Hayley Wagreich has joined Zando as Director of Original Development

January 9, 2023–Hayley Wagreich has joined Zando as Director of Original Development. Zando, the new independent book publisher founded in October 2020, works in partnership with influential creators, organizations, and institutions to discover and publish titles under their own imprints. 

Reporting to Zando founder and CEO Molly Stern, Wagreich will spearhead the launch of Zando Projects, a new program within Zando focused on developing original books in collaboration with Zando’s publishing partners, which include Gillian Flynn, Lena Waithe, John Legend, Sarah Jessica Parker, The Atlantic, Crooked Media, and Ayesha Curry. Under the Zando Projects umbrella, Wagreich will engage writers to develop work across genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and paper products aligned with a Zando partner’s brand and mission. The partners will serve as inspiration for these original works, and will collaborate with the Zando team on ideation as well as powerful promotional efforts to connect these original projects with readers.

About joining Zando, Wagreich said, “I am thrilled and delighted to join the phenomenal team at Zando. I look forward to collaborating with Zando’s partners and editors to craft a slate of titles that support this diverse and incredible array of imprints, and elevate a roster of talented writers and creators in the process.”

Wagreich joins Zando from Realm, the #1 producer of scripted podcasts, where she was Head of Content and oversaw show development for the studio, including the Webby-winning If I Go Missing The Witches Did It, Audie-winning The Haunting of Beatrix Greene, along with eight of the most downloaded fiction shows on Apple. Prior to that, Hayley was an editor at Alloy Entertainment and Disney Hyperion, where she ideated, edited, and shepherded multiple New York Times bestsellers and award-winners, including the National Book Award Finalist American Street, Printz Honor Code Name Verity, and #1 New York Times bestseller Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine. During her career, she has also negotiated and overseen co-development deals of beloved entertainment brands, including Marvel, DC, Orphan Black, The Vampire Diaries, and the world of John Carpenter.

Wagreich’s official start date was January 3, 2023. She can be reached at: hwagreich@zandoprojects.com.