Yen Press, the manga imprint of Hachette Books, is to be combined with Hachette’s sci-fi imprint, Orbit, into one division, according to an announcement at the end of October. Kurt Hassler, publishing director of Yen Books, will be staying on, while former co-publishing director Rich Johnson left the company as part of the reorganization. Mr. Hassler is the former buyer of manga and graphic novels at Borders and is a pioneer in retailing for developing the U.S. manga market; he was also named the “most powerful man in manga” by pop culture trade news site ICv2 in 2006. Hassler now directs and oversees the publishing program of Yen Press.
What this means is that Hachette has created a new division focusing on these imprints, where now Hassler as head of Yen Press will report to the v-p and publisher of Orbit. From the consumer’s point of view, nothing will change: the Yen Press logo will still remain on the books, and Yen Press will still be a separate entity under one umbrella. The reorganization comes in recognition of the many similarities between the Yen Press and the Orbit books, audiences, and buyers. Since Hachette already handles the marketing, that will remain the same as well.
Source: PW Comics Week, Nov. 3, 2008
