Mary Ann Naples will join Hachette Book Group as v-p and publisher of its Hachette Books imprint effective April 22. She will report to Susan Weinberg, senior v-p and publisher of Perseus Books, the division that is home to Hachette Books.
Naples succeeds Hachette Books cofounder Mauro DiPreta, who left the imprint last fall and has since rejoined HarperCollins. She will be responsible for the direction and publishing operations at Hachette Books, and will oversee its growth as a commercial nonfiction imprint. She will also oversee the ongoing integration of the Hachette Books imprint with Da Capo Press and Lifelong, which were combined at the end of 2018. The imprint's editorial, marketing, publicity, and design teams will report to Naples.
"Mary Ann Naples is a strategic thinker, an energized leader, and a great collaborator with authors and with the many groups publishers work through to realize their vision," Michael Pietsch, CEO of HBG, said in a statement. "Authors, literary agents, booksellers, librarians, and media will quickly sense the breadth and force of her publishing skills."
Naples comes to Hachette from the Disney Book Group, where she was v-p and publisher, and led publishing operations for Disney Publishing Worldwide. Bestselling authors Naples has worked with over her years include Rick Riordan, Mo Willems, Eoin Colfer, Alexandra Bracken, Melissa de la Cruz, and Robert Beatty. Formerly, Naples was senior v-p and publisher of Rodale Books and Rodale Wellness, and she has also worked in digital start-ups and as a literary agent.
"We have been looking for an innovative leader with strengths in several key areas," Weinberg said in a statement. "Mary Ann Naples has the experience, inspiration and vision to take the newly conceived Hachette Books imprint to new levels of performance and success."
