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 ]

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DOJ v PRH: Madeline McIntosh Details PRH's Publishing Process

As the Department of Justice’s case against the proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House entered its third week, the defense called PRH US CEO Madeline McIntosh, plus merger and acquisition executives from ViacomCBS and PRH, to the stand to discuss why approval of the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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DOJ v. PRH: Agents, Publishers Move Center Stage

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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From the Archive: June 8, 1992

David McCullough, the author of 12 bestselling books, died August 7 at age 89. PW caught up with McCullough in 1992 shortly after his sixth book, 'Truman,' was released by the only publisher he ever had, Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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From the Archive: June 8, 1992

David McCullough, the author of 12 bestselling books, died August 7 at age 89. PW caught up with McCullough in 1992 shortly after his sixth book, 'Truman,' was released by the only publisher he ever had, Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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David McCullough, Pulitzer-winning historian, dies aged 89

The author of biographies and other works and narrator of documentaries, McCullough was ‘the voice of American history’David McCullough, the Pulitzer prize-winning author whose lovingly crafted narratives on subjects ranging from New York’s Brooklyn Bridge to American presidents John Adams and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-08-08 19:41:16 UTC ]
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Antitrust trial puts book publishing industry in the dock

The Justice Department’s legal effort to block the merger of book publishing giants Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster is more than just a showcase for the Biden administration’s tougher approach to corporate consolidation Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2022-08-06 14:26:56 UTC ]
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Sales, Profits Skyrocket at S&S in Q2

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King testifies against $2B Penguin merger

The deal between Penguin and Simon & Schuster would weaken competition and lower author pay, he said Continue reading at Crains New York

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Stephen King, Andrew Solomon, and a bunch of agents are set to testify in the PRH antitrust trial.

The federal government’s civil suit to block the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House is chugging along, with the trial set to begin on August 1. Exhibits to the joint pretrial motion, filed July 15, included lists of witnesses for both sides. Witnesses for both sides... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-20 16:13:34 UTC ]
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At Simon & Schuster, Jonathan Karp Announces Dana Canedy’s Departure

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-07-19 21:52:50 UTC ]
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Dana Canedy to Step Down at Simon & Schuster

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S Launches Banned Books Promotion for Bookstores

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Post Hill Press Starts New Imprint, Twin Flame

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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From the Archive: March 30, 1998

This summer, the courts will rule on Bertelsmann subsidiary PRH’s planned purchase of Simon & Schuster. But 24 years ago, the industry was agape over Bertelsmann’s acquisition of Random House. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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A new book on songwriting is coming from Bob Dylan.

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Simon & Schuster Canada To Open a Canadian Scribner Imprint

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-02-23 01:48:53 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of February 21, 2021

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Publishers, Agencies Start Receiving Subpoenas as DoJ-PRH Case Ramps Up

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