Five-year-old independent house Amberjack Publishing has made a major change in its upper editorial ranks.
Following the recent departure of publisher Dayna Anderson and managing editor Cassandra Farrin, the Idaho-based company named Justin Mitson publishing director. At press time, Amberjack did not reply to any email sent yesterday afternoon seeking comment on why Anderson and Farrin left. Anderson had been tapped to join the IBPA board of directors in July.
Prior to joining Amberjack, Mitson was an executive at the technology company Micron Corp.; he is also the author of eight books. He will oversee all operations of the publishing company, which was founded in 2014.
Since its launch, Amberjack has published 83 titles for both the adult and children's markets. In a press release, Amberjack said it plans to publish 12 titles this year, although its website said it is not accepting any new submissions. The publisher's books have been reviewed in several trade publications and its Girl Boner: The Good Girl’s Guide to Sexual Empowerment by August McLaughlin was reviewed in the New York Times Book Review.
The publisher has been distributed by IPG since the beginning of 2019, and its CEO gave the company a vote of confidence in a prepared statement. “IPG is committed to helping Amberjack grow now and in the future, and I have every confidence in the direction they’re taking,” said IPG's Joe Matthews.
A spokesperson for Amberjack said as it began the transition from Midpoint to IPG for distribution at the beginning of the year, it was falling behind in reviewing submissions, so it closed the process, With the current editorial transitions taking place, the spokesperson added, "we have left our submissions closed for the time being, and in a few weeks, will reassess. We intend on leaving submissions closed while we re-staff the editorial team, but are hoping to have those submissions back open as quickly as possible."
Editor's note: The story has been updated with information from Amberjack.
