Editorial director Doyle leaves Picador after 12 years

Picador editorial director Kris Doyle is leaving after 12 years at the Pan Mac imprint to pursue personal goals in other fields.

Doyle will finish working for the company on 26th August, with Pan Macmillan advertising for his successor shortly.

He first joined Picador 12 years ago as an editorial assistant, rising up the ranks to become editorial director in 2019. Picador said he had been involved with publishing some of its most significant authors and books. His contribution “has become truly notable in the last three years”, with the books of The Secret Barrister foremost among them. Publishing those titles had been “a unique challenge, and Kris has risen to that with immense skill, creativity and efficacy”, the publisher said.

Other authors he has published include Amelia Abraham, Graeme Armstrong, Alexia Arthurs, Kate Clanchy, Howard Cunnell, Garth Greenwell, Ben Judah, Jenny Kleeman, Maeve McClenaghan, Darren McGarvey, Jon Ronson and Guy Stagg.

He said: “Working at Picador has been a great source of joy, fulfilment, fun and pride. It has been an immense pleasure to work with such an amazing group of people — colleagues, authors, agents, booksellers, others in the trade — over the last dozen years to take so many exceptional books to the reading public.

“It’s been a dream come true to publish books by writers I’ve admired since I was a kid (such as Carol Ann Duffy, Bret Easton Ellis, Don DeLillo and Clive James), and it’s been equally thrilling to help successfully launch the careers of many dazzling new talents. I’ve enjoyed every minute.

He added: “While I’m going to be very sad to leave so much happiness behind, there are some things I wish to do that are not compatible with the scope of my job. The pandemic has played a part in the decision, but really it’s just about doing the right thing for me at the right time.”

Philip Gwyn Jones, publisher at Picador, commented: “Kris’ list of authors alone is evidence of his commitment to social justice and his belief in the power of books to change people’s minds, to change the culture, as are his many and varied contributions to debates at Pan Macmillan. I know everyone at the company joins me in hoping that one day Kris will come back to Picador; the British publishing industry certainly is the better for his being in it.”

Doyle is the second major departure revealed at Pan Macmillan in the past week, with the announcement editorial director Caroline Hogg has also left following a strategic review of Pan's publishing.