For those of us outside the US, Publishers Weekly has been our indispensable window on American publishing, and Milliott’s name has become a by-word for reliable reporting.
Publishers Weekly‘s Jim Milliott should need no introduction, but for those readers not of generation Last century, the background to Milliott’s arrival at PW in 1993 is worth noting.
“The book business of 1993 bears little if any resemblance to the one of today. Borders (remember them?) and Barnes & Noble were the 800-pound gorillas of bookselling. Nobody knew who Jeff Bezos was. Oprah was years away from naming her first book club selection. Publisher consolidation had yet to go into overdrive. Cormac McCarthy had just made his name with All the Pretty Horses after years of semi-obscurity. The internet hadn’t really happened yet.”
Today, reports Jonathan Segura for PW, “Jim Milliot stands on the cusp of retirement, having written his first news story in 1979, having been with Publishers Weekly for 30 years, and having risen through the magazine’s ranks to become editorial director, a position he’s fulfilled with unerring professionalism through all manner of industry and world tumult. For his years of service, mentorship, and dedication to objectively and fairly covering the books business, we are honoring him with the first-ever Frederic G. Melcher Lifetime Achievement Award.”
For those of us outside the US, Publishers Weekly has been our indispensable window on American publishing, and Milliott’s name has become a by-word for reliable reporting.
It’s not clear what “on the cusp of retirement” means for Jim’s long-term timeline at PW, but let’s hope that when it does happen he’ll continue writing about the industry on his own schedule.
