Farrar, Straus and Giroux has named v-p and executive editor Sean McDonald publisher of a new imprint, MCD/FSG. The brainchild of FSG publisher and president Jonathan Galassi, MCD/FSG’s goal is, the publisher said, "to create a space to publish work and experiment with publishing styles, forms, and genres that are at the edges of FSG’s traditions."
“When Jonathan suggested this—to create what he called a kind of lab in which we could find new ways to grow our business, and to grow the range of how and what FSG publishes—it felt like a dream come true," McDonald said. He added that he is excited "to get to build a team and try something new, but still work with my colleagues here, who I already know to be scary smart, impassioned, and inspiring."
Helping McDonald create the new imprint will be former Amazon employee Daphne Durham, who has been named executive editor. Durham was with Amazon for 15 years and took over as head of Amazon Publishing in late 2013 when Larry Kirshbaum left the company. Durham stepped down herself from that post in January 2015. Prior to taking over for Kirshbaum, Durham was editorial director of books for Amazon.
Among the developments that took place during her tenure, the book team developed and curated the Best Books programs and launched the blog Omnivoracious. In her roles as editor-in-chief and publisher for Amazon Publishing, she launched and managed acquisitions and created Amazon’s first digital literary journal, Day One. Durham will work from Seattle.
Another part of the MCDFSG team will be FSG creative director, Rodrigo Corral. FSG expects the first MCD/FSG titles to be released in spring 2017.
McDonald will remain v-p and director of digital and paperback publishing at FSG and will continue as publisher of FSG Originals, the paperback original publishing line he and Emily Bell launched in 2011, FSG said. Bell, now senior editor, FSG, will take on the additional role of director, FSG Originals.
