Penguin Random House Dismisses Two of Its Top Publishers

In a significant shake up, Penguin Random House, the largest publishing house in the United States, announced on Monday that the publishers of two of its most prestigious literary imprints had been let go.

The departure of Reagan Arthur, the publisher of Alfred A. Knopf, and Lisa Lucas, the publisher of Pantheon and Schocken, came as a surprise to many in the company — including, it seemed, to Lucas.

Lucas posted on X, formerly called Twitter, that she had learned of her dismissal at 9:30 a.m. on Monday morning. “I have some regrets about spending the weekend working,” she wrote.

In a memo to employees, Maya Mavjee, the president and publisher of Knopf Doubleday, acknowledged the news would likely be unsettling to many, but noted that restructuring the imprints was “necessary for our future growth.”

Mavjee said in the memo that Pantheon’s editorial department will now report to Doubleday, while Knopf will be lead by Jordan Pavlin, the editor in chief of Knopf, who will become its publisher, taking on two roles. Pavlin has edited best-selling and award-winning authors including Tommy Orange, Yaa Gyasi and Maggie O’Farrell.

A person in publishing familiar with the decision, and who requested anonymity in order to share details about the restructuring process, said the departures were part of a cost-saving measure. No publisher will replace Lucas at Pantheon, the person said.