Rick Wolff, who was laid off from Hachette in June as part of a downsizing at the publisher, has been hired by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to start a new line of business books. Wolff, a respected business editor who founded Hachette's Business Plus imprint (which was shuttered in the downsizing), will join HMH as senior executive editor, and will aim to publish approximately 10-15 titles annually.

Before founding Business Plus, Wolff launched Warner Business; he has worked with a number of notable business authors, from Jack Welch to Robert Kiyosaki. One of the more iconic business editors in the industry, Wolff, HMH noted, has edited over 50 bestselling business books.

Speaking to Wolff's hire, Bruce Nichols, senior v-p and president at HMH, said: "I have long wanted to expand our business publishing here at HMH, and Rick is the perfect person to lead that effort. His experience is unparalleled, and his track record speaks for itself."

Wolff will start at HMH on September 15, working out of the publisher's New York office.