In a shifting of the guard at Clarkson Potter, Pam Krauss will be replacing Lauren Shakely in the top post of the Crown imprint. Shakely, who is currently senior v-p and publisher of the Clarkson Potter group--it includes Potter Craft, Potter Style and Watson-Guptill--is leaving Random House at the end of December. Krauss, who was at Potter until she left in 2008 for Rodale, will be stepping into the v-p/publisher job in January.
Shakely joined Potter in 1987 from Rizzoli, and was named v-p and publisher in 2002. Krauss, who was one of the last members of the editorial team Karen Rinaldi had brought in at Rodale, had been at Potter for over 20 years before she decamped for Rodale. At Potter Krauss worked with a number of well known authors, particualrly those in the culinary world, including Ina Garten, Tyler Florence and Alice Waters.
In a memo annnouncing the transition, Crown president and publisher Maya Mavjee, said Krauss's mandate "will be to further extend Clarkson Potter’s market-leading position as the preeminent publisher of cookbooks and entertaining, design, and gardening titles, and to drive the continuing digital transition of our illustrated publishing program in those core categories."
Upon Krauss's return, Doris Cooper, v-p editorial director, Clarkson Potter and Potter Style, will report to her, while Victoria Craven Since editorial director, Potter Craft and Watson-Guptill, will report to Mavjee.
