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Hachette UK is restructuring its children’s division under managing director Ruth Alltimes. This includes phasing out five existing imprints and adding three imprints: Starboard for middle-grade fiction; Tempest for YA and crossover titles; and Blyton Books which will be the new home for the Enid Blyton arm of the publisher.

Meanwhile, the company will phase out Hodder Children’s, Orion Children’s, Quercus Children’s, Pat-a-Cake and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Lucy Pearse will lead the fiction and Blyton teams, Hannah Ray will lead the preschool and picture book teams; and Paul Rockett will lead the non-fiction, education and custom teams.

Orchard Books, Wren & Rook, Franklin Watts and Wayland, and Laurence King Publishing will continue, while Welbeck Children’s Books will become a B2B custom children’s publishing imprint.

Alltimes said in a release, “We are so proud to have grown from the coming together of several incredible children’s imprints over the years. We are committed to raising readers and hooking them into reading for fun, whatever their age, stage or interest, and these revised imprints allow us to create meaningful homes for every type of book we publish, every author, illustrator and brand.”

Publishing director Jenny Tyler will take an advisory role after 50 years with the company, serving as “Professor of Publishing.” She will advice Nicola Usborne and senior business management, focus on product development and new business opportunities, and manage the backlist.

Sam Taplin is promoted to publishing director, responsible for baby, pre-school, activity, novelty and non-fiction publishing, reporting to Nicola Usborne.

The organization has created new Resident Director roles for its literary programs “to provide creative direction.” The first appointees are poet, critic and Atlantic editor Adam Kirsch for the Whiting Award for Emerging Writers and nonfiction author Peter Godwin for the Whiting Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress.

Following yesterday’s sweeping layoffs at the Washington Post, longtime book critic Ron Charles has launched a Substack. He writes in his first post, “Ironically, I received my layoff notice from Human Resources while I was eating one of the two remaining Harry & David pears that The Post sent to celebrate my 20th anniversary at the paper.”

TV producer Joy Gorman’s (13 Reasons Why; Little House on the Prairie) company Joy Coalition has a new imprint with hybrid publisher Rise (distributed by Simon & Schuster), launching with the suspense novel, The Revenge Party, by Emily Paulson in May. Gorman also serves as a consultant to Rise.

Tom Booth will retire from his position as director of Oregon State University Press at the end of February. He has been with the press for 33 years.

“It has been an honor to work alongside the exceptional Press staff and I’m grateful for our dedicated community of publishing partners—authors, faculty editorial board members, booksellers, librarians, donors, and readers,” he said in a release. “The work of publishing peer-reviewed scholarship from diverse voices and viewpoints is extremely vital right now, so I’m eager to see where an energetic new director takes the Press.”

Emily Forney has been promoted to senior literary agent.

John Paolello has joined as development manager.