A Message from Nan Graham

August 5, 2021

I am thrilled to announce that Marysue Rucci will join Scribner as Vice President, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of a new, eponymous imprint in our group, Marysue Rucci Books.

In her twenty-four years at Simon & Schuster, Marysue has become a singularly effective advocate for her books who is among the most respected and successful editors in the publishing industry. Her relationships with in-house colleagues, agents, booksellers, and other influencers are exceptional. She is one of those rare editors whose range spans from bestsellers to distinguished, award-worthy works. Marysue’s list of celebrated fiction includes LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave, THE NEED by Helen Phillips (longlisted for the National Book Award in Fiction), WE ARE NOT OURSELVES by Matthew Thomas, WHITE IVY by Susie Yang (a selection of the Read with Jenna/Today Show Book Club), RUN ME TO EARTH by Paul Yoon (longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction), and this summer’s unstoppable, number one–bestselling phenomenon, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave (a Reese’s Book Club selection). Marysue has worked with bestselling and critically acclaimed authors Mona Awad, Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke, Alice Elliott Dark, Nelson DeMille, Jessica Knoll, Lisa Lutz, Megan Miranda, and Cara Wall. In nonfiction she has shepherded to success titles as varied as THE HOUSE AT SUGAR BEACH by Helene Cooper, YEAR OF YES by Shonda Rhimes, THE BRIGHT HOUR by Nina Riggs, and GOOD AND MAD by Rebecca Traister. She also managed to survive working up close with Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. This fall, Simon & Schuster will publish two books near and dear to Marysue: the much-anticipated memoir SMILE by MacArthur Award–winning playwright and writer Sarah Ruhl and THE BOOK OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman, the final installment in the Practical Magic quartet.

In bringing her considerable talents to Scribner, Marysue joins an already formidable editorial team, working alongside Colin Harrison, Vice President, Editor in Chief; Kathy Belden, Vice President, Editorial Director; Executive Editors Kara Watson and Rick Horgan; and the rest of our top-notch editors. Her facility and flair as an editor of bestselling suspense, literary fiction, and memoir will complement and build upon areas of publishing in which Scribner has historically excelled. Marysue’s appointment also marks her return to the house where she worked as an editorial assistant and was crucial in Scribner’s acquisition of New York Times–bestselling author Kathy Reichs.  Look out, world!

Marysue will begin at Scribner on September 7, and her authors will be published on the Scribner list beginning with the Summer 2022 season. She will of course work closely with Dana Canedy and the Simon & Schuster team to assure a smooth transition, and I would like to extend thanks to Dana for her gracious cooperation in making this change possible. Please join me in congratulating Marysue on her new position and in looking forward to working with her on what promises to be an exciting new venture at Scribner.

Nan Graham
Senior Vice President & Publisher
Scribner