Jackson steps up as Holman steps out of UK's Orbit

Tim Holman is stepping down as publisher of Orbit in the UK, the SF and Fantasy imprint of Little, Brown Book Group he has led since 1997, to become full-time publisher of Orbit US.

Anna Jackson, who joined Orbit in 2008 and has been editorial director since 2018, has been appointed Orbit’s new publisher in the UK, starting from April 2020 and reporting to Little, Brown Book Group managing director Charlie King.

Holman, who will maintain his position as s.v.p. Hachette Book Group in the US and as a member of HBG’s executive management board, has spent almost 30 years with the company. He said: "Much as I’ll miss working with the brilliant publishing team and authors in the UK, it felt that the time was right for someone else to have a turn. Anna will be a great publisher and I’m much looking forward to working with her to ensure that the close collaboration between the Orbit teams in the US and UK continues.

"I’m also greatly looking forward to devoting myself full-time to HBG and the Orbit division in the US. We’ve been the fastest-growing SF and Fantasy publisher in the US over recent years, and I’m excited to be working even more closely with such an incredible publishing team and with so many unbelievably talented writers."

Jackson said: "I’m delighted to have the opportunity to lead Orbit in the UK. I feel privileged to work with such an exceptional publishing team and we have an amazing list of authors. Their scope of imagination and creativity make SFF the most exciting genre to read and publish right now."

King called it "the end of an era" but wished Holman well, paying tribute to his "dazzling" array of authors and "truly global mindset". "Tim Holman’s contribution to Little, Brown and to UK publishing in general is immense," he said. "He has built Orbit into one of the world’s leading SFF imprints, developed a truly dazzling stable of authors—many of whom will be read for generations to come—and he has consistently delivered outstanding results, most notably of all through his acquisition of the multi-million-copy-selling Twilight series for L,BBG. He has been a thought-leader in so many areas, from acquiring and publishing with a truly global mindset, to innovating in digital marketing; under Tim, Orbit was one of the very first UK imprints to harness the power of online channels. His departure from L,BBG is the end of an era, but we will remain close friends and co-conspirators with him and his colleagues at Orbit US."

He added of Jackson’s appointment to lead Orbit UK: "Anna has been instrumental to Orbit’s success in recent years; immensely talented, with the perfect blend of creative flair and commercial nous, she could not be more qualified to become Orbit’s new publisher. I have every confidence that Anna and the brilliant Orbit team will take the imprint to even greater heights."

Michael Pietsch, Hachette Book Group chief executive officer, said: "Tim Holman’s leadership of Orbit US has been inspired, and he is a valued contributor to HBG’s executive management board. I’m very happy that he has decided to devote 100% of his time and talent to even greater growth and creative publishing in the US market."