Profile’s Westland appointed as Jonathan Cape publishing director

Hannah Telfer, managing director of Vintage, has appointed Hannah Westland to the role of publishing director for Jonathan Cape.

Westland, who will join the imprint on 5th June 2023, started her career at the Rogers, Coleridge & White Literary Agency in 2002, working for Deborah Rogers and David Miller before building a list of her own clients.

She joined Profile Books in 2012 as Serpent’s Tail publisher, rising to publisher, fiction, overseeing the Viper and Tuskar Rock imprints in addition to Serpent’s Tail. Her bestselling and prize-winning authors include Sarah Perry, Esi Edugyan, Mary Gaitskill, Lizzy Stewart and Susan Choi. For the past five years she has been part of the executive management team at Profile. Her last day at Profile will be Friday 12th May.

Telfer said: “I’m excited by Hannah’s vision and ambition for Cape. This intent, combined with the clarity of Hannah’s taste and proven publishing track record, will create fertile ground for our talented authors and editorial team, allowing us to add to the many iconic books that define and sustain Cape’s unparalleled success and reputation. In addition, Hannah will join the Vintage Leadership Team, where her experience and expertise will make this group stronger than ever.”

Westland commented: “In my 11 happy years at Profile I learned everything I know about how to publish books with creativity and conviction. I worked alongside some of the best authors and people in the business, and am incredibly proud of what we achieved together. Ever since I started my career in publishing 21 years ago, Jonathan Cape has represented the pinnacle of literary excellence for me. To have been asked to lead the imprint into the future is a huge honour, and I can’t wait to get started.”