My friend Paul Westlake, who has died of cancer aged 65, was a pillar of the radical publishing world from the mid-1970s onwards. He was an advocate of workers' co-operatives and gained much experience in ensuring that the output of independent publishers reached the bookshops.In autumn 1976, after months of planning, we became co-founders, with three others, of a distributor for small radical and feminist publishers, including periodicals. Paul, who had a few years' experience in managing a bookshop, took on the key role of handling the finances, which was a big challenge, particularly for someone without an accounting background.At the beginning, Paul organised the building of an office and warehouse in Clerkenwell Workshops, central London, putting up the internal walls block by block. The Workshops were also home to the magazines Spare Rib and Undercurrents.In 1979 Paul co-founded Zed Books, where he met his partner, Anne. He took on a role in finance and rights administration and in 1983 persuaded the company and its owners to convert to a workers' co-operative. He supported the Industrial Common Ownership Movement for nearly a decade. Always ready to help out in the running of the organisation, he personally introduced the staff to spreadsheets. He also played a leading role in Hackney Co-operative Developments and chaired its trust, which today has a solid property base in Dalston.Paul spent more than 20 years fostering southern African publishing. He founded the... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James L. Mairs, an editor at W. W. Norton & Company since August 1963, died of heart failure on July 26. He was 77. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Smith, the former president and CEO of John Wiley and Sons, died on July 10 following a long illness. He was 61. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British-based Man Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for literary fiction in the world, announced its longlist Wednesday, with five American authors on the list of 13. It’s only the third year that authors from outside the Commonwealth have been considered for the prize, which... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber & Faber’s editorial director for film, Walter Donoghue, recalls memories of the man who led Faber through a literary purple patch. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A publisher of both prestige and pessimism, Peter Owen’s skill was in resuscitating neglected writers, says poet Jeremy Reed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I first met Peter Owen in the late 1980s, when he published some short stories that I had written about Saudi Arabia. I was invited to interesting parties at his house in Holland Park, west London, and at various embassies where he would launch the many translations of literary fiction he... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hamlyn, part of the Octopus Publishing Group, is publishing a step-by-step guide to culinary excellence from the renowned culinary Institut Paul Bocuse. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber & Faber is set to publish Paul Auster's first novel in seven years, an “epic" story of birthright and possibility titled 4 3 2 1. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Editor who began her career with André Deutsch, shaping its children’s list with child-centred booksPam Royds, who has died aged 91, was a children’s book editor with an instinctive understanding of literary talent, a clear-sighted view of what children as readers really enjoy, a deep commitment... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Peter Pearson, executive director of The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, will retire December 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alan Rutsky, CFO of Rizzoli International Publications, died on June 28. He was 67. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookseller who transformed the perception of sports writing and set up the William Hill Sports Book awardJohn Gaustad, who has died aged 68, was a quietly spoken New Zealander who revolutionised the British sports books industry. In 1985 he opened Sportspages, a small shop in Caxton Walk, off... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Illustrator, printer, and publisher Michael McCurdy died on May 28 in Springfield, Mass. He was 74. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From our archives, our obituary of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. co-founder and longtime president Blanche Wolf Knopf, who died on June 4, 1966. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lois Duncan, author of more than 50 books for children and teens including 'Killing Mr. Griffin' and 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' died on June 15. She was 82. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hughes, a longtime Macmillan executive and, most recently, the publisher's v-p of distribution, sales and special markets, died on June 12. She was 60. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Award-winning children's author Rhoda Blumberg, who translated her passion for history into more than 25 nonfiction books, died at home on June 6. She was 98. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Joseph "Scott" Harvey, a veteran publishing executive who most recently served as v-p of custom product development at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, died on Friday. He was 52. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ann B. LaFarge, a former editor for Dutton, Ballantine, Zebra, and Kensington, died at home on May 27. She was 83. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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