Orion unveils host of promotions across departments

Orion has made a number of promotions across its editorial, publicity, marketing, sales and rights departments, including the promotion of Olivia Morris to editorial director for Seven Dials and Orion Spring.

Morris, previously commissioning editor, last year built a list of 20 books across the Seven Dials and Orion Spring imprints. She is credited by Orion for building the list with "clear publishing strategy and vision", with upcoming books including Modern Calligraphy next year, and is also said to have been "integral" to Orions' imprints’ metadata work and in driving its e-book backlist initiatives.

Also for Seven Dials and Orion Spring, editor Emily Barrett has been promoted to senior editor after working on cookbooks including Land & Sea, Healthy Baking, Dinner & Party and the Weligama. She also worked on Hachette’s non-fiction hardback of the year, Happy by Fearne Cotton, and is now building her own list. Forthcoming books from Barrett for this year include Superstar Cats and Superstar Dogs and Sam Avery's Confessions of a Learner Parent.  "Emily has shown great dedication to her books and the lists, often writing, drawing and creating significant parts of them herself, so we are thrilled to recognise her self-starting spirit and commercial eye with this promotion," commented Helen Richardson, Orion's group publicity and communications director.

In Orion's Weidenfeld & Nicolson Non-fiction team, Holly Harley, previously editor, has been promoted to senior editor after her work on Istanbul and The Romanovs, while in the Weidenfeld & Nicolson fiction team, editorial assistant Craig Lye has been promoted to assistant editor after his "brilliant work" with authors Christian Cameron, Ben Kane and Simon Turney.

In publicity, Virginia Woolstencroft, previously publicity manager, has been promoted to senior publicity manager. A past Bookseller Rising Star, Woolstencroft, was credited by Orion as being "tenacious, innovative and hardworking". Her campaigns this year include Caitlyn Jenner, Alex Renton and Hollie Newton, as well as overseeing the publicity for all our paperbacks. Two of her campaigns last year, for The Diet Myth and "Breaking Bad" actor Bryan Cranston's memoir, were shortlisted for PPC Awards. 

Elaine Egan, previously publicity manager, is promoted to senior publicity manager. Egan, who joined Orion as fiction publicity manager in 2015, is prasied by Orion for having shown "enormous flair for commercial fiction publicity, especially women’s fiction" in her "outstanding" campaigns for Cathy Kelly and Erica James, as well as for displaying "great persistence and determination" in her campaign for Ronnie O’Sullivan, which resulted in sales uplifts in hardback and paperback. She has taken a leading role in GollanczFest for the last two years. 

Leanne Oliver, previously publicity manager, has been promoted to senior publicity manager. Orion called her "a fantastic asset" to the department, handling any campaign thrown at her with "flair, aplomb and a wonderfully calm head". She recently worked with publicist Mark McGinlay on the campaign for Happy by Fearne Cotton and with Helen Richardson on But Seriously by John McEnroe, as well as on Alan Partridge and the eight-date signing tour for DanTDM’s Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal, one of Orion’s most profitable books last year.

Meanwhile marketing manager Cait Davies - who joined Orion in March from HarperCollins - has been promoted to senior marketing manager. Having spent the past few years working across high profile brands such as Bernard Cornwell and debuts such as Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine for HarperCollins, she is said to have made "an instant and noticeable impact both to our team, and the division as a whole" and is credited in recently revitalising W&N’s online presence. 

And after three years with Orion, Hannah Goodman, previously rights executive, has been promoted to senior rights executive. She has brought in "exceptional sales", say Orion, including deals to Scandinavia for authors from across the full range of Orion’s publishing, such as Julian Fellowes, Katherine Webb, Anthony Horowitz and Joe Abercrombie. 

Lastly, Hannah Methuen, previously key account director, has been promoted to deputy sales director.