NEW YORK (AP) β The longtime head of the organization that presents the National Book Awards will be stepping down next March.
Harold Augenbraum, executive director of the National Book Foundation since 2004, said in a statement Tuesday that it was time to seek “new challenges.” His decision was announced by the non-profit foundation’s board of directors, which has formed a committee to choose Augenbraum’s successor.
Augenbraum, 62, presided during a time when the awards were criticized by top New York publishers, many of whom were represented on the foundation’s board, for being biased against high-profile books. In 2013, the foundation overhauled the nominating process, adding longlists of 10 in each of the four competitive categories and expanding the pool of judges beyond fellow writers to include critics, booksellers and librarians.
