Hachette Book Group has announced two major appointments, naming former Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and HarperCollins executive Ed Spade as SVP of commercial operations and longtime agent Abigail Koons as VP of subsidiary rights. Both appointments were announced by HBG deputy CEO Richard Kitson, to whom Spade and Koons will report.
According to the announcement, Spade is being tasked to “optimize and scale” the success of HBG “by driving operational excellence across the company’s publishing ecosystem including sales, marketing, IT, finance, analytics, and other cross-functional departments.”
Spade will also collaborate with Hachette companies worldwide to identify best practices and oversee cross-functional initiatives with the goal of supporting relationships between key stakeholders to help HBG develop new growth initiatives and to strengthen client relationships.
“I look forward to partnering with Ed on HBG’s commercial operations roadmap,” Kitson said in a prepared statement. “As a senior advisor to the executive management board, his expertise will positively impact the company’s growth.”
Spade joined HarperCollins in 2021 following its acquisition of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s books and media division and helped integrate the HMH properties into HC. He resigned from the company last summer.
“I’m excited to join Hachette at such a pivotal moment,” Spade said in a statement. “I look forward to partnering with colleagues across the organization to support Hachette’s continued growth and long-term strategic direction.”
In tapping Koons to head its subsidiary rights effort, HBG chose someone who has had a long career in the international rights field as an agent at Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management. According to the announcement, while at Park, Fine & Bower, Koons managed global strategies for bestselling authors including Nicholas Sparks, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Cecelia Ahern, Deborah Harkness, and Jeneva Rose.
"I’m thrilled to have Abby step into this significant role and move across to the publishing side of subsidiary rights. She understands the huge opportunities for our books across global markets,” Kitson said in a statement.
“I am delighted to join Hachette at such a dynamic and transformative period of growth for the company. Reader preferences and consumption patterns continue to evolve rapidly, and subsidiary rights present a unique opportunity to engage new audiences around the world,” said Koons.
