Former Atria Publishing Group president and publisher Judith Curr‘s new job has finally been announced: she will join HarperCollins on April 2 as president and publisher for Harper One, Amistad, and Rayo, reporting to ceo Brian Murray. In her new role, Curr plans to increase Harper One’s annual publishing output from 50 titles to 120 titles per year, while also growing the Amistad and Rayo trade lists.
“I have always greatly admired Judith’s creative and entrepreneurial approach to publishing, evidenced by The Secret exploding into a cultural phenomenon, and Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove climbing bestseller lists around the world,” Murray said in the announcement. “Her ability to achieve broad success across a wide range of genres is remarkable, and her focus on publishing books that help shape the culture in positive ways makes her a perfect leader for the Harper One group. Judith brings tremendous experience, passion and energy to the next set of global blockbusters across HarperCollins offices around the world.”
Curr commented: “I have great respect for Brian Murray, particularly his global vision. My role—to build upon the already successful and diverse HarperCollins imprints—perfectly combines my passions in publishing. It comes at a time when publishing is full of opportunities and challenges, and as new voices and readerships are emerging both globally and locally.”