UPDATE: The New York Times reports that Jenny Frost was "surprised by the decision" to restructure the Crown Publishing Group:
"I think that Markus has a different strategic vision," she said. Ms. Frost said she would now take some time to think about her next career move. "It certainly was not what I was anticipating doing," she said.
NEW YORK — (Associated Press) The publisher of President Barack Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" has stepped down.
Jenny Frost, who as head of the Crown Publishing Group oversaw the release of the million-selling 2006 book, left Wednesday, effective immediately.
"Leaving was not my decision," she told The Associated Press in an e-mail message.
Crown's parent company, Random House Inc., announced Frost's departure and said it was a result of a "reorganization" of Crown, which is being split into "separately structured and distinct groups."
Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum said that no staff reductions were planned and declined to make additional comment about Frost's leaving.
Frost, 53, had worked at Random House since the 1980s and served as president and publisher of Crown for the past seven years. She came out well from a major restructuring in 2008 when Random House consolidated its five major divisions into three, a move that added several imprints to Crown, and laid off an undetermined number of employees.
In her e-mail message, Frost said she had had an "amazing and wonderful 25 years with Random House" and now had "an opportunity to take some time to think about what I want to do next, and that, too, can be a tremendous gift."
Best sellers released during her reign included Ann Coulter's "Treason," Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City," Obama's "Hope" and the million-selling re-issue of an earlier book by Obama, "Dreams From My Father." Next year, Crown will publish a memoir by former President George W. Bush.
Frost will be succeeded by Maya Mavjee, who starts her new job Jan. 1. She is currently executive publisher of the Doubleday Canada Publishing Group and executive vice president of Random House of Canada, Ltd.