G.P. Putnam executive editor Dan Conaway has just announced that he’s going to play on the other side of the fence, joining Writers House as a literary agent and editorial consultant. At Putnam, he worked on Mark Winegardner‘s The Godfather’s Revenge, along with titles by bestselling thriller writers Barry Eisler and Ridley Pearson, and it was his enthusiasm for Dope, a noir novel by Sara Gran, that confirmed his identity as the pseudonymous “Mad Max Perkins,” creator of one of the first publishing insider blogs.
“Hard as it is to leave Ivan Held and his superb publishing team at Putnam,” Conaway said in a press release, “I’ve long considered Writers House the best agency in town, and am thrilled to join its ranks.” The agency is equally enthusiastic: “Dan is clearly one of the most admired editors working today,” says CEO Amy Berkower. “We are confident that he will help us to continue to grow our industry-leading business and are thrilled to have him join us.”