Editor’s Note
IN MAY I ATTENDED a roundtable discussion at Book Expo in New York featuring three of the most powerful CEOs in American publishing: Penguin Random House’s Markus Dohle, Simon & Schuster’s Carolyn Reidy, and Macmillan’s John Sargent. What I found most fascinating – beyond their insight into the value of backlists and the ongoing struggle to raise consumer awareness of their titles – was their frank conversation on the social responsibilities of publishers.
In January, the Macmillan imprint Henry Holt & Company received a now-infamous cease-and-desist letter from Trump’s personal attorneys concerning Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff’s White House takedown. Sargent admitted that his first reaction was, “Holy cow, we’re going to sell a shitload of books.” After the initial jubilation wore off, another emotion took over and Sargent sent a sharply written memo to his staff, condemning Trump’s threat as a violation of free speech, stating, “We need to respond strongly for Michael Wolff and his book, but also for all authors and all their books, now and in the future.”