Philip Contos promoted to deputy publisher of Laurence King Publishing

Philip Contos has been appointed to the role of deputy publisher of Laurence King Publishing (LKP), taking on responsibility for the whole of the LKP list, including its books and gifts, and reporting to Orion managing director Anna Valentine.

Contos joined LKP as senior editor in 2016 after five years in museum publishing at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Since 2022 he has led the LKP gift list and has been “instrumental” in the success of LKP’s gift and jigsaw puzzle range, creating the World of… series, with sales now over 1.2 million units according to the publisher.

He has also “driven innovation” in new formats, including the 299 Cats and a Dog puzzle, the lift-the-flap book Who’s Hiding in the Jungle and the forthcoming Fifty Heroes card game with Jamie Smart. Contos has also delivered successful partnerships with Agatha Christie Limited, Netflix, Kew, RSPB and more.

He said: “Books are where I started my publishing career and I’m excited to bring the same energy and strategic focus that has seen the gift list go from strength to strength to the entire list. We continue to innovate and champion the highest quality illustrated publishing, ensuring that LKP remains the destination publisher for cutting-edge art and design titles as much as for innovative non-book formats.”

Valentine said: “I am immensely proud of everything that Philip has achieved this year: delivering a fantastically creative and market-leading list, an excellent profit performance, and demonstrating his intuitive leadership qualities. Creative, passionate and a fantastic team player, it is a delight to work with Philip and this promotion is richly deserved. I’m excited to see how he continues to lead LKP to growth, and cement its reputation as one of the world’s leading gift and illustrated publishers.”