HarperCollins has lured Hyperion Editorial Director Donna Bray and Executive Editor Alessandra Balzer away with the promise of an eponymous imprint, to be called Balzer & Bray. They begin work at HarperCollins on 5 May. Last week, Bob Miller—the founder of Hyperion’s adult group—made the jump.
Balzer & Bray is scheduled to debut in Autumn 2009, publishing everything from picture books to YA titles. The two have announced that the list will reflect the same work they’ve been doing at Hyperion. The duo’s genre connections include Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl and Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus trilogy. Among the many other books they’ve worked on, Bray was the editor who launched the Baby Einstein book publishing program at Hyperion.
Obviously, there is no word yet on which, if any, authors will follow them.
Jeanne Mosure, the senior vice president and publisher of Global Children’s Books for Disney Publishing Worldwide, said she will be looking for replacements for Balzer and Bray, and that the departures are not a sign of trouble at her division. “Hyperion is not going away,” she said, noting that the division just reported the two best quarters in its history. “Unfortunately change happens, but we’re here to stay.”
Mosure also announced that Hyperion is changing its name to Disney-Hyperion, effective January 2009. Director of Publicity Jennifer Levine said the name change is a way to better associate the two brands together. “The company is really proud of Hyperion and wanted to associate it more closely with Disney,” she said.