Gene Taft is JHUP's new publicity manager in our books division

Johns Hopkins University Press is pleased to announce the appointment of Gene Taft as publicity manager for the Books Division, effective September 1. He will succeed Kathy Alexander, who will retire October 2. Gene comes to the Press with more than twenty years of book publicity experience: at PublicAffairs (where he was vice president and assistant publisher), Viking/Penguin, The Free Press, Overlook Press, Columbia University Press, and Northeastern University Press. His work has helped catapult more than 15 titles into bestseller status, and he has worked with numerous high-profile authors, including Rahm Emanuel, Sarah Brady, General Wesley Clark, Richard Gephardt, Brian Lamb, Katherine Graham, George Soros, Vernon Jordan, Andy Rooney, Ray Davies, Newt Gingrich, Richard Lewis, and Sid Caesar. Over the past nine years Gene has run a successful Washington-based freelance enterprise, GTPR, through which he has handled numerous projects (including three bestsellers) for trade and university press publishers and authors. “I began my career in the university press community and I’m excited to be returning to that community and helping JHUP publish and promote an incredible list of books,” said Taft.