Dana Canedy Named Publisher of Simon & Schuster
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Former New York Times journalist Dana Canedy has been named senior VP and publisher of the storied book imprint Simon & Schuster.
Canedy will start at Simon & Shuster on July 27. She had been in talks with then-senior VP Jonathan Karp to join the publishing company two years ago, but at the time didn’t feel that it was the right fit. In May, Karp was promoted to president and CEO, and afterwards approached Canedy again about a job.
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“The Simon & Schuster imprint has long been defined by books that explain and capture the spirit of the times, through works of journalism, history, memoir, lifestyle, fiction, or anything else that our editors want to champion, reflecting and shaping the cultural conversation of the moment,” said Karp. “I am confident that as our new publisher, Dana can deepen our strengths while expanding our field of vision, combining broad editorial expertise with hands-on management skill and the proven ability to effect strategic change.”
Previously Canedy worked as administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes. During her tenure, she acknowledged Kendrick Lamar’s album “To Pimp A Butterfly” and awarded pioneering Black journalist Ida B. Wells with a posthumous award. She also issued a special citation and $100,000 to The Capital Gazette newspaper where five jouranalists were shot and killed in 2018.
During her 20 years at the New York Times, Canedy reported on business, politics, terrorism, race and law enforcement. She worked on the senior management team, leading talent acquisition, management training and staff development. She was also the special advisor to the paper’s CEO and Executive Editor. Her series “How Race Is Lived in America” won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001.
“I look forward to leading the storied Simon & Schuster flagship imprint, a publishing powerhouse that has long produced some of the most important and impactful books in our culture,” said Canedy. “We have an incredible legacy on which to build, and it is an honor for me to join this talented group of editors and publishing professionals as it continues to tell the stories that demand to be told, through the voices of so many of the best authors of our time.”
in 2008, Canedy penned “A Journal for Jordan,” a memoir about her partner, First Sgt. Charles M. King, detailing journal entries for their son. King died fighting in Iraq in 2006. Michael B. Jordan and Denzel Washington are set to star in a movie adaptation of “A Journal for Jordan,” which is set to begin production in the fall.
Simon & Schuster is owned by ViacomCBS although the publishing unit was put up for sale in March.
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