A few months have passed since Bob Miller left his longtime post atop Hyperion to start an experimental new imprint at HarperCollins designed to avoid big advances and bookstore returns—two of the most crippling structural issues facing contemporary publishing. So far, Mr. Miller has been operating quietly by himself, using his time to meet with literary agents and retailers, figuring out exactly how to realize his plan, and interviewing potential hires.
Today, Mr. Miller announced two hires: Julia Cheiffetz from Random House will start later this month as a senior editor, and Debbie Stier from William Morrow will start in July as director of marketing and publicity. Mr. Miller also announced that his imprint will be called HarperStudio– predictable, in retrospect, since "studio" was the word he consistently used to describe the operation when he first announced it in April.
The announcement comes less than a week after HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman, a longtime friend of Mr. Miller, abruptly resigned from atop the company and handed the reins to her deputy, Brian Murray.
