Macmillan C.E.O. John Sargent Is Departing (Published 2020)

John Sargent, Macmillan’s longtime chief executive, will leave the publishing company in January because of disagreements over its direction, according to an announcement from its parent company, Holtzbrinck, on Thursday.

The news came as a shock to many in the publishing world, where Mr. Sargent has been a prominent and influential figure in a career spanning more than three decades. Macmillan’s president, Don Weisberg, an industry veteran, will step in as chief executive of Macmillan’s English-language trade publishers, which include Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Henry Holt and Flatiron Books, in 2021.

The shake-up comes after months of turmoil at Macmillan. The company was drawn into a dispute with libraries over its decision to delay the release of new e-books for library lending, a move that was meant to stabilize e-book sales but ended up angering the library market and was lifted during the coronavirus pandemic. Macmillan also imposed layoffs during the pandemic, a step most other major publishers avoided. This summer, employees at its Farrar, Straus & Giroux imprint started what became an industrywide walkout over racial inequity and the lack of diversity in publishing.

And earlier this year, the company faced criticism for the decision by its Flatiron imprint to publish the novel “American Dirt,” which was attacked for what critics called a stereotypical and insensitive portrayal of Mexican migrants.

In a statement, Stefan von Holtzbrinck, the chief executive of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, said that Mr. Sargent’s “principles and exemplary leadership have always been grounded in worthy, essential causes, be it freedom of speech, the environment, or support for the most vulnerable. Since Holtzbrinck shares these ideals, they will live on.”

Mr. Sargent is also stepping down from his position on the executive board of Holtzbrinck, where he was one of three members.