Melville House Books

Richard Nash, who as publisher of Soft Skull Press became known as one of the most dynamic and innovative independent publishers in New York, has announced he’s leaving the company on March 10. Nash had been forced to sell the company two years ago in the aftermath of the disastrous bankruptcy of his distributor, PGW, but had remained with the company when new owner Charlie Winton combined it with another of his holdings, Counterpoint Press. Nash had assumed the role of editorial director of Soft Skull and executive editor of the parent company, Counterpoint.

In a report by Jim Milliot for Publishers Weekly, Nash explains that the company just had its “best financial year ever” and he thought it was a good time “to let Soft Skull move onto the next phase of its existence, and to allow me to take on the new challenges our industry is facing.”

As for what’s next, “This is about the future of publishing. I really want to be engaged in helping figure out a new model for independents. And I am enormously optimistic. I’m not going to do consulting or freelancing, in the sense of eupemisms for ‘I don’t have a clue’ or ‘I’m getting the hell out of publishing,’ but as a way of doubling down, betting it all on the future of publishing, and it’s easier to bet if you have a clean slate rather than a legacy project.”

And, oh yes, Nash, the father of a newborn, said he won’t miss “70-hour weeks for eight years inside the Soft Skull pod.”

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.