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Jonathan Karp
Born(1964-04-02)April 2, 1964
Alma materBrown University
EmployerSimon & Schuster

Jonathan Karp (born April 2, 1964) is an American book editor, publisher, and writer. He is the publisher, president, and chief executive of Simon & Schuster, and has also led the company's flagship division. Karp also founded Twelve, an imprint at the Hachette Book Group, and was the editor-in-chief of Random House.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

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Karp was born to a Jewish family[4] and raised in the Short Hills section of Millburn, New Jersey. His mother worked as a schoolteacher and his father served as chairman and chief executive officer at a bank.[5][6][7] Karp graduated from Brown University in 1986,[8] where he majored in American civilization and served as president and editor of the student publication, The Brown Daily Herald.[5][9][10][11] He wrote his master's thesis on Herman Wouk's novels.[12][13]

Career

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Karp wrote for The Washington Post in the mid 1980s,[14][15][16] then worked as a reporter for The Providence Journal and the Miami Herald.[5] He then relocated to New York City to pursue his interests in books and theatre.[5]

Karp joined Random House in 1989 as an editorial assistant, and by 2000 he was serving as vice president and senior editor.[17][18] In July 2000, he was promoted to the role of publisher of '@Random', the company's e-book branch,[19][20] and eventually worked his way up to editor-in-chief of Random House.[21][22] He worked for Random House for sixteen years, with one interruption; in 2000, he left the publisher to head producer Scott Rudin's office in New York (Scott Rudin Productions) as vice president of development.[20] However, he returned to Bertelsmann several weeks later.[20][23][24]

Karp then served as publisher and editor-in-chief of Twelve, an imprint he established within the Hachette Book Group in 2005, which publishes one book per month.[25][26][27] Fifteen of Twelve's first thirty books appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.[28]

In mid 2010, Karp left Hachette to become Simon & Schuster's publisher,[21][29] and was subsequently named president of the flagship division.[30][31] On 29 May 2020, he became the CEO of Simon & Schuster.[32] Karp was included in Publishers Weekly's 2022 list of 25 "book business change makers", or "seriously consequential individuals whose mark on the industry is indelible".[33] In his role as chief executive, Karp testified in a 2022 antitrust trial filed by the Department of Justice to prevent Penguin Random House from acquiring Simon & Schuster.[34]

In 2022, Simon & Schuster sold 900 autographed copies of Bob Dylan’s book of essays, “The Philosophy of Modern Song.” Accompanying each $600 book was a letter of authenticity signed by Karp, the publisher’s chief executive, indicating that the books had been hand signed by Dylan. According to a New York Times article, when the books arrived, readers immediately noticed that the autographs appeared to have been machine generated by an auto pen. While Simon & Schuster initially denounced the “online rumors,” intense pressure led the publishing house to send out an “acknowledgment” that the autograph had been rendered “in a penned replica form.” Buyers were then provided a refund. Karp and Simon & Schuster declined further comment.[35] Dylan later said "his decision to digitally sign" the books was an "error in judgment", according to the Los Angeles Times.[36]

Karp is the longtime editor of John McCain; the two collaborated with Mark Salter on Faith of My Fathers (1999), Worth the Fighting For (2002), Why Courage Matters (2004), and The Restless Wave (2018).[37]

In 2020, Alexandra Alter of The New York Times wrote, "As a publisher who has worked with both conservative and liberal public figures, Mr. Karp has developed a reputation for knowing which political books will work commercially and how to market them."[38] In 2021, he turned down a petition signed by approximately 200 staff members, opposing Simon & Schuster's decision to publish a memoir by Mike Pence. According to The Wall Street Journal, some staff said the deal "would be a betrayal of the company's promises to oppose bigotry and make minority employees feel safe", but Karp insisted Simon & Schuster is "committed to publishing a broad range of views".[39]

Theatre and television

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Karp met composer Seth Weinstein during their two-year apprenticeship at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, in Manhattan in 1996. The duo wrote The Kugelmass Affair, which is based on a short story by Woody Allen.[5]

In 2000, Karp co-directed Big Kiss: An Evening of Humiliating Audition Stories with Alford, who wrote Big Kiss: One Actor's Desperate Attempt to Claw His Way to the Top. The show featured Alford and other actors performing self-written monologues about their most embarrassing audition experiences.[40]

Karp and Weinstein's second musical, Heart Throb, premiered at the Producers Club in 2001.[5] The duo later collaborated on How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes, with Karp writing the book and lyrics. The Off-Broadway musical comedy, which is about a United Nations tour guide who realizes his ability to read minds after getting hit in the head by a melon, was first presented as I Know What You're Thinking in September 2000 at the New York International Fringe Festival and later ran at the arts complex New World Stages.[9][20][41][42]

In May 2011, Karp made a cameo appearance on the finale of Gossip Girl's fourth season ("The Wrong Goodbye"), in which he negotiates a manuscript deal with one of the show's main characters.[43][44][45] He later appeared on the season five episodes "The Jewel of Denial" (October 10, 2011) and "Father and the Bride" (January 23, 2012).[46][47]

Bibliography

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  • Karp, Jonathan (2017). "The alchemy of acquisitions: twelve rules for trade editors". In Ginna, Peter (ed.). What editors do : the art, craft, and business of book editing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Harris, Elizabeth A. (2020-05-28). "Simon & Schuster Names Jonathan Karp C.E.O." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  2. ^ Milliot |, Jim. "Karp Named CEO of Simon & Schuster". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  3. ^ "Simon & Schuster | Jonathan Karp". simonandschusterpublishing.com. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  4. ^ Times of Israel: "The Good Old Days Of The Future Of Publishing" by Susan Reimer Archived 2018-08-10 at the Wayback Machine December 16, 2012
  5. ^ a b c d e f Lee, Felicia R. (August 7, 2004). "Critic's Notebook; Double Life as Editor and Lyricist". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  6. ^ "Donald M. Karp, Secretary". Thirteen.org. Tisch WNET: THIRTEEN Media. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  7. ^ Nadler, Paul (September 1, 1998). "Weekly Advisor: Has New Jersey Bank Got Its Fair Share in Community's Comeback?". American Banker. SourceMedia. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017 – via HighBeam Research.
  8. ^ Brown University:
  9. ^ a b Schwartzapfel, Beth (January–February 2007). "His True Loves". Brown Alumni Magazine. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  10. ^ Eugenides, Jeffrey; Moody, Rick; Lowry, Lois; Robinson, Marilynne; Cheever, Susan (May 20, 2014). The Brown Reader: 50 Writers Remember College Hill. Simon & Schuster. p. 107. ISBN 9781476765204. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  11. ^ "The Brown Daily Herald" (PDF). Providence, Rhode Island: Brown University. January 23, 1985. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  12. ^ Barnes, Brooks (November 12, 2012). "At 97, He Has a Book (or 2) Left". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  13. ^ Boog, Jason (April 9, 2012). "96-Year-Old Novelist Herman Wouk Lands Book Deal". Adweek. Prometheus Global Media. ISSN 0199-2864. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  14. ^ "How Real Is 'Rambo'?". The Washington Post. July 8, 1985.
  15. ^ "Brown's Four Famous Freshmen". The Washington Post. August 29, 1985.
  16. ^ "Reputed Md. Gang Member Gets 32 Years in Murder". The Washington Post. August 30, 1986.
  17. ^ Reid, Calvin (August 7, 2000). "PW: Random House, Modern Library to Offer E-books". Publishers Weekly. 246 (32). ISSN 0000-0019. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  18. ^ Bronson, Po; Dooling, Richard; Garcia, Eric; Hond, Paul; Krist, Gary (February 20, 2001). Men Seeking Women: Love and Sex On-line. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9780679647171. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  19. ^ Bing, Jonathan (September 18, 2000). "Booked Solid: Three giants expand their e-publishing horizons". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  20. ^ a b c d Goldman, Andrew (February 12, 2001). "Hollywood's Second-Oldest Story: Jon Karp Signs with Rudin, Flees". New York Observer. Observer Media. ISSN 1052-2948. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Bosman, Julie (June 3, 2010). "Head of Boutique Publisher Joins Simon & Schuster". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  22. ^ Bosman, Julie (September 15, 2010). "Boutique Publisher Names New Chief". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  23. ^ Kolker, Robert. "Waiting for Godoff". New York: 3. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  24. ^ Snyder, Gabriel (March 19, 2001). "Another Dot-Com Dream Punctured: Random House Scaling Back E-Books". New York Observer. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  25. ^ Donadio, Rachel (February 3, 2008). "Waiting for It". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  26. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 2, 2010). "Simon & Schuster Shakeup: David Rosenthal Out and Jonathan Karp In". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  27. ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (June 3, 2010). "Simon & Schuster grabs innovative publisher Jonathan Karp". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  28. ^ Ferrari-Adler, Jofie (November–December 2009). "Agents & Editors: A Q&A with Editor Jonathan Karp". Poets & Writers. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  29. ^ Boog, Jason (June 3, 2010). "Jonathan Karp to Replace David Rosenthal as Simon & Schuster Publisher". Adweek. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  30. ^ Dilworth, Dianna (February 22, 2016). "Simon & Schuster to Publish Book on Tiger Woods". Adweek. Beringer Capital. ISSN 0199-2864. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  31. ^ Kinane, Ruth (January 4, 2017). "Carrie Fisher's books rush to reprint after sales were 'wiped out by demand'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. ISSN 1049-0434. OCLC 21114137. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  32. ^ "Simon & Schuster names Jonathan Karp as new CEO". The Hindu. 29 May 2020.
  33. ^ Coffey, Michael; Kirch, Claire; Albanese, Andrew; Maughan, Shannon (April 19, 2022). "They Made a Difference: 25 Book Business Change Makers". Publishers Weekly.
  34. ^ Waldman, Katy (August 16, 2022). "Is Publishing About Art or Commerce?". The New Yorker.
  35. ^ Tumin, Remy (23 November 2022). "Bob Dylan Gets Tangled up in Book Autograph Controversy". The New York Times.
  36. ^ Saad, Nardine. "Bob Dylan blames vertigo and pandemic for use of autopen to sign 'autographed' books". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  37. ^ "John McCain memoir, 'The Restless Wave,' coming in April". USA Today. Associated Press. October 20, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  38. ^ Alter, Alexandra (June 17, 2020). "In the Race for Trump Tell-Alls, Simon & Schuster Is Leading". The New York Times.
  39. ^ Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A.; Glazer, Emily (May 21, 2021). "Inside the Simon & Schuster Blowup Over Its Mike Pence Book Deal". The Wall Street Journal.
  40. ^ Tierney, John (April 12, 2000). "The Big City; Now Staging a Revival: Humiliation". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  41. ^ "Jonathan Karp: From the Page to the Stage". Broadway.com. Key Brand Entertainment. November 14, 2006. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  42. ^ Gates, Anita (November 16, 2006). "Theater Review: 'How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes'; Listening for Love". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  43. ^ Yin, Maryann (May 17, 2011). "Jonathan Karp Cameo on 'Gossip Girl' TV Show". Adweek. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  44. ^ Duray, Dan (May 17, 2011). "Jonathan Karp on His Gossip Girl Cameo". New York Observer. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  45. ^ Pressler, Jessica; Rovzar, Chris (May 17, 2011). "Gossip Girl Recap: Maybe We're Growing Up After All". Vulture.com. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  46. ^ Pressler, Jessica (January 24, 2012). "Gossip Girl Recap: There's a Fine Line Between Surveillance and Stalking". Vulture.com. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  47. ^ Greenhouse, Emily (December 21, 2012). "Farewell, "Gossip Girl"". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. ISSN 0028-792X. OCLC 320541675. Retrieved January 31, 2017.

Further reading

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External audio
audio icon Writer Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Karp of Random House: Fresh Air, July 29, 2003, NPR
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