Jamie Raab, Deb Futter Departing Grand Central

Two top executives at Grand Central Publishing are leaving at the end of January:

Jamie Raab
(photo: Herman Estevez)

Grand Central president and publisher Jamie Raab is stepping down after 30 years with the company and its predecessor, Warner Books. Michael Pietsch, Hachette Book Group CEO, said, "A strong leader with a long record of success, Jamie is also a wonderful colleague and friend to many of us here at HBG, and she has led the division with dedication and passion for 18 years as GCP's publisher.... [she] edited and published innumerable successful books. She was both editor and publisher for bestsellers by Sandra Brown, Stephen Colbert, Nelson DeMille, Brad Meltzer, Michael Moore, Robin Roberts, Amy Sedaris, Nicholas Sparks, and Jon Stewart, and, as publisher, has overseen years of growth and innovation, including the re-branding of the division after Hachette Livre's acquisition of the Time Warner Book Group, the launch of the imprints Grand Central Life & Style and Twelve, and an expanded romance program under the Forever imprint."

Raab said, "I've had a terrific career here, and after a three-decade tenure, the time seems right to step down. It's very tough to say farewell to colleagues and authors I admire and have loved working with, but change is always energizing, and the prospect of new adventures and opportunities is alluring. I am extremely proud of all we've accomplished together here at HBG, and feel absolutely confident that GCP will continue to thrive, expand and move in exciting new directions under new leadership in the years ahead."

Deb Futter, v-p and editor-in-chief of hardcovers for Grand Central and publisher of Twelve, is also leaving. Pietsch commented: "Since Deb's arrival in 2007, she has done a remarkable job of reshaping and adding dimension to the list, bringing in and working with such outstanding talent as Ellen DeGeneres, Pete Dexter, Barbara Ehrenreich, Jane Hamilton, Noah Hawley, Jean Hanff Korelitz, Min Jin Lee, Steve Martin, and Scott Turow, among many others. Deb expanded her role in 2013 when she became publisher of Twelve and revitalized the imprint together with editorial director Sean Desmond."

Futter said, "It's been a true honor to work with extraordinary authors and colleagues during my years at GCP. The choice to leave a publishing house I’ve called home for almost a decade was extremely hard. GCP is a dynamic place to be, and I’ll miss it. I have no doubt that the immensely talented GCP team will continue to publish bestsellers and new voices with verve and success.”

Pietsch emphasized that Grand Central is "having a strong year with tremendous bestsellers from David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Brad Meltzer, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, and Nicholas Sparks, and breakouts such as Hamilton and Noah Hawley's Before the Fall. HBG is a home for strong, independent divisions whose publishers lead distinct editorial, marketing, and publicity teams, and I look forward to introducing a new publisher and editor-in-chief for GCP shortly."

Powered by: Xtenit