Butler, Fessenden to Retire from Penguin
Penguin Publishing Group has announced the retirement of senior v-p Leigh Butler and Hal Fessenden, v-p and director of subsidiary rights for Viking, Riverhead, and Penguin Press.
Butler began her 45-year career at Penguin in 1977 as a Viking rights assistant. She has overseen rights for nearly 30 adult and children's imprints at PRH and has worked to secure deals for such authors as Hannah Arendt, Agatha Christie, John Green, Eric Carle, and Stephen King.
Fessenden arrived at Penguin in 1987, after six years in the rights department at FSG. He has worked with such authors as Sue Monk Kidd, Geraldine Brooks, Alan Greenspan, Barbra Streisand, Bessel van der Kolk, and Deb Harkness