Hachette Livre, the largest publisher in France, is launching two new SF and Fantasy imprints in the United States and Australia: Orbit USA and Orbit Australia. Hachette Livre purchased Orbit, the United Kingdom SF and fantasy imprint of the Little, Brown Book Group (formerly Time Warner Book Group) earlier this year. The new imprints will give Orbit a major presence in the three largest English language markets in the world.

Orbit USA will be launched by the Hachette Book Group USA and incorporated into its Little, Brown division under Publisher Michael Pietsch. Orbit Australia will form part of Hachette Livre Australia.

Orbit USA will be run by Tim Holman, currently Publishing Director of Orbit in the UK. Holman will be relocating to New York in July. He will also oversee the development of Orbit Australia, where an editor will be appointed to manage the local publishing. Both imprints, expected to launch within the next 12-18 months, will have a significant impact on SF and Fantasy publishing in their respective markets.

Holman will also continue as Publishing Director of Orbit UK and teen fiction imprint Atom. Darren Nash (currently Senior Editor) will be promoted to Editorial Director and George Walkley (currently Marketing and Publicity Manager) will be promoted to Business Manager. An additional Orbit UK editor will also be appointed.

Tim Holman commented on the expansion: "Many of the challenges facing SF and Fantasy publishers are the same in the UK, USA and Australia - and many SF and Fantasy writers have truly international appeal.

"The success of Orbit in the UK over recent years would not have been possible if we had not published so many great writers from around the world, so the launch of Orbit USA and Orbit Australia is particularly exciting.

"This move will, of course, put us in an extremely strong position to offer global English-language publishing opportunities, while aspiring to publishing excellence in each market. I am hugely looking forward to working with new colleagues in both the USA and Australia, and strengthening ties between all of the Hachette Livre SF and Fantasy publishers."

Malcolm Edwards, Managing Director of Hachette Livre Australia, added: "This is a very exciting development, both for Hachette Livre Australia and for the growing pool of very talented Science Fiction and Fantasy authors in both Australia and New Zealand.

"It is rare for large publishers to combine, in such a single minded way, to nurture talent, with the express intention of giving authors the very real opportunity of being published globally, and we are very much looking forward to being part of this pioneering approach."

Posted May 30, 2006