Ken Wright, formerly v-p and publisher of Viking Children's Books has been promoted to president and publisher of Viking Children's Books and Philomel Books, while Jill Santopolo, formerly editorial director at Philomel Books, has become the imprint's associate publisher, Penguin Young Readers announced yesterday.
"Viking and Philomel are home to some of our most beloved classics and dynamic new voices," said Jen Loja, president of Penguin Young Readers. "Viking has flourished under Ken's direction. Jill's editorial vision and commitment to finding and developing new talent, coupled with Ken's seasoned leadership, will ensure Philomel continues to evolve and thrive as one of today's leading children's books imprints."
Wright will now oversee both Viking Children's and Philomel Books, with the imprints remaining autonomous. Santopolo will be in charge of acquiring new titles and overseeing Philomel's editorial team, while still editing titles of her own.
"It is a real honor for me to continue to lead the outstanding Viking Children's Books publishing team, and to now also be joining forces with Jill and the fantastic and talented colleagues at Philomel," said Wright, who joined Viking Children's Books in 2012. "I've long admired their list, and I am very excited to have the chance to work with them as they continue the great work they've done over the years to build the imprint."
During his time with PYR, he has worked with authors such as Laurie Halse Anderson, Gayle Forman and Sarah Dessen, as well as worked with the estates of authors who wrote such classic children's books as Corduroy, Make Way for Ducklings and more.
Santopolo, who joined Philomel Books in 2009 and edited many of the imprint's biggest titles since then, including She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger and Lisa Graff's A Tangle of Knots, said she was "thrilled to get to work with Ken and the entire Philomel team to build upon the imprint's tradition of publishing meaningful books for kids and teens that celebrate the potential in every reader."