Philip Roth (left) at a diner in his hometown, Newark, NJ

At PW news editor Rachel Deahl is reporting that the most important writer on the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt list, Philip Roth, is not leaving the company — yet. Deahl says Roth’s agent, Andrew Wylie, “confirmed that Roth’s next book, due out in fall 2009, is with HMH. As for the one after that, well, it could be up for grabs. Wylie confirmed that that book, which he said is not complete, is not under contract with HMH. When asked if he might take that title elsewhere, Wylie said it was too far off to discuss.”