Publishing Leaders are Temporary Custodians of Their Houses

It is interesting to note how publishing leaders change over the years - just as neighborhoods do, or shops, or brands, or any human construct. We are all the temporary custodians, which is why it matters. Strong leadership, charismatic individuals can mould houses. One thinks of Peter Mayer's arrival at Penguin UK in the late Seventies, shaking up the traditional house with the commercial publishing of MM Kaye's The Far Pavilions, though it seems laughable to mention it now. More recently, Faber UK's CEO Stephen Page introduced a more modern approach to covers at the venerable house, while Charlie Redmayne at HarperCollins UK is already showing a willingness to experiment