With longtime Crown VP and publisher Steve Ross‘s move to Collins now complete, Crain’s decides to profile him and his plans for the business side of HarperCollins. There, he will be tasked with turning a sleepy nonfiction division, mainly known for wellness, business and reference books, into a powerhouse. Though already profitable and sporting current best seller THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS, the house is rarely on agents’ lists for high-profile projects or works of narrative nonfiction.
“What we liked about Steve was that he had a terrific track record, both in terms of picking best sellers and in terms of building a profitable publishing company,” says Brian Murray, president of HarperCollins worldwide. Murray adds that figuring out where Collins should be in five years will be a big part of the new publisher’s job – and all eyes will be watching to see how Ross will go about doing that.