Peter Michael Mayer(28 March 1936 – 11 May 2018) was aBritish-bornAmericanindependent publisherwho was president ofThe Overlook Press/Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc.,aWoodstock, New York–based publishing company he founded with his father in 1971.[1]At the time of Overlook's founding, Mayer was head ofAvon Books,a largeNew York–based paperback publisher.[2]From 1978 to 1996, Mayer wasCEOofPenguin Books,where he introduced a flexible style ineditorial,marketing,and production.[2][3]During his tenure, he was credited with reviving the company into "the most formidable and admired publisher in the English language".[4]Recently, Mayer financially revived bothArdis,a publisher ofRussian literaturein English, andDuckworth,an independent publishing house in theUK.[1]
Peter Mayer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Michael Mayer March 28, 1936 London,England |
| Died | May 11, 2018(aged 82) Manhattan, New York,U.S. |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Known for | Founder ofThe Overlook Press |
Early life and education
edit| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Peter Mayer, Publisher,Web of Stories,12 November 2015.[5] |
Born to aJewishfamily[6]inLondon,England, on 28 March 1936,[7]Mayer migrated to the United States in 1939. He was raised inKew Gardens, Queens,New York City.[6]His father, Alfred, from Luxembourg, later established a glove manufacturing business while his mother, Lee, who was from Germany, was a homemaker.[8]AFord Foundation scholarshipenabled him to earn his BA degree in English literature atColumbia College,going on to readPPEatChrist Church, Oxford University,where he graduated in 1954.[8]He returned to Columbia in 1956 with asumma cum laudedegree in English literature. He then served in theUS Merchant Marinebefore being granted a graduate fellowship in comparative literature atIndiana University,and in 1959 earned aFulbright scholarshipto study German literature at theFreie Universität Berlin.[9]
Publishing career
editIn 1961 Mayer began work as an editorial assistant atOrion Press,followed in 1962 by a 14-year tenure atAvon Books,where he became Editor in Chief and Publisher.[9]In 1971, during his time at Avon Books, Mayer founded his own publishing label,The Overlook Press.In the late 1970s he was appointed publisher and president ofPocket Books(Simon & Schuster). From 1978 to 1997, he was chairman and CEO of the Penguin group, overseeing Penguin's companies in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, and India.[9]
During his time at Penguin, Mayer courted controversy as he agreed to publishSalman Rushdie's1988 novel,The Satanic Verses.[8]The book led toa major argumentwithAyatollah Khomeini,theSupreme Leader of Iran,issuing afatwāinstructing Muslims to kill the author.[10]Mayer himself also became the recipient of threats.[8]
After leaving Penguin, Mayer returned to his own firm, The Overlook Press, which he had been developing in his free time over the past few decades.[11]His label aimed to be "a home for distinguished books that had been 'overlooked' by larger houses".[11]The imprint was responsible for the resurrection of theFreddy the Pigseries of children's books, returning them to print for the first time since 1958.[8][12]
Under his presidency, The Overlook Press experienced a period of growth. Most notably, in 2002, they acquiredArdis Publishing,an imprint dedicated toRussian literature.[13]This acquisition was followed up in 2003 by Mayer's decision to purchaseDuckworth,which had gone intoreceivership.[14]He remained President of The Overlook Press until his death in 2018.[9]
Awards
editIn 1996 Mayer was awarded the title Chevalier and Officier of theOrdre des Arts et des Lettresby the French Ministry of Culture.[9]He also received many industry awards, including the Foundation of Indian Publishers' and Booksellers' Association Award for Outstanding Contribution to International Publishing (1996) and recognition as a Literary Market Place Most Distinguished Publisher.[9]On 13 December 2007, theNew York Center for Independent Publishing(NYCIP) honored Mayer with the Poor Richard Award for his lifetime contribution to independent book publishing, which was presented to him by literary agentEd Victor.[15]Mayer was also given a Lifetime Achievement Award from theLondon Book Fair(2008), and the Russian "Big Book Prize" for Distinguished International Achievement (2011).[9]
Personal life and death
editMayer was married to Mary Hall in 1980 but divorced in 1991.[8]
He died at the age of 82 in his home inManhattan,New York, due to complications related toamyloidosis.[16][8]
References
edit- ^abNew York Center for Independent Publishing(9 November 2007)."Peter Mayer to be Honored at 2007 NYCIP Benefit".Retrieved6 June2008.
- ^abForbes."Profile: Peter Mayer".Forbes.Archived fromthe originalon 21 August 2014.Retrieved8 August2014.
- ^Penguin Books, Ltd."About Penguin: Company History".Archived fromthe originalon 15 May 2008.Retrieved6 June2008.
- ^""Giant of trade publishing" Peter Mayer dies ".The Bookseller.11 May 2018.Retrieved12 May2018.
- ^"Peter Mayer, Publisher".Web of Stories.12 November 2015.Retrieved1 March2017.99 short segments, with transcripts
- ^abChan, Sewell,"Growing Up Jewish in Postwar Kew Gardens",The New York Times,22 April 2009.
- ^"Publisher Peter Mayer dies at age 82".The Washington Post.11 May 2018.Retrieved12 May2018.[dead link]
- ^abcdefgGenzlinger, Neil (11 May 2018)."Peter Mayer, Publisher of the Incendiary 'Satanic Verses,' Dies at 82".The New York Times.Retrieved12 May2018.
- ^abcdefgPeter Mayer biography,The Overlook Press.
- ^Jessica Jacobson.Islam in Transition: Religion and identity among British Pakistani youth.1998, p. 34.
- ^ab"About Us".The Overlook Press.Retrieved12 May2018.
- ^Sims, Michael (3 March 2016)."Freddy the Pig makes it big".BookPage.Retrieved12 May2018.
- ^"Publishing in Russia 2012: Peter Mayer on Publishing and Promoting Russian Works".Publishers Weekly.11 May 2012.Retrieved12 May2018.
- ^Reynolds, Nigel (3 May 2003)."Woolf's publisher is saved by American".The Telegraph.Retrieved12 May2018.
- ^"Overlook Press Publisher to Be Honored" (press release)Archived14 July 2014 at theWayback Machine,Beneath The Cover, 26 November 2007.
- ^The Associated Press (11 May 2018)."Publisher Peter Mayer dies at age 82".New York Daily News.Retrieved12 May2018.
External links
edit- Page, Benedicte,"Former colleagues remember legendary Penguin chief Peter Mayer",The Bookseller,14 May 2018.
- "Peter Mayer: How to Run a Sales Meeting",in David Calvin Laufer,Dialogues with Creative Legends and Aha Moments in a Designer's Career,New Riders, 2013, pp. 109–113.
- AppearancesonC-SPAN