Conford replaces Random House Business with Cornerstone Press amid promotions

Cornerstone has unveiled several key promotions and a new imprint, Cornerstone Press, replacing Random House Business with a wider non-fiction list overseen by publisher Helen Conford.

Billed by the publisher as “a home for big ideas with practical applications”, it will launch in January 2022 with titles previously published under Random House Business. Encompassing smart-thinking, politics, economics, psychology, business, self-development, health and lifestyle, Cornerstone Press will be “full of bold books that expand our thinking and improve the way we live, both individually and as a society”.

Conford, publisher of Hutchinson Heinemann, #Merky Books and Cornerstone Press, has also announced three editorial promotions as part of the new launch. Former commissioning editor Anna Argenio (pictured, right) is promoted to editorial director with a particular focus on self-help, health and lifestyle in Cornerstone Press. Rowan Borchers has stepped up from senior commissioning editor to editorial director, with a focus on history, politics and economics in Hutchinson Heinemann, working closely with Conford and publishing director Ailah Ahmed. Both will continue to acquire across all three lists. Lemara Lindsay-Prince, lead editor for #Merky Books, is promoted to senior commissioning editor, with a wider remit to publish across all three imprints. No other roles are affected by the move.

Argenio and Borchers will work with Conford and associate publisher Nigel Wilcockson to acquire more self-help, lifestyle, politics and big ideas titles in an ambitious growth plan, accompanied by a new logo (pictured, top). 

The news comes after a shake-up in February which saw Hutchinson and William Heinemann merged and Conford, formerly of Profile, and Little, Brown’s Ahmed appointed.

Conford said of the new imprint: “Cornerstone Press will publish titles that build the foundations of your life, whether you’re looking to change your day-to-day patterns or understand the world in which they happen. This has always been true to the publishing here, from the multimillion-copy bestselling Atomic Habits to the revolutionary Doughnut Economics, the power of Ikigai to the thrilling exposé of The World for Sale—titles that take root in the UK and also reach around the globe.”   

On the promotions, she added: “It has been fantastic to begin at Cornerstone and meet such talented, distinctive and impressive editors as Anna, Lemara [pictured, left] and Rowan. We can only benefit from their publishing and expertise appearing in all our imprints, and their tastes are so complementary it is almost uncanny. I am delighted to be able to expand our lists by promoting from within. Their publishing shows real range and flair, and I look forward to many more major acquisitions.”  

Argenio’s first acquisition for Cornerstone Press is Empowered, psychiatrist Pooja Lakshmin’s hands-on guide to "real self-care" for women, set to publish in spring 2023. Based on Dr Lakshmin’s experience as a clinical psychiatrist, it will challenge the wellness industry today and provide concrete solutions to care for yourself. Argenio acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Sabila Khan at Penguin Life US in a three-way auction. 

“To be a part of the incredible editorial team shaping the future of Cornerstone Press is a true honour,” Argenio said. "It is an exciting moment of growth for the list and for our wonderful authors, and I am so grateful for this new responsibility. I cannot wait to discover bold and inspiring voices and help connect their work to readers everywhere.”  

Borchers (pictured, right) recently bought the first book from the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet in a 12-way auction. The Finest Hotel in Kabul recounts the history of modern Afghanistan through the lives of guests and staff at the Kabul Inter-Continental, a hotel that Doucet has been visiting since 1988. Borchers acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Claire Paterson Conrad at Janklow & Nesbit.

“‘I am thrilled to be part of the new team at Hutchinson Heinemann, seeking out the most exciting new writers and ideas from the worlds of journalism, history, politics and social science," Borchers said. "I’m looking forward to working with Helen, Ailah and the wider team to create many prize-winning, long-lasting bestsellers.”   

Additionally, Lindsay-Prince recently secured a two-book deal, her first acquisition for Hutchinson Heinemann, from the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellow, Dr  Tressie McMillan Cottom. UK and Commonwealth rights were sold by Fiona Baird at WME for  Basic,  tipped by the publisher as "a thought-provoking series of essays that exposes and explores all the places where whiteness is forged and asserted into dominance in American life", and The Vivian, a memoir interrogating Black motherhood, daughterhood, identity and memory. 

Lindsay-Prince said: “As #Merky Books continues to grow and publish bold voices from untraditional spaces, I’m pleased to have a new title that reflects what we’ve done so far and to keep influencing the future of our publishing. The new remit and freedom to acquire more widely is equally exciting.” 

Earlier this month it was revealed that Cornerstone and Transworld are to start publishing all their paperbacks under the Penguin brand rather than their imprints in a change of strategy for the Penguin Random House divisions.