Bookouture makes raft of internal promotions and hires as Simmonds joins from PRH

Bookouture has made a number of new hires and internal promotions across its editorial and operations teams, with Claire Simmonds joining the company in January as associate publisher from Penguin Random House.

Formerly a sales manager at Cornerstone, working with fiction brands such as Harlan Coben, James Patterson and Lisa Jewell, Simmonds will be reporting in her new role to publishing director Laura Deacon and will acquire and publish her own fiction list as well as taking on strategic and management responsibility for the Thread non-fiction list.

She said: “Although sad to be leaving Penguin Random House after a wonderful decade, I could not be more thrilled to be joining Bookouture at such an exciting time. I have long admired their incredible roster of world-class authors, and how innovative and market leading their approach to commercial publishing is.

“I am so looking forward to joining one of the most dynamic and creative teams in the business, working towards growing their already stellar list of bestsellers. Above all, I can’t wait to work with some of Bookouture’s brilliant existing authors, and to discover exciting commercial voices of the future.”

Harriet Wade and Jayne Osborne will also be joining the company in January as commissioning editors. Wade joins from Pushkin Vertigo where she worked across a varied crime thriller list and will also report to Laura Deacon. Osborne joins from Pan Macmillan where she published authors Laura Price and Joseph Murray as well as working on Danielle Steel’s publishing. She will report to publisher Ruth Tross.

Internally, Nina Winters, Natalie Edwards and Sarah Gunton have all been promoted to the role of commissioning editor and will begin to build their own lists, having supported the editorial teams as publishing executives over the past 18 months.

In the operations team, Stephanie Straub has been appointed to the role of digital operations executive, also joining the business in January 2023. Straub will report to digital operations manager Marina Valles and has previously supported teams at Canongate, Severn House and PBS UK. She will be based in Hachette’s Edinburgh office.

Managing director Jenny Geras said of the new hires and promotions: “It’s been an incredible year that has seen significant growth in all formats and every area of our business. I’m so excited to have Claire, Jayne, Harriet and Stephanie joining the team in 2023 and the promotions for Nina, Natalie and Sarah could not be more deserved.”