Complex sentence: A third book, "A Winter Within", was verbally agreed upon, but a contract never materialized, and Piranha Press began to drastically change its editorial direction in an effort to attain the commercial success that largely eluded them.
Split into simpler sentences: A third book, "A Winter Within", was verbally agreed upon, but a contract never materialized. With his departure, the imprint began to drastically change its editorial direction in an effort to attain the commercial success that largely eluded them.