Hachette pays tribute to ‘ray of sunshine’ Abbi-Jean Reid

Hachette UK has paid tribute to “ray of sunshine” Abbi-Jean Reid, marketing executive at Little, Brown, who died suddenly on 22nd December 2022, aged 28.

Reid joined Quercus in 2021 as administrative assistant and was promoted to marketing executive in January 2022 before moving to Little, Brown’s marketing team in September 2022.

While at Hachette UK, she generously gave her time to reading panels for the Feminist Book Box, the Daily Mail First Novel Competition and the Mo Siewcharran Prize, as well as being a valued and active member of the Thrive committee.

Prior to Hachette UK, Reid worked at Black Books Matter as a creative administrator and volunteered as a publishing assistant at Parakeet Books, where she was also the author of Ready For An Adventure.

Aimed at children aged 0-6, Reid’s début raised awareness of vitiligo and was inspired by the imaginative adventures she and her sister had at home together when they were little.

Charlie King, m.d. of Little, Brown Book Group, said: “Abbi-Jean was a wonderful person and the very best of colleagues. She was a skilled marketer who made a terrific impression during her time at Little, Brown, but much more than that she was a truly special human being: someone who had a uniquely positive, warm approach to work and to life.

“She lit up every room she was in and was much-loved by all who worked with her. Abbi-Jean had an extremely bright future in the industry – we are devastated by her loss and will remember her always.”

Jon Butler, m.d. of Quercus, said that the word that has come up “again and again” at Quercus when talking about Reid, is “sunshine”.

“Abbi-Jean showed such great promise as a marketer learning her trade, adding real zip and invention to our LKP list especially and approaching every task with bright, creative, can-do energy,” he said.

“She would have gone a very long way in publishing, and publishing was lucky to have her. But it is in the small interactions that we’ll miss Abbi-Jean so much. She was a deeply warm person, always quick to catch your eye and smile, check how you are, brighten your day and leave you with a spring in your step. She was a hugely popular colleague and just the purest sunshine as a friend to many, and she will be greatly missed.”

Lipfon Tang and Ella Patel, chairs of Hachette’s Thrive committee said: “Abbi was a true ray of sunshine, one of the most selflessly kind people we have ever met, and who made everyone around her feel special and important. She contributed so much of herself to her work on the Thrive committee, at Quercus and then Little, Brown in their marketing teams.

“We are endlessly grateful to have known her, lucky to have been impacted by Abbi’s endless positivity and pure joy and will miss her so deeply.”

Little, Brown, Quercus and Kingston University (where Reid completed her Publishing MA) have plans to collaborate to establish something lasting in her memory. More details are to follow.