Threshold Editions
Threshold Editions is a Simon & Schuster imprint focused primarily on conservative nonfiction, political books, memoirs, commentary, and related commercial titles.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Threshold Editions is a book-publishing imprint of Simon & Schuster that specializes in conservative nonfiction and politically oriented commercial publishing. The imprint was created to provide a publishing platform for contemporary conservative writers, public figures, political leaders, commentators, and broadcasters. Its market position developed during a period when major publishing groups were establishing dedicated imprints for political and conservative nonfiction, including Sentinel at Penguin and Crown Forum at Random House. Mary Matalin co-founded Threshold Editions and became its first editor-in-chief. Louise Burke was closely involved in establishing the imprint and served as its publisher until 2017. Their professional relationship and Matalin's extensive connections in conservative political and media circles were central to the imprint's early author-acquisition strategy. Within several years of its launch, Threshold had built a list that included prominent figures such as Glenn Beck, Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove. The imprint's editorial identity was deliberately aligned with its intended audience: Burke described familiarity with conservative readers and their political outlook as an important part of publishing successfully in the category. Threshold's early commercial performance helped distinguish it within Simon & Schuster. During a period in 2009 and early 2010 when the parent company faced weaker hardcover sales, Threshold Editions supplied some of the company's strongest-selling books. Glenn Beck's An Inconvenient Book reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list in 2007. In 2007, Karl Rove sold his memoir Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight to Threshold after an auction involving multiple bidders, including Simon & Schuster's Free Press imprint. Rove cited his longstanding friendship with Matalin as a reason for choosing Threshold. The imprint's list later expanded beyond conventional political memoir and commentary. By 2014, Threshold was publishing young-adult and fiction-related projects alongside its core conservative nonfiction program. One example was Rush Limbaugh's Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, a historically themed title connected to a broader series and media persona. Threshold also published books by high-profile political candidates and activists. In 2015, it acquired Donald Trump's book originally titled Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again; the published title became Great Again: How to Fix Crippled America, which debuted at number five on Publishers Weekly's frontlist hardcover nonfiction chart. The imprint attracted substantial attention in 2016 and 2017 when it announced a deal with Milo Yiannopoulos for Dangerous. The book quickly became a prominent example of the commercial and reputational tensions surrounding politically polarizing publishing. After a resurfaced video in which Yiannopoulos appeared to defend or minimize sexual relationships between adults and minors, Simon & Schuster canceled publication. Yiannopoulos denied advocating pedophilia and said that he had used imprecise language. He later initiated a breach-of-contract lawsuit against the publisher but subsequently dropped it. Threshold Editions therefore occupies a distinctive position within the Simon & Schuster portfolio: it is both a specialist political imprint and a commercially oriented platform for authors with strong conservative, populist, or media-driven audiences. Its publishing strategy has combined established political figures, bestselling broadcasters, memoirists, campaign-linked authors, and controversial public personalities. Publicly available material does not establish a current editor-in-chief, publisher, standalone website, or separate corporate ownership structure beyond its relationship with Simon & Schuster.
History
Threshold Editions was established as a Simon & Schuster imprint to publish conservative nonfiction and give prominent conservative writers a dedicated editorial and commercial platform. Its formation followed the creation of comparable political imprints at other large publishing houses, including Sentinel at Penguin and Crown Forum at Random House. Mary Matalin co-founded the imprint and served as its first editor-in-chief, while Louise Burke became its publisher and remained in that role until 2017. The imprint's early growth depended heavily on relationships with conservative politicians, broadcasters, commentators, and political operatives. Matalin and Burke were introduced in 2005 and developed the imprint around a shared understanding of the conservative book market. Burke publicly emphasized that publishers in this field benefited from understanding, rather than merely observing, the political outlook of their intended readership. Within four years, the list included Glenn Beck, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove, and the imprint was producing bestselling books. Glenn Beck's An Inconvenient Book became a major early success when it reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list in 2007. That same year, Karl Rove sold Threshold his memoir Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight after a nine-bidder auction. Rove said his friendship with Matalin influenced his decision to choose the imprint. Threshold's results were especially notable during a period in 2009 and early 2010 when Simon & Schuster's hardcover business was weaker; the imprint generated some of the parent company's strongest hits. By 2014, Threshold had broadened its publishing program. Although political nonfiction remained central, the imprint also handled young-adult and fiction-related projects, including Rush Limbaugh's Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. This expansion reflected the ability of conservative media personalities to support book projects aimed at audiences beyond conventional political memoir readers. In 2015, Threshold acquired a book by Donald Trump. The project was first announced under the title Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again and was later published as Great Again: How to Fix Crippled America. It reached number five on Publishers Weekly's frontlist hardcover nonfiction list. The acquisition illustrated Threshold's strategy of linking political publishing with a prominent public figure's broader media and campaign visibility. The imprint faced its most public controversy in 2016 and 2017. It signed Milo Yiannopoulos for Dangerous, reportedly involving a substantial advance. The announcement attracted intense online and media reaction, and the book quickly rose to the top of Amazon's bestseller rankings. Simon & Schuster later canceled the publication after a video resurfaced in which Yiannopoulos appeared to defend or excuse sexual relationships between adults and minors. He said the remarks used imprecise language and denied supporting pedophilia. Yiannopoulos subsequently pursued a breach-of-contract claim against the publisher but later abandoned the lawsuit. Threshold Editions remains associated with conservative political publishing within Simon & Schuster. Public reference material confirms its parent-imprint relationship and several important authors and titles, but does not establish a current standalone leadership team, independent headquarters, separate financial reporting, or a distinct corporate website.
- 2017
Dangerous publication canceled
[1]Simon & Schuster canceled publication of Milo Yiannopoulos's Dangerous following controversy over resurfaced remarks.
- 2015
Donald Trump book acquired
[1]Threshold signed Donald Trump for the book later published as Great Again: How to Fix Crippled America.
- 2014
Publishing scope expands beyond political nonfiction
[1]The imprint was publishing memoirs and political commentary as well as young-adult and fiction-related books, including Rush Limbaugh's Rush Revere project.
- 2007
An Inconvenient Book reaches number one
[1]Glenn Beck's An Inconvenient Book reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list.
- 2007
Karl Rove memoir acquired after auction
[1]Threshold acquired Karl Rove's memoir after a nine-bidder auction, with the deal described as carrying a seven-figure advance.
- 2005
Matalin and Burke begin developing the imprint relationship
[1]Mary Matalin and Louise Burke were introduced and subsequently developed the relationship that led to the creation and direction of Threshold Editions.
Products and positioning
A commercially focused conservative and political publishing imprint within Simon & Schuster, using high-profile authors, media platforms, and political networks to reach conservative book buyers.
Political commentary · 2007
An Inconvenient Book
Glenn Beck's political commentary title was one of Threshold Editions' early high-profile successes. The book reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list in 2007, demonstrating the imprint's ability to convert a prominent broadcaster's audience into a major book-market result.
Political memoir
Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight
Karl Rove's memoir was acquired by Threshold after a competitive auction. The book reflects the imprint's focus on conservative political figures and its use of author relationships and political networks in acquiring commercially significant memoirs.
Young-adult historical fiction
Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims
Rush Limbaugh's Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims represented Threshold's expansion into young-adult and fiction-related publishing. The project used a well-known conservative broadcaster and a historical-adventure format to reach younger readers and families.
Political nonfiction · 2015
Great Again: How to Fix Crippled America
Donald Trump's political book was initially announced under a different title and later published as Great Again: How to Fix Crippled America. It debuted at number five on Publishers Weekly's frontlist hardcover nonfiction list.
Political commentary
Dangerous
Milo Yiannopoulos's Dangerous was acquired by Threshold and generated significant attention before publication. Simon & Schuster canceled the book after controversy over resurfaced comments attributed to Yiannopoulos; the planned publication therefore did not proceed.
Controversies
2017
Cancellation of Dangerous after controversy over Yiannopoulos remarks
Simon & Schuster canceled publication of Dangerous after a video resurfaced in which Milo Yiannopoulos appeared to defend or minimize sexual relationships between adults and minors. Yiannopoulos said he had used imprecise language and denied advocating pedophilia. He later attempted to sue the publisher for breach of contract but dropped the action.
Brand decisions
2017
Cancel publication of DangerousOtherBackground
A resurfaced video containing remarks interpreted as defending or minimizing sexual relationships between adults and minors created major reputational controversy around the planned book.
Action taken
Simon & Schuster canceled publication of Milo Yiannopoulos's Dangerous.
Aftermath
Yiannopoulos attempted a breach-of-contract lawsuit and later dropped it; the book was not published by Simon & Schuster.
Reported advance. Purported US$250,000 advance (2016)
2015
Publish Donald Trump's political bookProduct launchBackground
Threshold pursued a book by Donald Trump during a period when his political profile and public visibility were increasing.
Action taken
The imprint acquired and published the project, changing its announced title from Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again to Great Again: How to Fix Crippled America.
Aftermath
The book debuted at number five on Publishers Weekly's frontlist hardcover nonfiction list.
2007
Acquire Karl Rove memoir through competitive auctionOtherBackground
Threshold competed with multiple bidders, including another Simon & Schuster imprint, for Karl Rove's political memoir.
Action taken
The imprint acquired the memoir after an auction involving nine bidders.
Aftermath
The transaction reinforced Threshold's role as a specialist home for high-profile conservative political authors.
Reported advance. Seven-figure deal (2007)
Recent events
- 2016
Threshold announces Milo Yiannopoulos book deal[1]
Product launch · Other
Threshold Editions announced a deal with Milo Yiannopoulos for Dangerous. The announcement generated substantial media and social-media attention, and the book briefly reached number one on Amazon's bestseller list.
- 2015
Threshold signs Donald Trump for political book[1]
Product launch · Campaign
Threshold acquired Donald Trump's book, initially titled Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again. The published version was titled Great Again: How to Fix Crippled America.
- 2015
Great Again debuts among Publishers Weekly's leading hardcover nonfiction titles[1]
Product launch
Donald Trump's Great Again: How to Fix Crippled America debuted at number five on Publishers Weekly's frontlist hardcover nonfiction list.
- 2007
Glenn Beck's An Inconvenient Book reaches number one[1]
Product launch · Other
Glenn Beck's An Inconvenient Book reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list, becoming an early commercial success for the imprint.
- 2007
Threshold acquires Karl Rove memoir after competitive auction[1]
Product launch · Other
Threshold Editions acquired Karl Rove's memoir Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight following an auction involving nine bidders, including Simon & Schuster's Free Press.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/threshold-editions · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled