I'm sure you all saw the story on the main page. Simon and Schuster downsized Margaret Clark out of a job. Thanks for all the hard work, Ms. Clark. Good luck in your future endeavors. Who's left?
Margaret, best of luck... I'm finding it interesting that the "careers" link on the Simon and Schuster website points to a broken link...
God, this sucks. Margaret I wish you all kinds of luck and thanks for all the work you've done in making Trek fiction so great. ncc71877
I hate to say this but I'm not sad one bit. I think she was leading Trek Lit in the wrong direction. Unfortunately it's probably too late to undo what she has done. Kevin
It's too early to know how this is all going to play out, but I don't see any way in which getting rid of two senior editors of Star Trek fiction in less than a year can be anything but bad news, regardless what you may think of their editorial decisions. If Margaret's gone, I can only wish her the best.
^That's true, but it's important to stress that this has nothing to do with Margaret's editorial performance or the sales of Trek books in general. As with Marco last year, this is part of a companywide round of layoffs at Simon & Schuster. It stinks for anyone to have to lose their job like this. I wish Margaret well and hope she lands on her feet.
Agreed...we've already seen the ripple effect, in delays and cancellations, of Marco's layoff, so one tends to think that this layoff will exacerbate the matter. Given what the movie has done for the franchise, this is terrible timing, even if that timing is coincidental. Seconded, of course.
Wow, and so soon after Marco. That's really surprising. It does seem reckless to shake things up twice in rapid succession.
Yep. The thing is, if Pocket had fired her for some reason, that'd be more than bad enough -- but she'd at least probably be replaced. But when you're laid off because the company is tightening its belt (as I know from personal experience, as someone who survived a few layoffs but got hit eventually), you aren't replaced. Either someone who's still there has to try to do your work in addition to his or her own, or your work just isn't going to get done any more. There's a point at which you just can't make up for lost personnel and something has to give. However, we don't know nearly enough yet to predict how this will all play out. So, best of luck for now to Margaret, her co-workers at Pocket, and the writers she's been editing.
I've never heard of them. Have they done much Trek editing? The entire book line has to be on very shaky ground creatively at the moment if nothing else.....there's always the question of whether the new hand on the reins will "get it", after all.
Let me echo that sentiment. She's done a good job for a long time. This new concept of firing from the top down is good for the short term, but what happens when you hire a rookie who doesn't even know what Star Trek is?
Ed was the editor on A Time to... and inherited several other of John Ordover's projects, and he has continued to edit New Frontier since John O. left. Jen Heddle edited the Spirit Walk books due to having edited Christie Golden in the past when she was with Penguin Putnam, but that's her only Trek editing experience. I've worked with them both (Ed on A Time for War, a Time for Peace as well as Spider-Man: Down These Mean Streets, Jen on CSI: NY: Four Walls), and they are both excellent editors. The line would be in magnificent hands either way.
This is very sad news. I worked with Margaret on at least five projects and she was always a pleasure to work with--and an astute editor. I really didn't see this one coming . . . . I should add that I've worked with both Jen and Ed as well, and they are both more than up to the challenge.