Start Publishing president Jarred Weisfeld moved quickly to replace Brenda Knight as publisher of the company’s Cleis Press and Viva Editions imprints, appointing industry veteran Karen Thomas to oversee both units.
In addition, Weisfeld announced that Start is moving Cleis’s offices to Jersey City, where Start is based. Cleis is currently based in Berkeley, Calif., and that office will close by the end of the year.
Thomas, who starts June 15, has worked on the editorial side at several publishing houses, and was the founding editor of Kensington Publishing’s Dafina Books imprint. She has a strong background in the romance category, but has worked extensively with general fiction and nonfiction. “We are pleased to have Karen Thomas join us because she shares our commitment to inclusive audiences,” Weisfeld said. Under Thomas, both Cleis and Viva Editions will retain their focus on their respective categories.
Weisfeld said he doesn’t expect the transition from Knight (who resigned May 19) to Thomas, or the office relocation, to disrupt Cleis’s publishing schedule.
Moving forward, Meghan Kilduff will have dual roles as publisher of Start Publishing and head of production for Cleis and Viva Editions. Mia Amato, who recently joined Cleis as marketing director, will be in the New Jersey office, while Julian Segal, who works in sales, will remain in San Francisco.
