Tuesday, December 6, 2005 Robinson to Leave New Press
Citing differences over the editorial direction of the press, Colin Robinson, publisher and editor-in-chief of the New Press, is leaving the company at the end year.
Known for publishing books on left wing and radical politics, Robinson joined the New Press in 2001 after leaving Verso Books, reportedly after a dispute over, well, the editorial direction of the press.
Diane Wachtell, executive director of the New Press, acknowledged the differences over running the non-profit publishing houses. "The New Press is an interesting hybrid and there's nothing written down on just how you go about making it work. We all care about it, but we don't all have the same vision on how to make it work," Wachtell said.
Robinson went into more detail. He cited differences on the nature of the New Press list. "I want to do more radical, edgy books on politics and culture." Wachtell, Robinson said, is more interested in "progressive books. Books on public interest and on education." And he questioned the New Press's dependence on grants and foundation money. "Foundation support can affect the books. You can end up trying to please foundations and their support is unreliable."
Among the books Robinson published were Mike Davis's Monster At The Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu and Gone Tommorow: The Hidden Life of Garbage by Heather Rodgers. Robinson said he would like to stay in book publishing. "I hope to find a sympathetic place where I can continue to publish books on politics and culture."
Wachtell said there were, "regrets all around." over Robinson's departure. She said the press will be making an announcement "in the coming weeks" about a replacement.
--Calvin Reid