|
|
| Jamie Hodder-Williams | |
In a major restructure at Hachette UK, Hodder & Stoughton CEO Jamie Hodder-Williams is leaving the company after more than 30 years at the publisher, the Bookseller reported. Katie Espiner, currently Orion managing director, will step into a newly created role as CEO of Hodder & Stoughton and Orion. Anna Valentine has been promoted from executive publisher to managing director at Orion. Both will start their new roles effective January 1, 2022.
Hachette UK CEO David Shelley said: "I'm extremely grateful to Jamie for the enormous amount that he has contributed to Hachette over the years.... Jamie has been a terrific colleague and an invaluable source of publishing knowledge and insight for all of us here, as well as a kind and thoughtful mentor to many. He's also been fun and energizing to work with. I wish him all the very best in his new ventures, and he will always be a close friend of the house."
Noting that he has "had the privilege of working with an incredible roster of authors," Hodder-Williams said: "I am incredibly grateful for all the support we have received from the wider trade--from agents, booksellers, the media and partners all over the world. The team at Hodder and the wider Hachette group are driven by their passion for great stories and I know that they will go on to even greater success in future."
Shelley said that Espiner "has done the most amazing job at Orion: taking the company to new heights in her six years as managing director.... I have no doubt that Katie will bring her flair, dynamism, vision and--most of all--her passion for working with talented authors to the company." He also praised Valentine as "one of the fastest-rising and most exciting publishers in the industry.... Anna is a terrific publisher and a positive force, and I know she will help take Orion to new heights."
Espiner commented: "I am unbelievably proud of our incredible authors and of everything the amazing teams at Orion have achieved over the past six years. Anna is one of the best people I have ever worked with and I know she will lead Orion magnificently to even greater things. I am incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to work with the hugely talented authors, contributors and teams at Hodder, while also continuing to work alongside my colleagues and our authors at Orion."
---
Eslite, the Taiwanese bookstore chain that in recent years has opened branches in Hong Kong, China and Japan, will open a store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Taiwan News reported. The store will be in a property owned by YTL Corp., the large Malaysian conglomerate with which Eslite signed a partnership agreement last year. The new Eslite store in Kuala Lumpur should open in 2022.
Eslite is also opening some 100 "community bookstores" in Taiwan as well as two large stores in 2023 and 2024. Eslite has made a push to sell more English-language books and is developing podcasts and an app.
---
 |
|
| Rendering of A Different Booklist's future home (Ten 2 Four Architecture) | |
Canadian indie A Different Booklist in Toronto was showcased by the Star, which reported that the bookshop, opened in 1995 by Wesley Crichlow, "has been quarterbacked by the husband-and-wife team of Miguel San Vicente and Itah Sadu since 1998.... and they continue to stock and promote books reflecting the Black and Caribbean communities, and the African diaspora."
The bookstore is also home to A Different Booklist Cultural Centre: The People's Residence. Launched in 2016, the nonprofit organization has held author talks, book launches, children's programs and art exhibitions.
Miguel San Vicente said young Black readers "are excited when they can see themselves reflected in books, which is not often the case. And we really appreciate how so many schools have bought our books for their students, which has helped us survive all these years."
He added that A Different Booklist saw a surge of shoppers during and soon after the protests stemming from the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis: "It was great to see so many people coming out, including many non-Black readers, and buying books on fighting discrimination and racism and inequality. And it really helped when the Black Lives Matter movement encouraged people to support Black-owned businesses like ours."
Next fall, the store is set to move across the street, but its mission remains the same. "We want people to learn from the past and to challenge themselves to put their knowledge into action," San Vincente said. "And our books and programming help with those goals."