Holt president and publisher Steve Rubin wrote Wednesday, “It is my great pleasure to announce that I have found my successor. His name is [Razorbill publisher] Ben Schrank and, effective November 1, he will become senior vice president and publisher of Henry Holt, reporting to me.” They will “work hand in hand” for six months and on May 1, Schrank will become president and publisher, reporting to Don Weisberg. Rubin will become chairman, also reporting to Weisberg, “working with specific authors and perhaps even occasionally acquiring projects.”
Rubin notes, “I have been doing this job for many moons, both at Macmillan and Random House, and I think the time has come for a fresh pair of eyes to look at our publishing program and to reinvigorate the splendid people who make the magic happen….What attracted me to Ben, beyond his quiet charm and intense intelligence, is that a good portion of Razorbill’s intellectual properties are internally generated. One of the few frustrations I have experienced at Holt is that we are too reliant on outside-originated properties.” As both an author and publisher, “Ben impressed me as having the perfect open sensibility for Holt’s unpredictable boutique style publishing program.”
Rubin notes that running Holt has “not only granted me enormous personal joy, but has resulted in record-breaking profits,” thanks in part to the creation of “one of the most successful nonfiction franchises in publishing history, the Killing Series of Bill O’Reilly” and capped this year by “Michael Wolff’s game changing Fire and Fury.” He adds, “Of course none of this could have happened without the tight-knit Holt dream team of Gillian Blake, Maggie Richards, and Sara Bershtel, all of whom are brilliant at their jobs, and the hugely talented folks at our various service departments. Holt is lean, mean and lots of fun.”
In turn, Putnam Children’s vp and publisher Jen Klonsky takes the new position of president and publisher of both Putnam Children’s and Razorbill. Newly reporting to Klonsky is Casey McIntyre, who has been promoted to vp, publisher, Razorbill.