Adam-Smith becomes Vintage Classics editorial director

The Bookseller’s acting marketing director Hattie Adam-Smith has been appointed Vintage Classics editorial director in a newly created role with Nick Skidmore promoted to senior editor.

Adam-Smith will rejoin the Penguin House imprint in July, after finishing a year-long stint as acting brand director for Vintage in February. 

In the newly created editorial director role, she will oversee the Vintage Classics list - which features more than 1,000 titles and authors ranging from Jane Austen to Toni Morrison - expanding it both in terms of its commercial reach and brand awareness. She will report to Beth Coates, publishing director for Paperbacks and Classics. 

“Hattie is a passionate advocate for the classics,” Vintage said, “and her extensive marketing and brand experience, strong design skills and boundless creativity will serve to grow the Vintage Classics list in 2020 and beyond.”

Adam-Smith is currently acting marketing director at The Bookseller focusing on digital marketing and brand strategy and will leave next month. She joined the magazine in March and has worked extensively on the British Book Awards which took place on 13th May. Previously she was acting deputy marketing director at Cornerstone and has also worked at Michael Joseph and Pan Macmillan.

Meanwhile Skidmore, formerly editor, has been promoted to senior editor of Classics and Catalogue. Since joining Vintage as an editorial assistant in 2017, he has “proved himself a consummate editor, commissioning innovative introductions” from the likes of Jarvis Cocker and Yanis Varoufakis.

The publisher said: “His ongoing focus to consolidate Vintage’s catalogue publishing – with over 5,000 books in print – and to bring the Vintage Classics and Vintage Paperback team into even closer alignment is key to the company’s strategy. Nick will continue to find new and creative ways to highlight the variety of books deep within the catalogue.”

He and Adam-Smith will work with senior editor Charlotte Knight “who continues to bring her wealth of experience and vision to bear on all aspects of the classics list”.

Adam-Smith said: "I am beyond thrilled to be returning to Vintage and feel honoured to be entrusted with helping to define the future of the Vintage Classics list, alongside such a brilliant team. More than ever we need to be looking to the past in order to better understand where we are going."

She added: "We must look for new and innovative ways to present these extraordinary books in order to ensure that people continue to discover them in the future. I cannot wait to get started in this new role."

Skidmore said: "I’m delighted to be taking on this role across our Classics and catalogue lists, and to be part of this new team working with Hattie and Charlotte. The opportunities around catalogue publishing are vast and exciting, and with such an extensive list to explore, I’m looking forward to spotlighting the gems of the Vintage Catalogue, while developing our catalogue strategy and growing the Vintage Classics list."