Michael Shoults Promoted to CEO of Hachette Book Group US Distribution
New York, NY (March 10, 2026) – Matt Wright, CEO of Hachette Book Group (HBG) US Distribution, announced today the promotion of Michael Shoults to CEO of HBG US Distribution. Shoults’ promotion comes as Wright steps up to Chief Financial Officer, Hachette UK, following the retirement of Pierre de Cacqueray after 29 years with the company. Shoults will continue to report into Wright in his new role.
“Mike is a visionary, his enthusiasm is infectious, and I am delighted that we will continue to work together on the next stage in becoming the undisputed market leader,” Wright said. “Mike has transformed the levels of service and communication at HBG US Distribution in the past year, and I have no doubt that he will excel equally in his new role of CEO.”
David Shelley, CEO of HBG and Hachette UK, also highlighted Shoults’ dedication to innovating HBG’s distribution. “Mike Shoults has made an enormous impact on our distribution business since he began in 2025. He is passionately devoted to making our distribution services better all the time, and his energy and vision are remarkable.”
After a year in his role as HBG US Distribution COO, Shoults will now also lead HBG’s distribution business for their portfolio of client publishers, including Abrams, Chronicle, Yen Press, Quarto, Lonely Planet, as well as Stable Distribution.
“I am deeply honored by the trust that David and Matt have placed in me to lead as CEO. I must recognize my outstanding team, whose talent, passion, and seamless partnership have driven our success,” Shoults said. “Together, we have built a culture of true care and results that our clients rely on every day. As we step into this next chapter, I’m energized to accelerate our momentum, deepen client partnerships, and unlock new levels of impact for everyone we serve to discover a new world of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity.”
Before his time at HBG, Shoults led teams in a host of different arenas and disciplines for more than 20 years, including in the US Army, where, in 2005, he was commissioned as a lieutenant and served eight years, including multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Following an honorable discharge from the military, Shoults joined Amazon, GameStop, and a private equity startup formerly known as Heyday.
About Hachette Book Group US Distribution:
Hachette Book Group US Distribution is a division of Hachette Book Group. We are a global business and one of the largest publishing groups in the USA, delivering books and other media worldwide to customers from our facilities in Lebanon, Indiana.
About Hachette Book Group:
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading U.S. general-interest book publisher made up of dozens of esteemed imprints within the publishing groups Basic Books Group, Grand Central Publishing Group, Hachette Audio, Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Orbit, Workman Publishing, and Running Press Group. We also provide custom distribution, fulfillment, and sales services to several publishing companies.
Our books and authors have received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Booker Prize, Nobel Prize, James Beard Award, and other major honors.
We are committed to diversity in our company and our publishing programs, and to fostering a culture of inclusion for all our employees and authors. We are proud to be part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third-largest trade and educational publisher.
Visit hachettebookgroup.com to learn more about HBG imprints. For updated news follow HBG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, X.com, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Press Contact: Gabrielle Gambrell, gabrielle.gambrell@hbgusa.com
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