At Hachette Book Group, some staff at Workman Publishing are being let go, and Algonquin is being folded into Little, Brown. Algonquin Books is becoming part of Little, Brown, reporting to president and publisher Sally Kim, while Algonquin Young Readers will become part of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, under president and publisher Megan Tingley.
Among personnel changes that Hachette confirmed, Susan Weinberg, executive v-p and publisher of the Workman Publishing Group, "has decided to retire from her role at the end of this year. She will take up a new part-time role in 2025 to help people to deepen their financial understanding of the business."
Kristin Kiser, senior v-p and publisher of the Running Press Group, will become president and publisher of a new division called the Workman Running Press Group, effective January 1.
Lia Ronnen has been promoted to senior v-p, publisher of Workman, Artisan, and Black Dog & Leventhal. Black Dog & Leventhal will move from Running Press to Workman, and the calendar group will move to Workman under Ronnen's leadership.
Stacy Lellos has been promoted to senior v-p, Workman Kids.
Shannon Fabricant is being promoted to publisher of Running Press, running the RP Adult, RP Kids, and RP Studio publishing programs, effective January 1.
Betsy Hulsebosch is being promoted to v-p, deputy publisher of Running Press, effective January 1.
Colin Dickerman has been promoted to senior v-p and editor in chief, Grand Central, adding responsibility for fiction to his existing responsibility for nonfiction.
Karen Kosztolnyik has become v-p, executive editorial director for fiction, at Grand Central.
In other moves at Running Press, senior editor Shannon Kelly will assume oversight of Running Press's gift and stationery line, RP Studio, and Running Press's self-help and wellness vertical, RP Inspires, effective January 1. RP Kids editorial director Julie Matysik will assume responsibility for growing children's licensing. Maria Simione is promoted to assistant editor at Running Press.
The company commented: "The reason for these changes in our Workman and Grand Central Publishing divisions is to optimize for success--promoting key team members and adding extra roles in areas where the market is strong and cutting back in areas where the market has weakened. In the case of Workman, these changes are in line with usual company acquisition synergies." Because the company guaranteed no staff would be fired for three years, "We were not legally allowed to make these changes three years ago when would be normal in a company acquisition--so the business plan from that time was for us to make them in summer 2024, at the conclusion of the three-year term, which is what we are doing now."
The changes come after a period of reshuffling at Hachette that started at the beginning of the year when Hachette UK CEO David Shelley took the additional role of CEO of Hachette Book Group, succeeding Michael Pietsch.
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill was founded in 1982 by Louis Rubin and Shannon Ravenel and focused on publishing literary fiction and nonfiction with an emphasis on undiscovered writers from the South. Early authors included Jill McCorkle, Kaye Gibbons, Julia Alvarez, Robert Morgan, and Larry Brown. Workman bought Algonquin in 1989, and it opened offices in New York City. Algonquin Young Readers launched in 2013.