NEW YORK, December 11—Judy Clain will join Simon & Schuster as Senior Vice President and Publisher of Summit Books, reviving and refocusing a storied imprint from Simon & Schuster’s past. News of the appointment was announced today by Jonathan Karp, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster.  

Clain comes to Summit and Simon & Schuster from Little, Brown, where she has been Editor-in-Chief.

“Judy Clain is one of the most highly esteemed and successful editorial leaders at work today,” said Jonathan Karp. “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. 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.”  

From 1976 to 1991, Summit Books published an extraordinary list of authors of international stature such as Elie Wiesel, Marilyn French, James Baldwin, and Oliver Sacks, and the new Summit will build on that legacy for a 21^st century audience.

“I am thrilled to be joining Simon & Schuster as Publisher of Summit Books. I’ve long admired Jon Karp as he has led Simon & Schuster to spectacular success,” said Judy Clain.

“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. 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.

“I will cherish my twenty-five years at Little, Brown and the many close relationships I’ve enjoyed with beloved colleagues and authors. I will be forever grateful to Michael Pietsch, Hachette and the entire Little, Brown team.”

Clain will also take on a leadership role in Simon & Schuster’s international publishing efforts, working with Simon & Schuster’s publishers, editors, and rights directors in the U.S. and all its territories to attract and champion authors throughout the world.

Clain first joined Little, Brown in 1998 and was named Editor-in-Chief in 2011. The remarkable list of books by acclaimed authors she has edited includes I Am Malala by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, Homeland Elegies by Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar, Going There by Katie Couric, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, Chaos by Tom O’Neill, When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin, and Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron.

Clain has also edited many bestselling novels, including Room by Emma Donoghue, Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson and The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand. Other writers she has published include Edna O’Brien, Andrew Sean Greer, Chigozie Obioma, Cherie Jones, Sarah Dunn, Jody Shields, Jake Tapper, Kevin Powers, Sarah Crossan, Kwame Alexander, and Sally Mann.

Judy Clain was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and immigrated to New York City in 1979. She started her career in the Rights Department at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and then spent a decade in the movie business first as an agent at Triad Artists, selling film rights of books, and then as a production executive at Sony/Mandalay Entertainment.

The new Summit Books will be part of the flagship Simon & Schuster Publishing Group.

Clain will officially begin at Simon & Schuster on January 16.

CONTACT:

Adam Rothberg
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
adam.rothberg@simonandschuster.com

About Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster, a global leader in general interest publishing, is dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, and in all printed, digital and audio formats. Its distinguished roster of authors includes many of the world’s most popular and widely recognized writers, and winners of the most prestigious literary honors and awards. It is home to numerous well-known imprints and divisions such as Simon & Schuster, Scribner, Atria Books, Gallery Books, Adams Media, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Audio and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, and proudly brings the works of its authors to readers in more than 200 countries and territories. For more information visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com