The publishing industry has changed drastically over the past five decades, and publishing executive Stephen Rubin has had a front row seat to it all! In this conversation, Liz & Ariel chat with Stephen about the shifting weight of platform and celebrity in acquisitions, the importance of a great proposal, the role of politics in publishing, trends in the industry, and why he considers himself an optimist.

Stephen Rubin joined Bantam Books in 1984 after a decade-plus career in journalism. Named president and publisher of Doubleday in 1990, he remained there until 2009, interrupted by a three-year stint in London as chairman of Transworld Publishers. He served as president and publisher of Henry Holt until 2020, and currently he is a consulting publisher for Simon & Schuster. Rubin sits on the board of the San Francisco Conservatory for Music and is the founder of the Stephen and Cynthia Rubin Institute for Music Criticism.

Buy Stephen’s book, Words and Music.

Learn more about Publishing Industry Terms & Definitions.