Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has hired Tumblr's director of publisher outreach, Rachel Fershleiser, to take on the newly created position of executive director of audience development, effective June 20. Fershleiser will report to HMH's v-p and executive marketing director Adriana Rizzo.
Speaking to the hire, HMH trade publishing president Ellen Archer said Fershleiser “has a great passion for books and authors and will play a key role in expanding HMH’s social media presence, while bringing together writers and readers in new ways.”
Fershleiser is a mainstay in New York's digital publishing and literary circuit. At Tumblr, she tightened connections with the book industry, creating the Reblog Book Club and the Great Tumblr Book Search, and supporting more than 100 blog-to-book deals through publication and promotion.
Prior to Tumblr, she worked in various community outreach and public relations roles at companies including Bookish and Housing Works Bookstore Café, and co-created the New York Times bestselling six word memoir series. She serves on boards and advisory committees at organizations including the National Book Foundation, Brooklyn Book Festival, Lit Hub, and Wordstock.
