Bookouture hires Dauman and Chimirri ahead of office move

Bookouture has hired Sphere’s Lucy Dauman and HQ’s Cara Chimirri and announced three promotions ahead of a move to the Bloomsbury Building.

The Hachette-owned digital publisher said today (22nd July) it will move to Bloomsbury Way in central London on 12th August as it outgrows its smaller offices in Kings Cross.

Meanwhile Dauman, currently Sphere’s senior commissioning editor, will join as associate publisher in October. She arrived at the Little, Brown imprint in 2016 from HarperCollins and has concentrated on the crime and thriller list, acquiring authors like Dervla McTiernan, Vanessa Savage and Gina LaManna.

Chimirri, an assistant editor, becomes Bookouture’s new commissioning editor in August. She has been at HQ since October 2017, acquiring and publishing digital bestseller The Story of Us by Lana Kortchik and working on Amanda Brittany and Victoria Cooke.

There is also good news for Ellen Gleeson and Emily Gowers who are promoted from publishing executive to commissioning editor, taking up their new roles as soon as their current posts are filled.

Gleeson has been at Bookouture since March 2017, and alongside her editorial role, has helped drive its growing audio publishing list. Her first acquisition, Angela Petch’s The Tuscan Secret, published this month. Emily Gowers joined Bookouture from Headline in August 2018, and has acquired authors Helena Dixon and Sarah Clutton, while playing a role in submissions management and rights.

Publisher Jenny Geras said: “I’m so thrilled to have Lucy and Cara joining the team, and congratulate both Ellen and Emily on their well-deserved promotions. What we always look for in the editorial team here is that perfect mix of talent spotting, commercial awareness and data analysis.

“We never compromise on attention to detail, so we never take on more authors and books without first ensuring we have the editors in place to publish those books brilliantly. I know that all four of these new appointments will do an outstanding job in bringing new bestsellers to our list.”

Finally, the publisher has also promoted Kim Nash to head of publicity with immediate effect. She joined as publicity and social media manager on a permanent basis in 2015 after establishing herself as an influential book blogger.

Bookouture c.e.o. Oliver Rhodes said: “Kim was one of our very first hires, and has been an absolutely indispensable part of the team ever since. The relationships with authors, bloggers and readers she has established are unparalleled in the industry, and there is no-one else who could have done it with the passion, flair and drive that Kim has.”