Merkh Joining Simon and Schuster's Howard Books

-- Publishers Weekly, 3/9/2009 10:14:00 AM

Jonathan Merkh will join Simon & Schuster Tuesday as v-p and publisher of its Howard Books imprint. Although Merkh was most recently an agent at William Morris, he has a long history in the Christian publishing market, having served 14 years at Thomas Nelson and had a brief run heading the book division at Guideposts. In his new role, Merkh will be responsible for all the editorial and marketing functions of Howard Books, and the senior management team, including John Howard, will report to him. Merkh, who will divide his time between his home in Nashville and Howard’s West Monroe, La. offices, will report to Mark Gompertz, executive v-p of the company’s Touchstone Fireside division.

“To be able to bring on board a publisher of Jonathan Merkh’s caliber is a wonderful opportunity for Howard Books and Simon & Schuster,” said Gompertz. “He is well-known and highly regarded in both the CBA community and the wider world of publishing, with a substantive track record for publishing books that serve the Christian marketplace and have broad mainstream appeal.  He is the right person to help us grow this area of our publishing, expanding upon the solid foundation built by John Howard and the rest of Howard Books staff. ”