Balliett Leaves Perseus for Hyperion

By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 7/24/2007 2:10:00 PM

Will Balliett is leaving his post as executive editor of Da Capo Press to become editorial director of Hyperion. Will Schwalbe, senior v-p and editor-in-chief of Hyperion, made the announcement today, calling Balliett "one of the most creative and admired figures in publishing." Schwalbe said Balliett will acquire and edit books for Hyperion and manage the editorial process, beginning August 8.

In May, as part of Perseus’s integration of Avalon—and the phasing out of C&G and Thunder’s Mouth—the company announced Balliett would become executive editor at Da Capo Press. But he was only in the position for about two months. Before moving to Da Capo, Balliett had been publisher and editorial director of C&G and Thunder's Mouth. Da Capo publisher John Radziewicz said he had no immediate plans to replace Balliett.

In 2001, Balliett’s longtime packaging firm, Balliett & Fitzgerald, Inc., was acquired by its then co-publishing partner, Avalon Publishing Group. Balliett took over Carroll & Graf in 2003 and added Thunder’s Mouth Press to his purview in 2006. At Carroll & Graf, Balliett published authors including Gore Vidal, Margaret Atwood and Peter Falk.

"Given my own history in publishing, the dynamic and enormously talented company being led by Bob Miller, Ellen Archer and Will Schwalbe just felt like a perfect home for me," said Balliett. "There’s great passion and chemistry, with a track record to match, and I couldn’t be more excited about what we’re going to be doing together."