Lara Heimert has been promoted to president and publisher of the Hachette's Basic Books Group, which includes Basic Books, Seal Press, PublicAffairs, Bold Type Books, and two new imprints: Basic Venture, focusing on business and economics, and Basic Liberty, a conservative imprint.
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| Lara Heimart | |
Heimert joined Basic Books in 2005 from Yale University Press, and became v-p and publisher of the imprint in 2012. In 2019, Heimert went on to lead Seal Press. In 2023, she became senior v-p and publisher of the Basic Books Group, responsible for PublicAffairs and Bold Type Books. An accomplished editor, she has published numerous award-winning and best-selling books.
Hachette Book Group CEO David Shelley said, "The Basic Books Group has seen fantastic growth and success in recent years. They know their readership incredibly well and are able to serve their desire for serious non-fiction publishing by the leading authors in their fields across a range of different topics. Lara has grown and steered the group with incredible vision and precision; her promotion, and the investments we're making with the two new imprints and other promotions and hires, are testament to the further potential for growth we see in this space and with this skilled team."
Basic Venture, the new business and economics imprint, will build upon PublicAffairs' two decades of business publishing and is dedicated to helping individuals and organizations who want to change the way they do business. The imprint will be led by editorial director Colleen Lawrie and executive editor Emily Taber.
Basic Liberty, the new conservative imprint, will represent a range of conservative perspectives, focusing on topics of enduring cultural, social, and political interest rather than transitory political concerns. Thomas Spence is joining the company to head Basic Liberty. He is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Institute, holds a JD from the University of Chicago, a Master of Arts in Medieval Studies from Harvard University, and formerly was president and publisher of Regnery.
In addition, Brian Distelberg is being promoted to associate publisher of the Basic Books Group, adding to his current title of editor in chief, Basic Books. He will oversee the editorial direction of Basic Venture alongside Basic Books, Seal Press, and PublicAffairs (including the hiring of a new editorial director for the PublicAffairs imprint). Heimert will oversee the editorial direction of Bold Type Books and Basic Liberty.
Heimert said, "I am grateful to David Shelley for his support as we reimagine the Basic Books Group. As I have learned from working at Basic Books for 20 years, imprints with strong focus and category dominance are destined to succeed. In Thomas, Colleen, and Emily, we have editors with deep expertise in their respective areas of acquisition. And in Brian, we have a leader whose intellectual rigor and high standards for excellence will help me steer all six of the imprints towards greater success and profitability."