“It’s almost like we’re willing to thwart our own commerce to not be supportive of this type of book,” he told the JC at the publisher’s UK launch earlier this month.
“This is a group that has contributed more to the literary canon than most others, so we should not be making things more difficult for Jews,” added Malcolm, who has 15-plus Sunday Times bestsellers to his name.
“We certainly shouldn’t be cancelling a group which is so clearly talented.”
Neil Blair addresses the audience at the High Line Publishing launch in New York on October 20, 2026 (Courtesy)[Missing Credit]
At a star-studded event at New York’s Port Sa'id, a short walk from the elevated park that inspired the studio’s name, the organisation set out its vision of a “commercially ambitious, independent publishing home for writers with original ideas, backing books on their merits, and connecting them with readers around the world”.
Attendees at the launch included CBS News Editor and Free Press founder Bari Weiss, Triggernometry’s Konstantin Kisin and agents from across the industry.
Other prominent supporters, with places on High Line’s executive and advisory committees, include author and JC contributor Rob Rinder, JC Publisher Adam Cannon, writer Julie Bindel and Rabbi David Wolpe, rabbi emeritus of Sinai Temple, the largest Conservative synagogue in Los Angeles.
The audience heard speeches from Blair and Malcolm, as well as Senior Vice President Lindsay Gordon, who will run the outfit’s publicity efforts, and Senior Editor of Odessa Editions Aviya Kushner, “about the importance of creative freedom and editorial excellence in book publishing and beyond”.
Alongside the Odessa Editions, helmed by Executive Publisher Jacky Klein, its other flagship project will be Antidote Books, which promises to offer “books for readers who want to be challenged rather than reassured”.
Under the watch of Executive Publisher Joel Simons, Antidote “will provoke fierce debate; others will simply change the way you see something familiar,” the company said.
“High Line is built on the belief that a change in perspective can transform the way we see the world,” a company spokesperson said.
“The publishing studio will offer readers a new vantage point by publishing exceptional books that challenge assumptions, broaden conversations, and highlight distinctive voices that might otherwise be missed.”
Adam Cannon (L), Lindsay Gordon (C) and Neil Blair (R) at the High Line Publishing launch in New York on October 20, 2026 (Courtesy)[Missing Credit]