|
|
| Elisabeth Scharlatt | |
After 30 years with the company, Elisabeth Scharlatt, publisher of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, is retiring, effective December 1. She will be succeeded by Betsy Gleick, who joined Algonquin in 2016 as editorial director.
In other changes, Michael McKenzie, who has been executive director of publicity, has been promoted to associate publisher, overseeing marketing and publicity for both Algonquin Books and Algonquin Young Readers.
"Elisabeth has been the eloquent voice, the animated spirit, and the powerful driving force of Algonquin for decades. She put us on the literary map, and she is admired and respected and loved throughout the industry," said Carolan Workman, executive chair and president of Workman Publishing Company. "I know she is excited by this seismic move and, frankly, that's the only way that we--certainly I--can bear her departure."
|
|
| Betsy Gleick | |
Workman CEO Dan Reynolds added: "This is an exciting new chapter for Algonquin. We're optimists--we look at change like this as opportunity. Despite all the twists and turns in the book business these days, we are essentially in the talent business. And I see this strong new team taking the baton from Elisabeth and continuing to grow the company's relevance, importance, and success. I'll miss working with Elisabeth--we all will. But she couldn't have left us in better hands."
The company noted that "under Scharlatt's stewardship, Algonquin has grown from a tiny Southern publisher to a highly respected house with a presence in the national conversation about books and literature, publishing many award winners and bestsellers." These have included Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, Mudbound by Hillary Jordan, The Leavers by Lisa Ko, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, Love, Loss, and What I Wore by Ilene Beckerman, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and the work of Julia Alvarez, from How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents to the forthcoming Afterlife.
 |
|
| Michael McKenzie | |
"It's been not just fun, but a privilege to work with a smart and creative staff to help bring such treasures to the public," Scharlatt said. "And I'm gratified knowing that the momentum will continue with the group who will keep Algonquin growing, thriving."
Before joining Algonquin, Gleick was a writer and editor at both Time and People. "I'm honored to have this chance to build on Elisabeth's work and am energized by the idea of working with the terrific team here to continue to expand the breadth and depth--and reach--of Algonquin's tremendous backlist and frontlist," Gleick said.
McKenzie joined Algonquin in 2015 after overseeing publicity for almost a decade at Ecco/HarperCollins. "While I will miss Elisabeth dearly, I'm incredibly excited about this next chapter at Algonquin and thrilled to continue working with our fantastic team to further strengthen our publishing program and find new ways to connect our writers with readers," he said.