January 26, 2022
Michael Pietsch, Chief Executive Officer of Hachette Book Group, Elected Chairman, AAP Board of Directors
Julia Reidhead, Chairman and President of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., Elected Vice Chairman, AAP Board of Directors
Washington, DC — The Association of American Publishers (AAP) announced today that its Directors have elected Michael Pietsch Chairman of the Board for the 2022-2023 term, and elected Julia Reidhead, Chairman and President of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., Vice Chairman, AAP Board of Directors. In addition, Blaise R. Simqu, CEO, SAGE Publications, has joined the Board as an appointed Director.
Mr. Pietsch, who is Chief Executive Officer of Hachette Book Group, previously served as Vice Chairman of the Board for the 2021-2022 term. He has served on the AAP Board since 2013.
Ms. Reidhead is Chairman and President of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. (photo credit: Beowulf Sheehan)
The Board has also re-elected Jeremy North, Managing Director, Books, Taylor & Francis, to continue in the role of Treasurer.
Brian Napack, President and CEO of John Wiley & Sons, who served as AAP Chairman from 2020-2022, transitions to Immediate Past Chairman.
“Throughout its history, AAP has been governed by a Board of Directors committed to preserving an independent and innovative publishing industry for the benefit of current and future societies,” commented AAP President and CEO Maria A. Pallante. “With Michael Pietsch and Julia Reidhead assuming pivotal, leadership roles, this organization remains poised to address the numerous and serious public policy challenges that threaten the vitality of publishing across all sectors.
“As we start a new year, we are indebted to outgoing Chairman Brian Napack and his team at Wiley for exceptional service to AAP’s membership during a global pandemic, and for Brian’s steadfast belief in the power of publishing to foster progress in the world. We also recognize Pearson’s Tim Bozik who cycles off of the executive committee this month after nearly five years of service as a Board officer.”
“AAP is engaged in a series of critical initiatives that go straight to the heart of how we value, protect, and incentivize authors and publishers,” commented Michael Pietsch. “It is an honor to stand with my Board colleagues and the entire AAP team as we fight to preserve the foundational copyright principles that have served culture, education, and the economy for so long.”
“I have long admired AAP’s mission-based approach, and since joining the Board, my respect for its work has only grown,” commented Julia Reidhead. “Now, as I assume the role of Vice Chairman, I look forward to becoming even more active in supporting AAP’s mission to safeguard free expression, support strong copyright protections, and ensure that publishers can compete fairly in the modern marketplace.”
About Michael Pietsch
Michael Pietsch is Chief Executive Officer of Hachette Book Group, a leading US publisher of books for general readers and the U.S. division of Hachette Livre, the world’s third largest publisher of trade and educational books. As CEO since 2013, Michael has overseen the acquisitions of Workman Publishing, Perseus Books, Black Dog & Leventhal, and Hyperion Books during a period of growth and transformation for HBG. In previous roles, as Publisher at Little, Brown and Company and in editorial positions at Crown and Scribner, he worked with acclaimed writers including Michael Connelly, Malcolm Gladwell, Stephenie Meyer, Walter Mosley, James Patterson, Keith Richards, J.K. Rowling, Stacy Schiff, David Sedaris, Donna Tartt, David Foster Wallace, and Malala Yousafzai. Michael continues to edit, and his passion for the essential partnership between writers and publishers is the foundation of his work as CEO. He serves also on the boards of PEN America and Poets & Writers.
About Julia Reidhead
Julia A. Reidhead is Chairman and President of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, the largest independent and employee-owned book publishing firm in the United States. She is the first woman to lead the company and to oversee all of its departments, including College, Trade, Norton Ltd., W. W. Norton Canada, and the imprints Liveright, Countryman Press, Norton Professional Books, and Norton Young Readers. Ms. Reidhead previously served as Vice President and Publishing Director of Norton’s College Department, where, for more than 30 years, she was the principal in-house editor of the lauded Norton Anthologies, among them The Norton Anthology of English Literature and first editions of The Norton Shakespeare, The Norton Anthology of African American Literature and The Norton Anthology of World Religions. On the Trade side, Ms. Reidhead has edited works by Adrienne Rich,Elizabeth Samet, Pauli Murray, Russell Shorto, and Anne Enright. Ms. Reidhead serves on the board of the National Book Foundation as well as the Association of American Publishers and chairs the Board of Governors of Yale University Press.
About AAP
AAP | The Association of American Publishers represents the leading book, journal, and education publishers in the United States on matters of law and policy, advocating for outcomes that incentivize the publication of creative expression, professional content, and learning solutions. As essential participants in local markets and the global economy, our members invest in and inspire the exchange of ideas, transforming the world we live in one word at a time. Find us online at publishers.org or on Twitter and Instagram at @AmericanPublish.