Robert Gottlieb: the editor who changed American literature

The man who ushered classics like Catch-22 into the world, Gottlieb has reason to brag. But in his new memoir Avid Reader he prefers to downplay the editor’s role Joseph Heller, the author of Catch-22, once gave an interview where he credited his editor with kicking his work into shape. After the interview ran, Heller got an irritated phone call. The caller was his editor, Robert Gottlieb. Gottlieb told Heller to knock it off. “I felt then, and still do, that readers shouldn’t be made aware of editorial interventions,” Gottlieb writes in his new memoir, Avid Reader: A Life. “They have a right to feel that what they’re reading comes direct from the author to them.”Gottlieb’s book is full of stories like that one. He is a very unassuming person, for an alleged legend – a characterization he laughs at to me, saying his daughter pokes fun at him for so often being called it. Yet beginning at Simon & Schuster in the 1950s and 1960s, flourishing at Knopf in the 1970s and 1980s, and with a brief but memorable detour to the New Yorker (as an editor), Gottlieb’s editing pen has touched the manuscripts of most of the important American writers of the 20th century – and several of the British ones, too. He did it, though, as much from behind the scenes as he possibly could. “I’ve given very few interviews,” he told me when I met him at his book-lined townhouse on New York’s East Side. He is only giving this one now, he says, because he needs to help the publisher sell his book. ... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Robert Gottlieb: the editor who changed American literature"


Global Publishing Leaders 2015: Gallimard

Gallimard has been home to many of the most prestigious writers in French literature throughout the 20th century, including Marcel Proust, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, and 2008 Nobel laureate Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sick of P&L Statements, Literary Editor Quits, Gets Web Kudos

Sarah Knight was sick of commuting, P&L statements and eating salad at her desk at Simon & Schuster, so she quit to freelance and seek happiness. The post Sick of P&L Statements, Literary Editor Quits, Gets Web Kudos appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Stefani, McBride and May join Quarto sales

Quarto Publishing Group UK has made a series of appointments to its sales team, as part of a restructure. John Stefani, previously business development director at Simon & Schuster will take on the role of sales director, while Geraldine McBride, previously trade sales director at Bonnier... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Toby Jones given senior role at S&S

Former Penguin communications manager Toby Jones has been hired as group marketing and publicity director by Simon & Schuster.  Jones, who left Penguin in 2013 to go travelling, will begin at S&S on 1st July and report to chief executive and publisher Ian Chapman.  Marketing director... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S rushes through 'Ugly Game' reprint

Simon & Schuster has rushed through a second reprint of The Ugly Game: The Qatari Plot to Buy the World Cup by Heidi Blake and Jonathan Calvert after the Fifa arrests last week, which dominated news headlines around the world. The publisher ordered a 1,500 reprint of the book, only released... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


BookCon 2015: In Our World and Beyond Fantasy, and Reality

Joe Monti, executive editor for Simon & Schuster’s new Saga imprint for science fiction/fantasy, or SFF, admits that diversity is more than an intellectual exercise. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


BEA 2015: Hoopla Signs More ‘Big Five’ Deals

Hachette Book Group and Simon & Schuster this week became the latest Big Five publishers to offer audiobook titles to libraries via Midwest Tape’s nascent Hoopla digital platform. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


BEA 2015: Tor Celebrates 35

Tom Doherty, president and publisher of Tor Books, worked his way up through the sales force ranks at Simon & Schuster and was mentored by Betty and Ian Ballantine when they launched the first science fiction and fantasy line in the country. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Gail Gonzales Named V-P, Associate Publisher at Rodale

Gonzales, currently director of integrated marketing at Simon & Schuster, has been been appointed v-p, associate publisher, trade books at Rodale, effective June 15. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Author Solutions lawsuit continues

Lawyers acting for Author Solutions are due to file new papers with a New York court this week in the latest development in the lawsuit against the assisted publisher. The Penguin Random House-owned company Author Solutions provides a variety of services direct to authors under a series of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Print drop hits S&S first quarter

A fall in physical book sales led to a decrease in revenue in the first quarter of 2015 for Simon & Schuster. Results released by the publisher’s parent company CBS Corporation were not broken down geographically, but gave publishing revenues for the first three months of this year at... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Publishers give $250m free ebooks for Obama scheme

Publishers in the US including Hachette Book Group, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster are making $250m (£163m) in free ebooks available to low-income students as part of a scheme announced today (30th April) by President Obama. The new ebook commitments, to cover a three-year... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Playster Streaming Service to Offer Simon & Schuster Ebooks

Playster, a digital multimedia streaming platform, will now sell ebooks from Simon & Schuster on a subscription basis. The post Playster Streaming Service to Offer Simon & Schuster Ebooks appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S‘ six-figure Peterson poach

Novelist Alice Peterson has moved from Quercus to Simon & Schuster in a six-figure deal. S&S publishing director Jo Dickinson bought world rights to two novels from The Agency Group’s Diana Beaumont, in the latter’s first deal since joining the company from the Rupert Heath Literary Agency. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Horobin to join Bonnier Publishing Fiction

James Horobin, previously group sales, marketing and publicity director at Simon & Schuster, is to join the recently launched Bonnier Publishing Fiction division as executive director with responsibility for sales and marketing. Horobin, who left S&S last month, will take up his new... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Tasker to Join Readerlink

Tasker, who has held positions at Simon & Schuster and Scholastic, most recently served as v-p, product development at Disney Publishing Worldwide. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon and HarperCollins renew friendship with multi-year contract

Amazon started mending its tattered relationship with the big five publishers last year, signing deals with Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and even Hachette. Now it's HarperCollins' turn to make peace with the e-commerce giant, according to The Wall Str... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S change sales and children's staff

Simon & Schuster has promoted Gill Richardson to the role of sales director, as Elv Moody steps down from the position of editorial director of children's fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Oyster launches ebook store

Oyster has launched an online ebook store in the US. The subscription company, which started out in September 2013 charging $9.95 a month for unlimited ebooks, has now expanded into online retail, launching an ebook store where customers can pay for individual titles. While only S&S,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Surprise Project Becomes S&S Big London Book

The backstory of Steven Rowley’s new nearly seven-figure book deal with Simon & Schuster is the stuff of publishing fairy tales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this