In its first major move since being acquired by KKR, Simon & Schuster announced that longtime Little, Brown editor-in-chief Judy Clain will join S&S as senior v-p and publisher of Summit Books, with a mandate to revive and refocus the imprint. During its run from 1976 1991, Summit Books published what S&S called a list of such authors of “international stature” as James Baldwin, Marilyn French, Oliver Sacks, and Elie Wiesel. The new Summit will build on that legacy for a 21st century audience, S&S said.
Clain, who will move to S&S January 16, first joined LB in 1998, and was named editor-in-chief in 2011. The list of acclaimed authors she has edited includes Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar, Going There by Katie Couric, Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron, When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin, Chaos by Tom O’Neill, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, and I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. Among the bestselling novels she has edited are Room by Emma Donoghue,The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand, The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson, and Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.
“It’s very exciting to start a new chapter of my career with the reinvention of the Summit Books imprint. I love the ambition and spirit it promised,” Clain said in a statement. “Its illustrious literary history embodies a diversity and broadminded thinking that aligns with the books I’d like to publish in the future. The new Summit has limitless potential to publish bold and international fiction and nonfiction. I hope to build a platform that will give readers an expansive view of the world.”
The announcement of Clain's appointment was made by S&S CEO Jonathan Karp, who said in a statement that, “having worked alongside Judy in the past, I know what a great colleague she is and how much we will benefit from her perspective, experience, spirit, and creativity.” Karp added: “Summit Books has a distinguished history, and there is no better person than Judy to lead this revival of such a storied publishing brand. I look forward to working directly with Judy on this exciting relaunch.”
Summit will be part of the flagship Simon & Schuster Publishing Group, and Clain will be hiring a staff. First books are expected out in 2025. Clain will also take on a leadership role in the publisher’s international publishing efforts, working with S&S staff in the U.S. and beyond to attract authors to the company.
The announcement of Clain’s move follows the November 14 news that Little, Brown parent company Hachette Book Group is being put into a new English-language management structure by Hachette Livre, which will be headed by Hachette UK CEO David Shelley. HBG CEO Michael Pietsch was named chairman of the group. Clain said she “will be forever grateful” to Pietsch and the LB team for her time at the publisher.
