Writers House agent Kenneth Wright is moving back to the publishing side of the business. Wright is joining Viking Children's Books as v-p and publisher, where he will handle strategy and editorial direction, reporting to Penguin Young Readers Group president Don Weisberg. Wright is succeeding Regina Hayes (who is taking on the role of editor-at-large), and will start at Penguin on August 27.
Speaking to the hire, Weisberg said: "Ken Wright is respected among the industry for his literary and commercial sensibility. His fantastic nose for new talent and respect for the classics make him the perfect candidate to helm and grow Viking’s celebrated list."
Wright started his career at Oxford University Press and, before becoming an agent, worked at such houses as HarperCollins and Scholastic (where he was associate publisher of the trade division). He has worked with such authors as Caldecott Medalists David Macaulay and Allen Say; Ruta Sepetys; and Printz Medalist John Corey Whaley.
As editor-at-large, Hayes will continue to work with a select group of her authors, including Sarah Dessen, Laurie Halse Anderson, Rosemary Wells, Joan Bauer, and Elizabeth George. July 19 marks Hayes’s 30th anniversary at Penguin.
