The founding publisher of HarperStudio has departed, and parent company HarperCollins is expected to consider what to do next with the imprint, originally launched to experiment with new business models for publishing. Woe unto the aspiring blogger-author?

Whether HarperStudio simply morphs into a new iteration of itself, rebrands, or is somehow absorbed back into the mother ship, online writers aspiring to the format of thickly-bound dead trees will no doubt be watching closely, given how many bloggers have signed deals with the imprint thus far. The author page includes Wonkette's Ken Layne, The Awl's Choire Sicha, Daily Beast/Awl blogger Natasha Vargas-Cooper and Gawker's Ryan Tate and Richard Blakeley.

HarperStudio founding editor Bob Miller is headed to Workman Publishing to become Group Publisher; HarperCollins president Michael Morrison has stepped into his shoes. As far as we can tell, Harper is proceeding with existing books. More questions? HarperStudio associate publisher Debbie Stier has set up FormSprings, both professional and personal. The experimenty/startupy-ness continues!

UPDATE: Regarding existing books, from the HarperStudio Formspring:

Will you be canceling contracts or will all books that have been signed up be published?

No contracts canceled. Books that are on the schedule through Fall 2010 will be HarperStudio titles — and after that we're going to put our heads together and figure out what where when how for the rest. Maybe HarperStudio 2.0. Maybe something different. I have no idea, but I feel like the world is our oyster. I LOVE our authors (all of them) and can't wait to work on their books — and the mojo goes where we go. To be continued, for sure.