Anne Messitte, publisher of Vintage Anchor Books, has been promoted to executive v-p of the Knopf Doubleday Group. The promotion comes, unsurprisingly, after the worldwide success of E.L. James's erotic trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey, which Messitte acquired for Vintage. According to published reports, Messitte bought the series, which initially took off virally, after colleagues gave her the first title in the trilogy. The promotion takes effect immediately.
Messitte has been the publisher at Vintage since 1999 and, in a release about her promotion, Sonny Mehta, chairman and publisher of the group, said since her tenure at the imprint has "realized enormous growth in sales and market-share." The publisher added that her "deep understanding of our business and its continuing evolution has enabled [her] to nurture the careers of so many of our most esteemed writers, as well as direct one of the best teams in publishing."
In her new position Messitte will be, Mehta explained, "broadening the strategic role she plays in our publishing group" and ultimately looking to "define opportunities and manage change." Messitte will maintain the responsibilities she currently has for Vintage Anchor, continuing to oversee its editorial, publicity and marketing departments.
