Little, Brown promotes Ahmed to publishing director

Little, Brown has promoted editorial director Ailah Ahmed to the role of publishing director following her "outstanding publishing and acquiring in 2018 and 2019".

Previously editorial director at Little, Brown/Abacus & Virago, she takes on the role of publishing director across the two imprints with effect from 1st January 2020.

Ahmed joined Little, Brown as commissioning editor in 2014, was promoted to editorial director in 2018 and was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2017. She acquired and published An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma, a Booker 2019 shortlisted title, and Less by Andrew Sean Greer in 2018, a Pulitzer Prize winner. 

In 2019 she was selected to take part in the Hachette global exchange programme with a six week visit to New York, forging partnerships with US agents and publishers. She recently won a six-way publisher auction ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair for a debut novel by Rahul Raina, slated for publication in 2021, and will be publishing How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang on Virago in April 2020.

Clare Smith, executive publisher for Literary at Little, Brown, said: "Ailah’s publishing and results speak for themselves – she is an extremely talented and determined acquirer with a brilliant eye for distinctive voices in literary fiction and non-fiction. I am thrilled that her considerable contribution to the success of the Little, Brown/Abacus and Virago lists is being acknowledged."

Ahmed added: "Little, Brown/Abacus and Virago are both amazing imprints and I am delighted to be promoted to publishing director across them. From publishing a Booker shortlisted title, to working in the Hachette New York offices for six weeks, 2019 has been an exciting and rewarding year. I am looking forward to launching thrilling new literary voices like C Pam Zhang and Rahul Raina, while continuing to publish prize-winning and acclaimed writers like Chigozie Obioma and Andrew Sean Greer."