“Shocking as it was, Jonathan’s departure had no enmity,” said Twelve associate publisher Cary Goldstein, speaking to PW over the weekend following a “crazy week” in which founding Twelve editor Jonathan Karp resigned in order to become publisher at Simon & Schuster, replacing David Rosenthal. Goldstein, in the midst of coordinating a publicity blitz and media tour for Christopher Hitchens, whose memoir, Hitch-22, hit last week, is now in the position of holding the fort, along with two remaining staffers—Karp’s assistant Colin Shepherd and Goldstein’s assistant, Sonya Safro.
Twelve, of course, is the boutique imprint within the Grand Central publishing group. Its model—publishing one book at a time, approximately a dozen a year--has proven to be a great success, with numerous bestsellers. Grand Central executive v-p and publisher Jamie Raab, to whom Karp reported, is currently looking for a replacement for Karp.
“I am not looking for a Karp clone,” said Raab. “I am looking for an editor with a vision and superb taste who can mold the list in his or her own image. Jon left it in very good shape; we have books planned into 2012 and beyond. I am reassuring agents and editors of our commitment. I am not worried.”
Raab said she has heard from several interested people and thinks she will be able to “move quickly” to fill the position. “It’s a plum job with the title of publisher and a lot of control. “ She said that the vaunted Twelve model—a small well-selected list with big marketing muscle—is a proven winner, but that a new dynamic editor will be expected to build a list “that reflects his or her tastes and strengths.” Raab is also reassured that, as she put it, “Cary is still here,” the former FSG publicist who has been at Twelve since its inception in 2005. She called Goldstein “my secret weapon— a strong editor and the strongest publicist I have ever met.”
Said Goldstein, “ Yes, we've been decapitated, but we will grow a new head. We are well set up for next season, through The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore in February,” the highly touted first novel about a chimpanzee that Goldstein acquired and edited. “Jonathan’s loss is enormous, but the imprint was not eponymous. By definition—although it has been personality-driven—it is above all a model for a way to publish. It may have started as an experiment, but we have figured it out. The model is still here. The model can outlive the personality.”
