PAST WINNERS
2020 Pan Macmillan
2019 Penguin General
2018 HarperCollins
2017 Pan Macmillan
2016 Transworld
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR ORION
THE SHORTLIST HIGHLY COMMENDED
HarperCollins Bloomsbury Ebury
Headline
Hodder & Stoughton Little, Brown Pan Macmillan Penguin General Simon & Schuster Usborne
A
fter a few years in the doldrums, Hachette’s Orion division was firing on all cylinders in 2020. Each of its lists recorded a sharp increase in sales
and profits, with Imprint of the Year Gollancz a standout. Eight books topped £1m in sales, and there were number ones from Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly and Ben Aaronovitch. Sales snowballed for 2020 Book of the Year Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie, while Arsène Wenger, Noel Fitzpatrick, and Dick and Angel Strawbridge delivered on the non-fiction side. Orion had huge strength in depth in the midlist
and backlist, and broke fresh talent such as Naoise Dolan. It launched a new imprint, White Rabbit, and acquired another, Laurence King. The divi- sion impressed in its response to the pandemic, including excellent care of home-working staff, virtual events and effective digital marketing. Adam Kay’s Dear NHS anthology raised nearly
£400,000, and Orion made excellent progress on equality, diversity and inclusion, especially through a work experience scheme. “No publisher does it better,” said one Orion
author, and the judges agreed. “Orion’s turna- round under Katie [Espiner, m.d.] is amazing… It’s brought itself back into play with great hires and acquisitions. It’s not just down to blockbuster books—every single imprint has taken a leap forward, and nothing’s been left behind.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED in this category is HarperCollins. Judges recognised not just its commercial success (which included more huge sales for David Walliams and standout years at HQ and Collins) but its support of bookshops and authors, care of staff and repayment of the government’s furlough money, as well as efforts on diversity. “HarperCollins had a great year and stepped up to the plate when most needed.”
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ORION M.D. KATIE ESPINER
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