Altie Karper has been promoted to editorial director of Schocken Books, the Judaica book imprint of the Knopf Publishing Group. Karper, who had been editor at Schocken since 1999, will also continue to serve as managing editor for Schocken and Pantheon, positions she has held since 1989. Karper succeeds Susan Ralston, who was named senior editorial consultant for the entire Knopf group.
Schocken will continue to publish nine to 12 titles annually on a wide range of topics, Karper said. The only minor change Karper anticipates is publishing more fiction titles. The imprint had a good 2001 and has done very well with the coffee-table book The Jews in the 20th Century, which Karper believes "will backlist well."
Ralston will devote a great deal of her time working on Knopf's Audubon book line, which she has done for a number of years. Among her first projects are editing the forthcoming Sibley Guide to Birding Basics, Sibley Guide to Birds East and Sibley Guide to Birds West. A Knopf spokesperson said Karper's promotion and Ralston's appointment reflect Knopf's ongoing efforts to build continuity among its editorial executives.
