Hutchinson Heinemann 2022 showcase takes place in-person

One of the first in-person publisher showcases took place this week with the 2022 line-up from the recently launched Hutchinson Heinemann imprint. 

Around 70 guests attended the event at the Union private members club in Soho on 18th October, hosted by publisher Helen Conford and publishing director Ailah Ahmed (pictured right). 

Authors included curator, historian and broadcaster Katy Hesell, whose The Story of Art without Men, is due in September 2022. She discussed how art history has been dominated by men and how these inequalities are reflective of a larger systemic issue. 

Lianne Dillsworth was in conversation with her editor Emily Griffin, discussing Theatre of Marvels, a gothic page-turner set in London, while Pulitzer Prize winner Andrea Elliott appeared via video feed, discussing Invisible Child, her book of reportage focused on child poverty in America. 

Jo Harkin, who wrote literary fiction before moving into speculative writing, spoke about her novel Tell me an Ending with her editor Ahmed. The book explores what might happen if humans could delete their memories, merging science fiction into a recognisable society. 

Meanwhile ex-Publishers Weekly reviews editor Jessamine Chan presented her book, School for Good Mothers, in a video about a struggling parent who makes a mistake which has devastating consequences. The book will be a lead title for Hutchinson Heinemann after being scooped in a five-way auction for six figures earlier this year. 

Pankaj Mishra was interviewed by his editor Ahmed about his novel, Run and Hide, which explores sexual, romantic and professional freedoms, and how people behave when they reach a position of power. 

Cornerstone announced a merger of previous imprints Hutchinson and William Heinemann back in February, with Conford recruited from Profile and Ahmed joining from Little, Brown.

Last month Conford announced several key promotions and a new imprint, Cornerstone Press, replacing Random House Business with a wider non-fiction list.