel Audiobook to be Voiced by Past and Present Stars of the Hit Broadway Show
Ben Levi Ross (“Evan Hansen”), Mike Faist (“Connor”), with Mallory Bechtel (“Zoe”) To Read Hachette Audio Production New York, NY — October 1, 2018
Hachette Audio is pleased to announce the casting of the audiobook edition of Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel; performers from the original and current production of the hit Broadway show will voice the 8-hour production, which will release simultaneous with the hardcover and ebook on October 9, 2018. Earlier this year, the acquisition of Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, a young adult book by Val Emmich and Broadway show creators Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, was announced by Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President and Publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Dear Evan Hansen: The Novelwill expand upon the story and characters popularized by the six-time Tony Award–winning Broadway musical of the same name. National tour cast-member Ben Levi Ross (“Evan Hansen”), and original Broadway cast member Mike Faist (“Connor”), with current Broadway cast member Mallory Bechtel (“Zoe”) were selected by Levenson, Pasek, and Paul to read the audiobook edition for Hachette Audio. “It has been deeply rewarding to work with Val and the entire team at Little, Brown to bring this story to life in an entirely new medium,” said Levenson, Pasek and Paul. “Now, to have our collaborators and friends Mike, Ben, and Mallory join the audiobook has really brought the journey full-circle for us.”
Little, Brown and Company to Publish Goodnight Trump by Erich Origen & Gan Golan in November 2018
New York, NY—August 21, 2018
Reagan Arthur, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Little, Brown and Company, announced today the upcoming publication of GOODNIGHT TRUMP: A Parody, by Erich Origen and Gan Golan. Michael Szczerban, Executive Editor of Little, Brown and Company, acquired World rights from William Clark, of William Clark Associates. The book is slated for publication November 13, 2018. Parodying the soothing incantations of the perennial children’s classic Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, with illustrations by Clement Hurd, GOODNIGHT TRUMP takes place in the very classy golden bedroom of the White House, where it’s bedtime for the 45th President of the United States. In Origen and Golan’s update to the timeless classic, readers can encourage this very stable genius to bid a gentle goodnight to some of his favorite things, including his stuffed animal (what else but a Playboy bunny), his best friends from Russia, his Twitter feed, and his 12-pack of Diet Coke. Goodnight Bush, Origen and Golan’s inventive send-off of the Bush administration, became an instant bestseller. Time called it “hilarious, clever, very relevant, remarkably insightful, and thought-provoking,”Salon described it as “ingeniously illustrated and garnished with trenchant social commentary,” and USA Today praised the authors for their “laugh-out-loud yet sophisticated wit.”
Running Press Book Publishers Announces New Imprint: RP Studio
Philadelphia, PA – August 16, 2018
Running Press Book Publishers announced today the development of a new imprint named RP Studio. Launching in Fall 2018, RP Studio will publish unique paper goods that reflect the innovative and joyful spirit of Running Press. Combining thoughtful content, beautiful visuals, and a strong point of view, RP Studio products aim to entertain and inspire while highlighting quality product design. “RP Studio is the natural next step for Running Press, which has always published irresistible gift titles and format-forward packages across all of our imprints,” says Kristin Kiser, VP/Publisher of Running Press and Black Dog & Leventhal. “Our deep understanding of visual content has led to great success publishing innovative formats in trade, gift, mass, specialty, and international channels. We are thrilled to be able to offer multiple product formats to our creative collaborators and give our publishing team new ways to create intellectual property.” RP Studio’s inaugural list includes a range of paper goods inspired by best-selling Running Press books and book product, successful licensing partners, and perennial favorites from the Running Press backlist. These product suites include notecards and a flexi-bound journal from the Bob Ross estate, a postcard book and deluxe set of hardcover logbooks based on Tim Federle’s smash hit Tequila Mockingbird, notecards and a set of three notebooks inspired by the Running Press book Practical Magic by Nikki Van De Car, and notecards and a hardcover journal featuring quotes and art from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved classic The Little Prince™.
N. K. Jemisin Makes History with 2018 Hugo Award for The Stone Sky
New York, NY — August 20, 2018
Orbit Books is thrilled to announce The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin has won the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novel! N. K. Jemisin makes history as the first author to ever win three back-to-back Hugo Awards. This groundbreaking win also marks the first time each book in a series has won the Best Novel award. Jemisin became the first black writer to win a Hugo Award in the Best Novel category with her win for The Fifth Season in 2016. The Hugo Awards were presented the weekend of August 18-19 at WorldCon 76 in San Jose, CA.
Hachette Book Group Agrees to Acquire Worthy Publishing Group
Worthy to Join with Hachette’s Nashville Publishing Division New York, NY — August 13, 2018
Hachette Book Group (HBG) and Worthy Publishing Group announced today HBG’s agreement to acquire the assets of Worthy. When the acquisition is complete, Worthy will join Hachette’s Nashville publishing division, which also includes the FaithWords and Center Street imprints. Until further notice, Worthy’s list will continue to be sold and serviced as it is today. An established boutique publisher in the Christian market, Worthy publishes high-quality books across a broad spectrum: inspiration, fiction, Bible study, current events, devotion, leadership, biography, and personal growth. Worthy has built a stellar catalog of bestselling inspirational authors, complemented by a strong presence in the gift and children’s markets. This fall, Worthy will publish Gov. Mike Huckabee’s new book, Rare, Medium or Done Well as well as The Dead Sea Chronicles, a new fiction series from Jerry Jenkins, and John Hagee’s Earth’s Last Empire, the follow up to his bestselling Four Blood Moons. Other notable Worthy authors include David Jeremiah, Franklin Graham, Don Colbert, James Robison, Margaret Feinberg, and Les and Leslie Parrot. HBG will take on Worthy’s entire publishing business, including its adult imprints Worthy Books, Museum of the Bible, Ellie Clare Gifts, and Worthy Inspired, as well as its children’s imprint, WorthyKids/Ideals. Together, Worthy and Hachette Nashville will publish approximately 135 titles annually, along with the combined backlist of both publishers.
Lagardère announces first half 2018 results
Paris-July 26, 2018
Lagardère announced results for First Half 2018 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: CEO Michael Pietsch said, “First half revenues and profits grew from 2017, with excellent ongoing backlist performance and strong publishing programs across divisions. Hachette hardcovers have held the #1 slot in both fiction and nonfiction for six consecutive weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list, led by Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s thriller The President Is Missing and David Sedaris’s essay collection Calypso. Hachette Audio continued its steady growth, and our Client Services business had a strong first half. Readers remain intensely interested in politics and we’ve tapped into that with bestsellers including Trump’s America by Newt Gingrich, Russian Roulette by David Corn and Michael Isikoff, and continued sales of Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza. Other first-half bestsellers include The Fallen by David Baldacci, James Patterson’s The 17th Suspect, Jake Tapper’s The Hellfire Club, You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero, Elin Hilderbrand’s The Perfect Couple, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, the Pulitzer Prize winner Less by Andrew Sean Greer, and The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown. The steady growth of the Avalon Travel imprint brought it to #1 market share in the category in the first half. We’re looking forward to an extremely strong second half, with major books from Sally Field, James Patterson, Sandra Brown, David Baldacci, Michael Connelly, Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling), Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Kim Stanley Robinson, Ann Leckie, Ambassador Wendy Sherman, Neil Patrick Harris, Flea, the creators of Dear Evan Hansen, Kate Atkinson, and many others.”
Hachette Books Announces the Acquisition of a No-Holds-Barred Memoir from Outspoken Former New Jersey Governor, Presidential Candidate, and Trump-Transition Chair Chris Christie
New York, NY – July 18, 2018
Mauro DiPreta, VP and Publisher of Hachette Books, announced today the forthcoming publication of LET ME FINISH: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics (Hachette Books, 1/29/19), by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Written with Ellis Henican, the book will be edited by Executive Editor Paul Whitlatch, who acquired North American rights in a deal with Mel Berger of William Morris Endeavor, and will be available in hardcover, eBook, and an audio edition by Hachette Audio.
For more than a decade, Chris Christie has been among the nation’s most prominent political figures—a household name, thanks to his canny instincts and in-your-face brand of politics. A 2016 presidential candidate, Christie became one of President Donald Trump’s earliest and loudest supporters—and very nearly became Trump’s vice president—only to find himself unceremoniously booted from the Trump transition after the election.
In LET ME FINISH, Christie will set the record straight about his dismissal—and what really went down in 2016 and 2017—revealing candid and surprising insights into the public and private Trump, drawn from fifteen years of close friendship, as well as Trump’s inner circle and Christie’s own political ascent, by turns triumphant and tumultuous.
The Seventh Star: The Autobiography of Ondre Moore to Release as an Original Audiobook with Full Music EP
New York, NY – June 29, 2018
The Seventh Star, the laconic, unflinching memoir by Swifty McVay, Detroit-based rapper and member of the legendary hip-hop group D12, will be published by Hachette Audio in original audiobook format on July 10, 2018.
Read by the author himself, listeners will embark on a journey that takes them from Swift’s intense childhood on Detroit’s notorious West 7 Mile, to the highs and lows of fame that he and his peers experienced as D12 rose to national prominence. Fans of hip-hop and rap will listen rapt as McVay pulls back the curtain to describe the familial connection between D12 members, including their initial mixed reaction to a then little-known young rapper named Marshall Mathers III (aka: Eminem).
ButThe Seventh Star is more than a typical music memoir. It’s a story told with raw immediacy, about the significant struggles McVay faced and overcame — including the bleak and brutal deaths of group members Bugz and Proof — as D12 rose through the ranks. Anchoring himself in sobriety and spirituality, McVay continues to challenge himself to this day, as he tells listeners the intimate story of finding his voice and continuing to share his music’s message from America’s heartland.
Ann Leckie’s PROVENANCE, read by Adjoa Andoh, Wins 2018 Audie Award for Science Fiction Audiobook
New York, NY – June 1, 2018
Hachette Audio, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, is pleased to share the news that PROVENANCE was recognized by the Audio Publishers Association as the best Science Fiction audiobook of the year at the 23rd Annual Audies Gala at the New-York Historical Society in Manhattan last night. Published in conjunction with Hachette Audio UK, PROVENANCE released as an audiobook read by Adjoa Andoh in September 2017 to great acclaim. Author Ann Leckie was present to accept the award, saying “I’m so thrilled! Adjoa Andoh is such an amazing reader and she did such a brilliant job with PROVENANCE. It’s been an honor to have her read my work.” Leckie and Andoh’s excellent audiobook collaboration was previously recognized with an Audie nomination for Ancillary Justice in 2016. In PROVENANCE, they returned to the world of Leckie’s record-breaking Imperial Radch trilogy, which won the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. PROVENANCE was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel 2018 and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel 2018, in addition to winning the recognition of an AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award. AudioFile enthused, “Narrator Adjoa Andoh creates a stunning tapestry of characters within the vast galaxy this audiobook spans.”
Little, Brown and Company to Publish SHADE: A TALE OF TWO PRESIDENTS by Pete Souza
New York, NY – May 11, 2018
Reagan Arthur, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Little, Brown and Company, announced today the upcoming publication of Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents, by Pete Souza, the Chief Official White House Photographer for President Obama and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Obama: An Intimate Portrait. Michael Szczerban, Executive Editor of Little Brown and Company, acquired North American rights from David Black, of David Black Literary Agency. The book is slated for publication October 16, 2018.
When Pete Souza left the White House in 2017, he didn’t know what it meant to “throw shade”—but he started doing it almost immediately on his personal Instagram account, posting his photographs from the Obama years with captions that vividly define the contrast between the Obama White House and President Trump’s administration. Media organizations caught on and couldn’t stop talking about Souza’s posts, with New York magazine calling them “a master class in shade,” CNN describing them as “a silent, social media, shade-throwing protest told in visuals,” and Politico naming him “King of Instagram Shade.” Souza’s following on Instagram has since grown to nearly two million people. He has also become a potent force in American life, offering incisive political criticism alongside powerful reminders of the best our country has to offer.
Shade is a portrait in contrasts, telling the tale of two presidencies through a series of powerful visual juxtapositions—with Souza’s unforgettable images of President Obama delivering new power and meaning when framed by tweets, headlines, quotes, and other material from the first 500 days of the Trump administration. The book responds to fan demand for a book that captures Souza’s voice on Instagram, and will include more than one hundred photographs that did not appear in his previous book. More than a sharp compendium of clapbacks, Shade is a touchstone to an era of greater integrity in our politics. Souza’s work is a stirring reminder of the highest American values we share, giving us the courage to stand up and speak out for what we believe in.
Reagan Arthur said, “We could not be more delighted with the success of Pete Souza’s number one bestseller Obama: An Intimate Portrait—and we’re thrilled to be publishing his new book of extraordinary photographs and commentary just before the midterm elections this year. In addition to throwing shade, this book shines a light on the presidency and on our individual roles as citizens, reminding each of us how much our votes and voices matter.”
Lagardère announces 2018 Q1 revenue
Paris – May 17, 2018
Lagardère announced results for First Quarter 2018 today. Highlights of the company’s financial performance are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: CEO Michael Pietsch said, “Our good first quarter results came from many places: #1 bestselling books by HBG house authors James Patterson, David Baldacci, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, and Brad Meltzer, from backlist hits like You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza, and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and from breakout bestsellers including Michael Isikoff & David Corn’s riveting Russian Roulette, Jennifer Palmieri’s powerful Dear Madam President, Peter Brown’s delightful The Wild Robot Escapes and Vashti Harrison’s inspiring Little Leaders. “Since Q1’s end we’ve had the spectacular news that Andrew Sean Greer’s brilliant and joyful novel Less was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and that Attica Locke received the Edgar Award for Best Novel for Bluebird, Bluebird. Our biggest book of the year, James Patterson and President Bill Clinton’s thriller The President Is Missing, goes on sale next month, and is certain to be a major publishing event.” HBG has had 63 New York Times bestsellers so far this year, including 15 #1 bestsellers. Looking ahead at the third quarter, we have exciting new books from Sally Field, Elin Hilderbrand, Sandra Brown, Joyce Meyer, Megan Abbott, Flea, Neil Patrick Harris, and Kate Atkinson, among many others. Recent acquisitions include books from Harlan Coben, Malala Yousafzai, Marie Kondo, Daniel Kahneman, and the team behind Dear Evan Hansen.
Ronan Farrow’s CATCH AND KILL to be Published by Little, Brown and Company
New York, NY – May 11, 2018
Reagan Arthur, publisher of Little, Brown and Company, announced today the acquisition of Ronan Farrow’s new investigative book Catch and Kill, which will continue his award-winning reporting on sexual misconduct and the machine deployed by powerful men to silence survivors of abuse and threaten reporters chasing those survivors’ stories. With original reporting and stunning revelations,Catch and Kill will tell in full, for the first time, the hidden story of how far private investigators, former spies, high-priced lawyers, and embattled executives went to terrorize, intimidate and silence the women whose stories helped launch an international conversation on sexual misconduct and the abuse of power. Little, Brown acquired World English rights from agent Lynn Nesbit of Janklow & Nesbit, and the book will be edited by Executive Editor Vanessa Mobley. Publisher Reagan Arthur says, “Ronan Farrow’s wrenching investigative journalism has given voice to sexual abuse survivors and shaken the conscience of our culture. But, despite the enormity of the conversation his reporting helped ignite, some of the most astonishing disclosures about what he uncovered are still to come. We’re very proud to be publishing this important book.” Catch and Kill comes after Farrow’s year-long investigation into Harvey Weinstein, which resulted in the publication of the first allegations of rape and sexual assault against the Hollywood producer in The New Yorker, as well as Farrow’s subsequent exposés about Weinstein’s attorneys, private investigators, and co-conspirators in the media. Those explosive stories exposed “long-suppressed allegations of coercion, brutality and victim silencing and helped spur a worldwide reckoning about sexual abuse of women,” and were awarded the Pulitzer Prize gold medal for Public Service—the first ever awarded to a magazine—the George Polk Award for National Reporting, and the National Magazine Award for Public Interest. Farrow has since continued his groundbreaking investigative reporting on other prominent figures accused of abuse, including President Donald Trump and the former Attorney General of New York, Eric Schneiderman, who resigned hours after Farrow and Jane Mayer reported on allegations of misconduct against him.
Original Novel Inspired by Tony Award-Winning Broadway Hit Dear Evan Hansen to be Published by Little, Brown in October 2018
Show Creators Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul collaborated with acclaimed author Val Emmich New York, NY – March 19, 2018
Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President and Publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, announces the acquisition of Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, a young adult book by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Val Emmich set to publish on October 9, 2018. Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel will expand upon the story and characters popularized by the six-time Tony Award–winning Broadway musical of the same name. The book was acquired in a highly competitive auction and will be the lead title on Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’ Fall 2018 list. The acquisition for North American rights was made by Farrin Jacobs, Editorial Director, Poppy, with William Morris Endeavor for Steven Levenson and Creative Artists Agency for Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Levenson, Pasek, and Paul were represented by Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham LLP. Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel will simultaneously release in hardcover, audio, and ebook. “Every so often, millions of readers of all ages can be united by a single powerful coming-of-age story. This year, that story will be Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel,” said Tingley. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take an enormously successful entertainment property and translate it into an intimate, portable experience that can reach well beyond Broadway. Dear Evan Hansen is not just a musical, and the novel will not be just a book; Dear Evan Hansen is a movement, and we can’t wait for everyone to join it.”
Lagardère announces 2017 full-year revenue and profit
Last month, Lagardère announced their fourth quarter sales and their full year revenue for 2017. Today, they followed up with an announcement of their full year 2017 results, a more detailed report that includes operating profit. Highlights are as follows: At Hachette Book Group: CEO Michael Pietsch said, “We published some of the bestselling writers in the industry in 2017—James Patterson, David Baldacci, Michael Connelly, Rick Steves, and Sandra Brown, among many others—and were thrilled with phenomenal sales for Pete Souza’s OBAMA: An Intimate Portrait, which maintains its strong trajectory in 2018. Superb publishing across our imprints delivered bestsellers and prizes, and we made exciting acquisitions all year long. This positive trend continues with Grand Central Publishing’s announcement today that they have acquired five new novels by #1 bestselling author Harlan Coben, a writer we have deeply admired for years, and a thrilling addition to Hachette Book Group’s roster of bestselling authors.” In 2017, HBG had 167 books on the New York Times bestsellers list, including 34 #1 titles. We also had 144 books hit the USA Today list, 10 of which were #1 bestsellers. Highlights for 2018 include Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s thriller The President is Missing in June, a memoir from legendary actress Sally Field, In Pieces, in September, and Every Breath, Nicholas Sparks’s first novel in two years, coming in October. And Alexis Okeowo’s debut book A Moonless, Starless Sky recently won the PEN/Open Book Award.
Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times-Bestselling Author, Moves to Grand Central Publishing in a Five-Book Deal
New York, NY—March 8, 2018
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) is excited to announce the acquisition of 5 new novels by # 1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben. Ben Sevier, SVP and Publisher of GCP, acquired the North American rights from Lisa Erbach Vance of the Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency. The first book–Run Away–will be published in hardcover and e-book editions in March 2019. Run Away is about two parents facing the unthinkable: the all too common nightmare of their beloved daughter’s descent into addiction and her subsequent disappearance, the murder of the girl’s deadbeat boyfriend, and the suspicions of the police that a vengeful father committed the crime. As these powerful forces push in on the couple, they remain focused on the only thing that matters—bringing their daughter home, no matter what the consequences. Coben said, “It’s a thrill to be reunited with my former long-time editor, Ben Sevier, and I’m looking forward to working with the entire Grand Central Publishing team.” Sevier, who edited Coben’s ten consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers between 2007 and 2017, said of the acquisition, “I’ve known Harlan Coben for two decades, first as a fan and then as his editor and publisher. I’m delighted to welcome one of the most talented and successful thriller writers on the planet to Grand Central where our team will stop at nothing to help him achieve new levels of success.” With over 70 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben is the perennial # 1 New York Times bestselling author of thirty novels including Fool Me Once, Tell No One, Don’t Let Go, the renowned Myron Bolitar series and the Mickey Bolitar series for young adults. His books are published in 43 languages around the globe and he is the first author to win all three prestigious mystery/thriller book awards – Edgar Award, Shamus Award, and Anthony Award.
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy celebrates the 150th anniversary of Little Women as a modernized graphic novel from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Tapas Media
New York, NY – March 6, 2018
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Tapas Media are pleased to announce the upcoming release of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, a modern-day adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women in full-color graphic novel form, to commemorate its 150th anniversary with a new generation of readers. The themes and plot of the original story remain the heart of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, as the beloved March sisters support each other through the seasons while their father serves in the US armed forces. In this modernized retelling, the March family is blended, multiracial and LGBTQ-inclusive, with updates making it resonant to an even wider swath of today’s young readers. Little, Brown, a division of Hachette Book Group, was the original publisher of Little Women in the US; this 2018 re-envisioning revisits the serialized format popular at the time of original publication, with a modern twist: a serial release as an online graphic novel launching March 7, 2018, a day before International Women’s Day. A new episode will be revealed every week on Tapas’s popular digital comics and novels platform through October, to be followed by a release of paperback & ebook editions in November 2018.
Hachette Audio & Wax Audio Group Announce Partnership
New York, NY — February 27, 2018
Hachette Audio, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, today exclusively announced via Billboard that it will produce a series of vinyl + digital audio titles in 2018 starting with the release of David Foster Wallace’s This Is Water, which is available today in two limited collector’s editions. The vinyl series will be distributed and product managed by Wax Audio Group, an independent record label that specializes in unique vinyl releases. According to Anthony Goff, SVP & Publisher of Hachette Audio, “As we’ve all seen recently reported across major media, the dramatic and sustained rise of audiobooks continues, so there is no better time than now to expand our catalog with an audio format that has seen amazing resurgence with a greater dedication of retail space and online merchandising. Though we published our first vinyl record, David Sedaris’s Live For Your Listening Pleasure, in 2010, we’re thrilled to be able to announce a new, more extensive publishing partnership with Wax Audio Group, and a full list of A-list releases planned through 2018.” “On the business side it’s rare that a new vertical presents itself and even rarer that it is such a collectible and tactile format. Vinyl audiobooks bridge the gap between retail book and record stores but more than anything else, it’s cool and when you have something you’re proud to be a part of — it’s the most rewarding part of any release,” added David Bason of Wax Audio Group.
Grand Central Publishing Acquires New Novel by Steven Chbosky
New York, NY — February 9, 2018
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) is excited to announce the acquisition of the much-anticipated second novel – IMAGINARY FRIEND – by acclaimed author, screenwriter, and director Stephen Chbosky. IMAGINARY FRIEND will be published in hardcover print, e-book and audio editions in the Fall of 2019. Ben Sevier, Senior Vice President and Publisher of GCP, and Wes Miller, Senior Editor at GCP, acquired North American rights from Eric Simonoff at William Morris Endeavor, with Miller tapped to edit the book. Rights have also been sold to Orion in the UK and to Calmann-Levy in France. Further deals have been made in Germany, Brazil, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Romania, Sweden, and the Netherlands with offers and auctions ongoing in Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. IMAGINARY FRIEND is a wildly ambitious, sweeping work of literary horror that focuses on Kate Reese, a single mother fleeing an abusive relationship by starting over in a new town, with her young son Christopher. Her world begins to unravel after Christopher vanishes into the Mission Street Woods – where fifty years earlier an eerily similar disappearance occurred. When her son emerges six days later unharmed but not unchanged, he brings with him a secret: a voice only he can hear and a warning of the tragedy to come to the real world if he fails to protect it. Soon Kate and Christopher find themselves in the fight of their lives, caught in the middle of a war playing out between good and evil, with their small town as the battle ground. Of his new novel, Stephen Chbosky said, ““Do you remember when you were a little kid and you would look up into the clouds? Remember how the clouds would look like the shape of a dog or a tree or a face? Well, what if you were a little 7 year old kid now? With a single mom. And no money. And what if you couldn’t help but notice that for the last two weeks, you looked up into the clouds, and it was always THE SAME FACE staring back at you? That is the origin of my story.“
Lagardère announces financial results for Q4 and full year 2017
Lagardère announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2017 today. See highlights below: At Hachette Book Group:CEO Michael Pietsch said, “We closed out the year strongly, with books that were in high demand for the holidays including Pete Souza’s Obama: An Intimate Portrait, Admiral William McRaven’s Make Your Bed, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush’s Sisters First, and bestselling thrillers from James Patterson, David Baldacci, and Michael Connelly. These and many other remarkable books, plus a full year of Perseus sales, solid backlist performance led by William Paul Young’s The Shack and Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass, and a strong sell through across our imprints, resulted in good net revenue growth over 2016.” In 2017, HBG had 167 books on the New York Times bestsellers list, including 34 #1 titles. We also had 144 books hit the USA Today list, 10 of which were #1 bestsellers. Highlights for 2018 include Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s thriller The President is Missing in June, a memoir from legendary actress Sally Field, In Pieces, in September, and Nicholas Sparks’s first novel in two years, coming in October. Jewell Parker Rhodes’ breathtaking new novel Ghost Boys was just named the #1 Spring Kids Indie Pick. Recent awards include Vashti Harrison’s NAACP Image Award for her beautiful and inspiring picture book, Little Leaders, and Hachette Books has two finalists for PEN Literary Awards – No One Cares About Crazy People by Ron Powers and A Moonless, Starless Sky by Alexis Okeowo.
Eight Audies Award® Nominations for Hachette Audio
New York, NY – February 7, 2018
Eight of the finalists announced by The Audio Publishers Association (APA) as Nominees in the 23rd annual Audies Award® are published by Hachette Audio. The Audies are the premier awards competition in the United States recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment; winners will be revealed at awards gala, on May 31, 2018, at the New-York Historical Society in New York City. Representative of Hachette Audio’s broad offering of quality titles across genre, their nominated audiobooks have been shortlisted in categories as diverse as Short Stories/Collections, Memoir, History, and, notably, in three of the five Science Fiction finalist slots this year. “It seems that each year the sky is the limit as we see an increase in submissions of high quality work. This year’s competition promises to be more exciting than ever as the judges work hard to pick the winners out of such an august field,” says APA President Linda Lee.
Hachette Books Celebrates Two PEN Award Finalists!
PEN America announced today the finalist for their 2018 PEN Literary Awards.
Congratulations to Hachette Books’ two finalists – Ron Powers and Alexis Okeowo!
The winners of the PEN Literary Awards will be announced at a ceremony on February 20, 2018 in New York City.
Mashable announced the full short list this morning. Please click here to see the full list of finalists in all categories.
Award-Winning Actress Sally Field’s Memoir, In Pieces, Acquired by Grand Central Publishing
New York, NY — December 6, 2017
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) is excited to announce the acquisition of a memoir – IN PIECES – by legendary actor Sally Field. Millicent Bennett, Executive Editor at GCP acquired the North American rights from Molly Friedrich of The Friedrich Agency. IN PIECES will be published in hardcover print, e-book and audio editions in the Fall of 2018. IN PIECES is an extraordinary memoir by one of the most celebrated, beloved, and enduring actors of our time, Sally Field, whose vivacious, infectious charm captivated a nation beginning with her first role as ‘Gidget’ at the age of seventeen. Field – who has never extensively discussed her private life — has been writing this memoir for more than five years. Of writing the book, Sally Field said, “IN PIECES is about the little girl that I was, about the teenager who backed into becoming a celebrity, and about the craft that taught me to stand on my feet, a craft that helped me find my way out of a complicated childhood.” Of the acquisition, Ben Sevier, SVP and Publisher of GCP, said, “In Sally Field’s powerful memoir, her millions of fans will find the intimate, honest, inspiring story of an American icon. Grand Central is honored to be publishing this important book.”
Lagardère announces financial results for Q3 2017
Paris–November 9, 2017
Lagardère announced financial results for the third quarter today. See highlights below:
At Hachette Book Group:CEO Michael Pietsch said, “Thanks to energetic summer and early fall sales for numerous titles, growing downloadable audio sales, and strong performance from our third-party distribution clients, HBG’s revenues through Q3 are solidly ahead of 2016.” Bestselling books for the period include Michael Connelly’s The Late Show, James Patterson’s The Store and Haunted, Seeing Red by Sandra Brown, The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide by Chris Colfer, Al Franken’s Al Franken: Giant of the Senate, and The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand. Orbit author N.K. Jemisin received a Hugo Award for The Obelisk Gate, the second year in a row she has taken that prize, and Grand Central Publishing has a National Book Award finalist in Fiction, Min Jin Lee’s gorgeous immigration saga Pachinko. Many of HBG lead fall titles are off to fast starts, including Sisters First by Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza, Hacksby Donna Brazile, Michael Connelly’s Two Kinds of Truth, and Joel Osteen’s Blessed in the Darkness; and we have exciting books to close out 2017 from David Baldacci, James Patterson, Neil Patrick Harris, Elin Hilderbrand, Cressida Cowell, and many others. To date this year, 143 HBG titles have hit the New York Times bestsellers list, including 28 #1 bestsellers. HBG has 125 USA Today bestsellers to date, with 9#1s.
At Hachette Livre: For the first nine months, Hachette Livre delivered revenue of €1.665B, up 1.2% like-for-like over the same period in 2016 (up 1.5 % on a consolidated basis). The difference between these two figures reflects a €27M positive scope impact resulting from the acquisitions of Perseus Books, Brainbow, Bookouture, and IsCool Entertainment, and a €31M negative foreign exchange effect related to the depreciation of the pound sterling. Through September 30, publishing division highlights were Partworks (up 9.3%) and Hachette Book Group (up 2.2%), which offset the anticipated decline at Hachette UK due to unfavorable comparison with the hugely successful Q3 2016 publication of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. In the third quarter, Hachette Livre delivered revenues of €646M, down 2.1% like-for-like and down 4.3% consolidated.
Hachette Book Group to Acquire Successful Line of Meadowbrook Press Titles
New York–November 6, 2017
Hachette Book Group announced today that it has entered into an agreement to purchase a successful line of books from Minnesota-based Meadowbrook Press, a publisher known for its high-quality titles in the areas of pregnancy, childcare, and parenting. Going forward, these books will be published by Da Capo Lifelong Books, part of Perseus Books, a Hachette Book Group company. The purchased backlist to be published by Lifelong comprises approximately 25 titles, including Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn, which has sold 1.5 million copies, as well as The Simple Guide to Having a Baby, Discipline with Love and Limits, 100,000+ Baby Names, and the Busy Book series of creative learning activities for children. Going forward, Meadowbrook’s children’s and gift/humor books will be published by Running Press, also part of Perseus Books. John Radziewicz, Vice President and Publisher of Da Capo, said, “We’ve long admired Meadowbrook’s market-savvy publishing program and authors, and we’re thrilled to welcome these innovative, authoritative, and engaging books to the Lifelong list. They’re a terrific complement to our current offerings in the pregnancy and parenting categories and allow us to expand into new areas within these categories as well.
Hachette Books to Publish Three Books by Mika Brzezinski
New York, NY–October 24, 2017
Mauro DiPreta, VP and Publisher of Hachette Books, announced today that Hachette Books will publish three forthcoming books by New York Times bestselling author and co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Mika Brzezinski. World rights were previously acquired by Amanda Murray under the discontinued Weinstein Books imprint for KNOWING YOUR VALUE, now slated for publication in September 2018, with COMEBACK CAREERS and THE MILLENNIAL CHALLENGE—two additional titles in the Know Your Value series—to follow in Spring 2019. Each of the three books will be available in hardcover and eBook, with an audio edition from Hachette Audio. KNOWING YOUR VALUE will be a fully revised and expanded edition of Brzezinski’s New York Times bestselling book Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You’re Worth. The book features advice from major female voices such as Sheryl Sandberg, Elizabeth Warren, Valerie Jarrett, Joy Behar, Melody Barnes and others, and will be updated throughout with new statistics, fresh interviews, and thoughtful commentary about the importance of knowing your value in personal relationships. The book also inspired “Know Your Value,” a nationwide movement founded in 2014 that features a media platform and event series dedicated to empowering women to grow their personal and professional value. After sold-out conferences across the United States, “Know Your Value” returns to New York City for a full-day event on October 30, 2017.
J.P. Leventhal to Step Down After 25 Years
New York, NY–October 17, 2017
J.P. Leventhal, who founded Black Dog & Leventhal (BD&L) Publishers in 1992, will be leaving his role as Publisher of the imprint, on December 31, 2017. Black Dog & Leventhal is known worldwide for creating a high quality, varied, and inventive program of non-fiction and illustrated books, including bestsellers like The Complete Cartoons of The New Yorker, The New York Times: The Complete Front Pages, The Louvre: All the Paintings, and current pop culture titles from artists such as Chuck D., The Jackson Brothers, and Mel Brooks. Next year, Black Dog & Leventhal will publish what might be its biggest book ever, the two-volume The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons. Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch says: “J.P. Leventhal has been a force in publishing, an original, and a splendid collaborator. His genius for bringing visual content into books in new ways has brought joy to millions of readers. It has been a pleasure having him and his team become part of HBG, and we look forward to his DNA living on in the imprint he created.” Leventhal adds: “I am so proud of the many wonderful books we have published over the past twenty-five years, and of the smart, dynamic and dedicated team that built us to be the creative, market-responsive house that we are today. What fun we’ve had.”
Hachette Book Group closes Weinstein Books
New York, NY–October 12, 2017
Hachette Book Group announced today that effective immediately, it is closing Weinstein Books, a partnership of Hachette’s Perseus Books and the Weinstein Company. Titles currently under the Weinstein Books imprint will be published by the Hachette Books imprint, and the Weinstein Books team will join Hachette Books. Weinstein Books was founded in 2001 as Miramax Books by Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob Weinstein. The imprint was re-formed as Weinstein Books after the 2005 separation of Miramax and Disney. In 2009, Weinstein Books became a joint partnership of the Weinstein Company and Perseus Books Group. Weinstein Books was included in the purchase of The Perseus Books Group in 2016. Headed by publishing director Georgina Levitt and editorial director Amanda Murray, Weinstein Books has published about 10 books a year in the areas of memoir and biography, fiction, health and wellness, self-help and relationships, popular culture and entertainment and movie tie-ins.
1 New York Times-Bestselling Author Jodi Ellen Malpas Signs Global Three-Book Deal Including a New Installment in the Phenomenal Hit This Man Trilogy
New York, NY—September 13, 2017
Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing (GCP), has announced that they have acquired the World English language rights for three new novels by #1 New York Times bestseller Jodi Ellen Malpas, author of the THIS MAN and ONE NIGHT romance trilogies. WITH THIS MAN will be published as a trade paperback original in March 2018, with simultaneous e-book and audio editions. The following as-yet-untitled standalone novels will release in 2019. Orion Books, a division of Hachette UK, will publish the UK editions. “A new novel from Jodi is always exciting news for readers, but a new This Man novel is an event,” said Beth de Guzman, VP, Digital and Paperback Publisher. “GCP is proud to be her publisher and ecstatic to be continuing our relationship with Jodi.”
1 NYT Bestselling Author Jamie McGuire Signs Three-Book Deal with Forever
New York, NY – August 9, 2017
Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing (GCP), a division of Hachette Book Group has acquired the world rights from Kevan Lyon of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency to a new trilogy by Jamie McGuire, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Beautiful and Maddox Brothers romance series. At GCP, Leah Hultenschmidt, Editorial Director for Forever, acquired world rights and will edit the series. In North America, the Crash and Burn series will be published as simultaneous trade paperback, e-book, and audio editions with the first book releasing in Fall 2018. A mass-market edition will follow in 2019. The Crash and Burn trilogy follows the Alpine Hotshots, a diverse group of elite wildfire firefighters who work in the most remote mountains of the U.S., pushed beyond their limits, unafraid to die if not for losing those they love.
Chef and Actor David Burtka’s Life is a Party Acquired by Grand Central Life & Style
New York, NY – July 13, 2017
Grand Central Life & Style, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, is excited to announce the acquisition of a debut entertaining and cookbook—Life is a Party—by chef and actor David Burtka. Grand Central Life & Style’s Karen Murgolo, VP Editorial Director, and Morgan Hedden, Assistant Editor, acquired world rights from Laura Nolan of Aevitas. The book is tentatively scheduled for publication in the Spring of 2019. Chef, caterer, and award-winning Broadway and TV actor David Burtka believes that a great party is all about great food and warm hospitality. In his debut book, Life Is a Party, David will share all of his insider knowledge to help readers create amazing and unforgettable parties and gatherings no matter what the occasion. Each chapter, divided by season, will feature delicious and easy to prepare recipes based on comfort food favorites with a fun and inspired twist – from barbecued ribs and funnel cakes to caviar and chive cream puffs and butter-roasted lobster tails. David will suggest endless ways to mix and match these dishes to suit every entertaining possibility, while offering simple-to-stunning decorating tips, countdown to party techniques, and delegating tactics to make every party a success. Life Is a Party will be the go-to book for entertaining at every level with ease and grace.
Hachette Books to Publish Donna Brazile’s Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-Ins and Breakdowns that Put Donald Trump in the White House
New York, NY – July 11, 2017
Mauro DiPreta, publisher of Hachette Books, announced today the acquisition of Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-Ins and Breakdowns that Put Donald Trump in the White House, a no-holds barred look at the 2016 Presidential election from former DNC chair and legendary Democratic Party strategist Donna Brazile, in a deal for world rights with Keith Urbahn and Matt Latimer, partners at Javelin, the D.C.-based literary, media and creative agency. Senior Editor Paul Whitlatch acquired and will edit the book, which Hachette Books will publish on November 7, 2017, on the one-year anniversary of the 2016 election. Packed with never-before-reported revelations, Hacks is the first book to take readers inside the inner workings of the 2016 election from one of its central figures.
Grand Central Publishing Acquires Book About The Award-Winning, Blockbuster Musical DEAR EVAN HANSEN
New York, NY – July 11, 2017
Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, and the publishers of Hamilton: The Revolution, is excited to announce the acquisition of Dear Evan Hansen: Through the Window – a behind-the-scenes look into the multi-award-winning hit musical by the Tony Award winning creative team of Steven Levenson (Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Tony Award for Best Score). Winner of the 2017 Tony Award for Best Musical, the book will be published on November 21, 2017 in hardcover and ebook. The book will be produced by Melcher Media, creators of other successful Broadway books such as Hamilton: The Revolution, Wicked: The Grimmerie and Rent.
Da Capo Press to Publish How to American by Silicon Valley Actor/Comedian Jimmy O. Yang
New York, NY – July 6, 2017
In his first book, How to American, Yang shares his always hilarious and often poignant stories of assimilating into American culture, learning American customs by watching BET RapCity, and figuring out how to date girls who were six inches taller than him—all while dodging his parents’ unrelenting attempts to get him to be a studious, model Asian son. He also writes about his burgeoning acting career, the choices he made, and the compromises he refused to make. Chapters include “How to Thuglife” (what Yang learned about America by watching three hours of rap videos a day) and “How to Hollywood” (making the most of the roles given to him as an Asian-American actor).
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and The Gotham Group Partner to Develop Entertainment Properties for Book, Film, and Television Formats
New York, NY – June 16, 2017 Partnership Reflects Commercial Strength of Multi-Platform Storytellers and Launches in Spring 2018 with Phantom Wheel
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a leading trade publisher of children’s books, and The Gotham Group, a leading film production and talent management company, have entered into an agreement to collaboratively develop original IP properties with strong book, film, and entertainment potential, it was announced today by Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, founder and CEO of The Gotham Group; and Eddie Gamarra, Co-Head of The Gotham Group literary department. The partnership launches in Spring 2018 with the paperback publication of Phantom Wheel by Tracy Deebs, a fast-paced young adult thriller. The editorial direction of the publishing program will be overseen by Kara Sargent, Editor-in-Chief of Licensing and IP at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Goldsmith-Vein and Gamarra will spearhead The Gotham’s Group’s pursuit of film and television opportunities. This unique collaboration combines Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’ prowess in publishing bestselling children’s and YA books with The Gotham Group’s reputation for great taste in material, its impressive talent roster and its development and production slate. The partners will conceive, develop, publish, and produce content across a wide array of traditional and evolving entertainment media.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Announces Winner of the First “Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award”
New York, NY – June 16, 2017
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers announces Jin Xiaojing as the winner of the first Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award. This initiative seeks promising new talent and encourages the development of high-quality picture books that resonate with readers of diverse backgrounds and experiences. The program will provide Xiaojing with a valuable day of mentorship by acclaimed illustrator Jerry Pinkney and children’s book professionals, and a monetary prize.
Hamilton: The Revolution Named Audiobook of the Year!
New York, NY – June 2, 2017 Audiobooks by Michael Connelly, Cressida Cowell, James Patterson also honored at 2017 Audie Awards
Hachette Audio is proud to announce that four of its audiobooks were named Audie winners by the Audio Publishers Association at the annual gala awards ceremony last night. Hachette Audio had sixteen finalists this year, ranging fourteen diverse categories – including those as varied as Original Work, Romance, Humor, Young Adult, and Fantasy. Hamilton: The Revolution, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter – and read by the authors with Mariska Hargitay – won the highest designation of Audiobook of the Year. Competition in this category included titles by Amy Schumer, Carly Simon, Colson Whitehead, and Shonda Rhimes. James Patterson’s Cross Justice, read by Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Jefferson Mays, was named the best Thriller/Suspense audiobook of the past year. Best Mystery audiobook went to Michael Connelly’s The Crossing, read by Titus Welliver (who also plays the eponymous detective in the television series Bosch). Cressida Cowell’s How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury was awarded Best Middle Grade listen, adding to the honors this final title in the How To Train Your Dragon series has claimed, which include a Parents’ Choice Gold award and a nod from the National Parenting Product Awards. “It’s gratifying to see our brilliant and creative audio program once again recognized for cross-category excellence, with winners in both children’s and adult genres, fiction and nonfiction. Congratulations to all involved in bringing our Audies finalists and winners to listeners, and especially to our new Audiobook of the Year, Hamilton: The Revolution,” said Michael Pietsch, CEO of Hachette Book Group.