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Jo Hardacre is leaving HarperCollins to begin a freelance venture.
The PR director of the Children’s Division is leaving today (22nd June) to open her own agency, Jo Hardacre PR.
She revealed that it had been a “difficult decision” after an “amazing time” at HarperCollins and more than 20 years in the PR industry.
“I wanted a better work/ life balance and to spend more time children, " she told The Bookseller. "This [decision to go freelance] is exciting and terrifying at the same time. It was a difficult decision because you have to take a leap of faith. I am going to give it a year and see how it goes."
She added: "I still want to work exclusively on publishing campaigns but I want to work a bit with fewer authors and more closely with them.”
Hardacre said she had enjoyed her time at HarperCollins. “I have had an amazing time and I have learned masses. I have met a number of people I never met including David Baddiel, Quentin Blake and David Walliams,” she said.
The publicist has spent a year with HarperCollins and formerly worked at boutique firm, Angel PR (now part of the PC Agency) where she was shortlisted for the PPC's Children's Book Award for her work on How to Train Your Dragon 12: How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury by Cressida Cowell (Hodder Children's Books). Before this she was Egmont’s head of PR.
The Bookseller understands that a replacement has not yet been confirmed.
To contact Hardacre in her new role, email hardacrejo@gmail.com.