Hachette announces two new imprints 

Hachette group chief executive officer David Shelley today announced the promotion of Lara Heimert to president and publisher of the Basic Books Group, as well as the creation of two new imprints. 

Heimert will oversees the Basic Books Group expansion to include Basic Venture, a new business and economics imprint, and Basic Liberty, a new conservative imprint. 

Shelley said: “The Basic Books Group has seen fantastic growth and success in recent years. They know their readership incredibly well and are able to serve their desire for serious non-fiction publishing by the leading authors in their fields across a range of different topics.” 

“Lara has grown and steered the group with incredible vision and precision. Her promotion, and the investments we’re making with the two new imprints and other promotions and hires, are testament to the further potential for growth we see in this space and with this skilled team.”  

Basic Venture will be led by editorial director Colleen Lawrie and executive editor Emily Taber.  

Shelley also announced that Thomas Spence has joined Hachette Book Group to lead Basic Liberty, which the publisher says “will represent a wide range of conservative perspectives, focusing on topics of enduring interest rather than transitory political concerns.” 

Brian Distelberg has been promoted to vice president, associate publisher of the Basic Books Group. Distelberg will oversee the editorial direction of Basic Venture alongside Basic Books, Seal Press and PublicAffairs (including the hiring of a new Editorial Director for the PublicAffairs imprint).  

Heimert will oversee the editorial direction of Bold Type Books and Basic Liberty.   

Heimert said: “I am grateful to David Shelley for his support as we reimagine the Basic Books Group. As I have learned from working at Basic Books for 20 years, imprints with strong focus and category dominance are destined to succeed.” 

Heimert joined Basic Books in 2005 from Yale University Press, and later became vice president and publisher of the imprint in 2012.