Renowned UK publisher opens new office near Wapping Wharf

The boss of Hachette UK’s new Bristol office says he feels “energised” by the city’s growing independent bookselling scene and local talent.

The major publisher, which is the second-largest of its kind in the country, has hailed the opening of five new regional premises a “game-changing” moment.

Hachette UK already has a number of authors with links to the city, including Nikesh Shukla, Zakiya McKenzie and Michael Malay, and is seeking to grow its reach in the area.

The office in Merchants House, near Wapping Wharf, is shared with holiday company and travel publisher Sawday’s and opened its doors this week with 13 staff.

It’s part of a major overhaul that will see 60 Hachette UK staff relocate to one of five new national offices over the coming months, with new premises in Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh and Sheffield, as well as Bristol. The aim is to have at least 100 people relocated by 2022 and the publisher has also committed to recruiting locally.

Nick Davies, the managing director at John Murray Press and the first member of the Hachette UK Board to relocate to a national office will lead the Bristol team.

He said: “We’re thrilled to be opening an office in Bristol and immensely grateful to Alastair Sawday, Mike Bevens and the lovely team at Sawdays for giving us such a warm welcome. Bristol is one of the most vibrant and creative cities in the UK and the opportunities are huge.

“We recently launched a wonderful new list of Travel Classics with Bristol-based author Nick Hunt; earlier this week, we announced Earthshot: How to Save our Planet with Jonnie Hughes and Colin Butfield at Bristol-based Studio Silverback; and back in February we signed a magisterial history of slavery by Professor Olivette Otele.

“We’re feeling particularly energised by the growing indie bookselling scene – I’m thinking of StorySmith, Max Minerva, Gloucester Road Books and now bookhaus, which is opening right here on Wapping Wharf. And we’re looking forward to hosting a number of author events later this autumn as a headline sponsor at the Bristol Working Class Writers’ Festival. With all this going on, I’m confident the office will continue to grow and we’re looking forward to hiring great local talent in the months and years ahead.”

Hachette UK publishes a number of authors with links to Bristol, including including Nikesh Shukla – photo by Jess Connett

Those relocating will be from a variety of roles and divisions across the publishing group. Hachette UK bosses say they have also started recruiting locally as part of the company’s commitment to “forging close links with local talent and diversifying its workforce”.

David Shelley, CEO of Hachette UK, added: “‘I am really excited about our national offices, which I hope will provide a gateway into creative talent – authors, illustrators, translators, publishing professionals – around the UK.

“We are ambitious for these offices’ growth and development over the coming years, and we really look forward to working closely with bookshops, libraries, arts organisations and charities in all the cities in which we will be based. I hope it will be a transformative venture for our publishing and widen our horizons in all sorts of exciting new ways.”

Later this year, Hachette UK will be teaming up with partners in the city to host a range of myth-busting sessions for aspiring authors on creative writing, editing and pitching, and the publishing industry in general.

These events form part of the Opening the Book series Hachette UK launched in June to mark the fifth anniversary of its ‘Changing the Story’ diversity and inclusion programme and are being led by Nick Davies, who is also a Patron of ‘Changing the Story’.

Main photo by Ellie Pipe

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