A Korean-American woman has been named president and publisher of the major publishing company Little, Brown & Company. Sally Kim, previously Senior Vice President of Publishing at G.P. Putnam’s Sons, has been appointed President and Publisher of Little, Brown & Company, according to Publishers Weekly.
Kim is set to take over as president on March 4, the publication reports. “She is a brilliant editor as well as a publisher. I believe that Sally will be a visionary leader for Little, Brown and will help this most revered of publishing houses embark on an exciting new stage of its journey,” said David Shelley, CEO of Hachette UK, Little, Brown & Company’s parent group, in a statement.
“Like so many in book publishing, I’ve spent a lifetime reading and revering Little, Brown’s books and authors; they were what drew me, an LA kid, to dare to make the leap to New York publishing all those years ago,” Kim said in a statement. She also mentioned, “Joining Little, Brown to help evolve its enviable legacy of finding and nurturing new voices at this, one of the most vibrant times in our industry and culture, is an incredible opportunity and truly an honor.”
Previously honored with the Poets & Writers Editor’s Award in 2022, Kim has been recognized for her contributions to literary publishing over a sustained period.
In her acceptance speech, she recounted, “My father, who was born and raised in South Korea, immigrated to the United States in 1969 with only $60 in his pocket. It was a hard life as an immigrant, but he never took it for granted and always felt lucky,” said Kim. She expressed gratitude for this new opportunity and her intention to continue expanding her work as a publisher to discover great authors and books with positive messages.
Before joining Little, Brown, Kim was Editorial Director at Touchstone/Simon & Schuster and held editor roles at HarperCollins, the Crown Publishing Group, and St. Martin’s Press, starting her career at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency nearly 30 years ago. She has acquired edited books by numerous bestselling authors, including Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, which sold over two million copies within nine months; Lisa Unger, who received several literary awards such as the Strand Critics Award and the Goodreads Choice Award; and Ann Leary, Courtney Maum, and Jami Attenberg, whose The Good House has been translated into 19 languages and published globally.
Meanwhile, Little, Brown & Company, founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown and headquartered in Boston, has published notable books such as Madeline Miller’s Circe, acclaimed by The Washington Post, Newsweek, and People magazine as a Best Fantasy Book, and Transcription by Kate Atkinson, celebrated by Stephen King.
BY YEJIN KIM, JUNHAN PARK [kim.yejin3@koreadaily.com]
