Wordsmiths’ Publicity/Marketing Director, Russ Marshalek, who has been with the bookstore since the store opened, is being let go at the beginning of March.

In a letter to associates, colleagues and friends he writes of his future plans.  You can read the full letter after the jump.

Best of luck to you Russ!  Thanks for all the great events you’ve brought to our fair city over the past couple years!

With a heavy heart and a look to the future, I’m writing to inform you that, as a result of the recent heavy economic downturn, my position as Marketing and Publicity Director at Wordsmiths Books will be eliminated effective as of March 2009. During my time in this role, I’ve found your support essential in facilitating my approach to publicity and marketing in regards to authors, books and book events, and I have the utmost gratitude for the fun, massive rock-and-roll blowouts you’ve allowed me to turn author events into.

Upon my termination from my Marketing/Publicity position at Wordsmiths at the end of March, I will be relocating from Decatur, GA to New York to pursue other opportunities. I will continue to operate as a freelance writer/publicist as RussCommunications (), and under that name I will serve as head of publicity for, amongst other projects, Zach Steele’s forthcoming novel Anointed, to be published in February by Mercury Retrograde Press, as well as the massive new media campaign being launched in conjunction with the book’s publication.  I am, and shall continue to, entertain any and all New York-based full-time opportunities within my realms of experience in new media, publicity and marketing, as well as any freelance opportunities, and ask that I’m kept in mind should such arise. I can be contacted on a personal basis at ().

All of that said, my time at Wordsmiths has been a simply incredible few years, and I am capping off my work here with a full February author line-up including local gay lifestyle writer Topher Payne, non-fiction writer David Hajdu and comedic fiction legend Christopher Moore, as well as the launch of the aforementioned Anointed.  I look forward to, for the next month, working with your authors, publicists, writers and reporters in my capacity at Wordsmiths, and then continuing to work with you upon my relocation to New York.

Thanks, genuinely and sincerely

-Russ Marshalek