Al Regnery, president and publisher of Regnery Publishing since 1986, is resigning from the company to become publisher of the American Spectator magazine. Marji Ross has been named to succeed Regnery as both president and publisher. Ross joined Regnery in 1999 and has been v-p and general manager since 2000. The changes will become effective in mid-April.
Regnery played a major role in building Regnery Publishing into one of the leading conservative book publishers in the country. Started by his father but owned since 1993 by Eagle Publishing, the company posted record sales and profits in 2002 and had seven New York Times bestsellers, led by Bernard Goldberg's Bias. The company, which publishes 30 to 40 books annually, is having another good year in 2003, with two books on this week's Times list, Useful Idiots and Hatred's Kingdom. Regnery will remain on the company's board.
Regnery told PW that after being involved with the publishing company "for virtually my entire life," he felt it was time for a change. Although it has a circulation of 70,000, the American Spectator "has taken its lumps over the last few years," Regnery said, particularly when the sale of the magazine fell through. He said his goal is to "revitalize it and put it back on the map as an influential right of center magazine."
