New briefs for Orion's Benton and Eades, as Bourton departs

Orion is making a "realignment" at its commercial fiction and genre imprints Orion Fiction and Gollancz, with new briefs for Orion deputy m.d. Sarah Benton and Trapeze publishing director Sam Eades. However, Harriet Bourton is departing her role as Orion Fiction publisher on 31st July.

Benton (pictured) will expand her role to take on strategy and growth targets across both imprints as well as the senior editorial reporting lines in the team. Francesca Pathak, publishing director for Orion Fiction, Charlotte Mursell, editorial director for Orion Fiction, and Marcus Gipps, publishing director for Gollancz, will all report to Benton with immediate effect.

Meanwhile Eades will move over from Trapeze to become publishing director at Orion Fiction when she returns from parental leave. Eades’ authors, who include Sharon Bolton, Simon Beckett and Daniel Cole, will move with her to the Orion Fiction list.

Orion will be recruiting a new editorial director to lead its Trapeze Fiction publishing in Eades' place, alongside assistant editor Zoe Yang, with both reporting to executive publisher Anna Valentine. Trapeze, which includes Candice Carty-Williams and and Salma El-Wardany among its authors, will "continue to acquire books that start conversations, putting diverse and underrepresented voices at the heart of their publishing," Orion said.

This realignment impacts the role of publisher at Orion Fiction, and as a result Bourton will leave the role on 31st July.

Since joining in 2016 from Transworld, Bourton has led the team responsible for market-leading bestsellers such as The Lido by Libby Page and Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh, and overseen major acquisitions including Alex Michaelides and Cathy Bramley. Recently she has published Veronica Henry, Cathy Kelly and Joanne Harris.

Orion m.d. Katie Espiner said: "Harriet leaves with all our good wishes for the future. She is a hugely talented editor and publisher, much loved by her authors and colleagues alike, and will be missed by all of us."

Bourton can be contacted on harrietrosebourton@gmail.com.