Key Personnel Changes Take Place At Three Major Houses

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June 14 – June 21, 2006 Edition

Key Personnel

Changes Take Place

At Three Major Houses

NEW YORK, NY/6/13/07-­Key editorial personnel changes have taken place in recent weeks at three top New York publishing houses, including Random House, HarperCollins, and Penguin Press. Publicity and marketing job changes were also announced at HarperCollins Canada.

Random House Publishing Group’s senior vice president and executive editor-in-chief , Dan Menaker is stepping down to turn to his own writing and editorial work.

HarperCollins has named Steve Ross president and publisher of HarperCollins’s Collins U.S. division. He joins HC from his position as senior vice president and publisher Crown, a division of Random House.

The Penguin Press has named Eamon Dolan editor-in-chief effective July 9. He comes from his post as editor-in-chief of Houghton Mifflin.

Dan Menaker, age 65, is considered one of the best literary editors in publishing. He will continue to edit selected titles, according to Gina Centrello, president and publisher of the Random House Publishing Group. As a result of his departure, Kate Medina, executive vice president and executive editorial director of the Random House hardcover imprint, will also serve as associate publisher of the Group. Tom Perry, vice president and associate publisher of the Group, has been named senior vice president and deputy publisher. Jennifer Hershey, vice president and editorial director of the Random House imprints, has been elevated to senior vice president and editorial director of Random House. Kurt Andersen will join the Group as editor-at-large, to acquire high-profile nonfiction projects in politics, culture and science.

According to Gina Centrello, the Group’s literary focus will remain the same.

Before joining Random House in 1995, Menaker served at the New Yorker for 26 years. He left Random House in 2001 for a brief stay at HarperCollins before returning to random House in 2003.

At HarperCollins, Steve Ross will fill the role as president and publisher, left vacant with the departure of Joe Tessitore. Ross’s appointment will be effective in July and he will report to Brian Murray, president of HarperCollins Worldwide. Ross’s role at HarperCollins will be to build the US division, which includes Wellness and Lifestyle, Collins Business, Collins Design, Reference and Smithsonian imprints.

At The Penguin Press, Emon Dolan succeeds Scott Moyers, who will become director of the Wylie Agency. Dolan, who served as editor-in-chief at Houghton Mifflin, will report to Penguin Press publisher Ann Godoff.

At HarperCollins Canada, a number of changes have taken place in the marketing and promotion departments. Shelley Tangney has been promoted to marketing director for adult trade books for both the Canadian and UK imprints. Rob Firing is the new director of publicity and communications, in addition to a continuing management role for the publicity group. Leo MacDonald and Eric Jensen have been promoted from senior sales positions, MacDonald as v-p, sales, and Jensen as v-p, marketing.