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Head of Boutique Publisher Joins Simon & Schuster

Five years after establishing the Twelve imprint of the Hachette Book Group, a tiny, author-focused division that never publishes more than 12 books a year, Jonathan Karp said on Thursday that he was leaving his post as publisher and editor in chief to join Simon & Schuster as publisher.

But Mr. Karp and executives at Hachette insisted that it would be business as usual at Twelve, trying to calm authors and literary agents who were upset by Mr. Karp’s departure — and worried that its experimental, author-friendly boutique structure might suffer, especially at a time of economic stress in publishing.

“I think it can go on without me,” Mr. Karp said in an interview. “I’m leaving behind a lot of really talented authors and wonderful colleagues, and I want the Twelve model to continue to succeed. There’s room for all kinds of publishing.”

Mr. Karp, 46, has been the face of Twelve since it was founded in 2005, publishing books by Edward M. Kennedy, Christopher Buckley and Christopher Hitchens, among others. Before starting Twelve, he was editor in chief at Random House.

The news that Mr. Karp was leaving for Simon & Schuster, which first emerged Wednesday afternoon, took many of his authors at Twelve by surprise.

“I’m reeling from the news,” said Sheena Iyengar, the author of “The Art of Choosing,” which was published by Twelve in March. “I’m nervous. I don’t know if my book is going to get hurt by this change.”

The imprint has only four full-time staff members, and Mr. Karp was deeply involved in editing books and pursuing authors.

On Thursday, Jamie Raab, the executive vice president and publisher of Grand Central Publishing, part of Hachette, spent the morning calling agents and authors to reassure them that their books would be published as planned.

Cary Goldstein, the associate publisher of Twelve, quickly spread the word that he would be staying in his position.

“It’s not an eponymous imprint,” Mr. Goldstein said. “It’s a small imprint, it’s a personality-driven imprint to some degree, but only because of its size.”

Ms. Raab said that she was already searching for Mr. Karp’s replacement, and that there would be no disruptions to the Twelve publishing schedule.

“What I’m focused on is making sure that the books are published with the care and vigor that agents and authors came here expecting, and I think we’ll be able to do that,” she said. “I believe that when you set up a smart model for a good imprint, it can thrive over the years and through changing leadership.”

In his new post as publisher of the flagship imprint of Simon & Schuster, where he will begin on June 14, Mr. Karp will oversee the publication of more than 100 hardcovers a year. He will replace David Rosenthal, who spent 13 years at Simon & Schuster and whose departure was also announced Thursday morning.

Several literary agents and authors said the future of Twelve would largely depend on who was chosen to replace Mr. Karp.

“It matters a lot,” Ms. Iyengar said. “They have to pick someone who can pull it off, and they have to pick somebody who cares.”

Michael Coogan, the author of “God and Sex,” to be published in October, said he was comforted that his book has already been completed. “The book is done and the P.R. stuff is under way,” Mr. Coogan said.

Sharon Pomerantz, the author of “Rich Boy,” a debut novel coming out in August, said in an e-mail message: “I wish Jon well, and will miss him, but my book remains in excellent hands.”

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section B, Page 2 of the New York edition with the headline: Head of Boutique Publisher Joins Simon & Schuster. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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