Tim O’Connell has been promoted from VP and editorial director of fiction at the flagship Simon & Schuster imprint to VP and publisher of Saga Press, the speculative fiction imprint. He will continue to acquire literary fiction and select nonfiction for the S&S list, and will report to Sean Manning, the newly named VP and publisher of the S&S imprint.
“My first fiction publication was Charles Yu’s How to Live Safely in A Science Fictional Universe, and science fiction and fantasy have always been central parts of my list,” said O’Connell in a statement. “This is a tremendous opportunity to continue to build upon the fabulous Saga legacy, which is already decorated with award winners and bestsellers.”
Along with Yu, the speculative fiction authors edited and published by O'Connell include Naomi Alderman, Paolo Bacigalupi, B. Catling, Ted Chiang, Omar El Akkad, Karin Tidbeck, Debbie Urbanski, and Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. Forthcoming titles acquired by O'Connell for Saga include Daryl Gregory’s When We Were Real, Eric LaRocca’s The Unbecoming of Porcelain Khaw, and Damien Ober’s Voidverse.
In addition, Joe Monti, who founded Saga in 2015, has been promoted to VP, associate publisher, and editorial director, reporting to O’Connell. The former Barnes & Noble buyer, literary agent, and sales rep has worked with such authors as Tananarive Due, Charlaine Harris, Stephen Graham Jones, Ken Liu, Rebecca Roanhorse, R. A. Salvatore, and Andrew Joseph White.
“As Saga Press approaches our tenth anniversary, we have entered a new and exciting phase of growth,” said Monti. “This is a continuation of what I always hoped the imprint might become with a full and dedicated team of passionate genre expertise at every level.”
Ella Laythem has also joined Saga Press as art director. She moves to Saga from Penguin Random House, and started her publishing career as a designer for Atria/Gallery. Book covers she has designed include All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers, A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, and Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid. Laythem will report to S&S art director Jackie Seow.
“Since the Saga Press team joined Simon & Schuster in 2023, I’ve been awed by their deep expertise and inspired by their unabashed geeking out over their work,” Manning said in a statement. “Genre is now the hottest market in the literary landscape, and this growth ensures our commitment to leading the way.”
