Category Archives: in memoriam

October 01, 2014   DG&B   creativity, in memoriam, inspiration, memoir, motivation, Stacey  
0

Crazy genius

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of the crazy genius. So many times we see talented, creative individuals struggle with mental health issues – depression, anxiety, addiction. Some of the most brilliant artists of our generation have had tragic endings to their lives, most recently and notably Robin Williams which brought the conversation to a much more mainstream place. That struck an emotional response with so many of us. He made us laugh, we loved him like a friend, he was so funny. And yet his personal demons ultimately got the better of him. The outpouring of support and willingness to talk about a difficult subject and offer help to those who need it was the best thing that came out of Williams’ untimely death.

I found this piece in Authormagazine.com by a freelance writer and it resonated with me. It talks about the links between creativity and sensitivity, as many artists have elements of both. It also highlights the fact that so much of the darkness we sometimes experience in our creative lives is normal. I like her line: “This buildup of feeling is where art is born”. It reminds me of a quote I once saw on my nanny’s Facebook page: “Life is beautiful, not easy.”

I have an interest in this subject and have worked on many books over the years that explore some of these dark issues. Perfect Chaos by Linea and Cinda Johnson was a dual memoir by a daughter and mother about a brilliant young pianist who suffers from bipolar disorder. The pair have worked tirelessly within the mental health community to raise awareness of the condition and reduce the stigma associated with it. And Come Back by Claire and Mia Fontaine was also a mother-daughter memoir that delved into the issue of child sexual abuse. It was a Target book club bestseller and has sold over 200,000 copies. These authors have shared stories with me and others of how their books have helped people who felt lost and hopeless. Ultimately they send a positive message about triumph over adversity that is both hopeful and inspiring.

So embrace your inner crazy genius and let it take you somewhere you’ve never gone before. That is often the place where great things can happen.

And if you or someone you know is feeling like there’s no way out, here is the number and website for the national suicide prevention line: 1-800-273-8255 http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

June 09, 2014   Jane   in memoriam, Jane  
7

My dad

This coming Sunday is Father’s Day and so it is natural for all of us to think of our dads.  I am thinking of mine with special love as he just passed away (the Times prepared a lovely obit which I’m sharing here): Over the past week since his passing, I’ve been thinking about the things my father loved and I wanted to share some of them with you:

He loved baseball, most particularly the Yankees.  As a boy, he would journey by subway to Yankee Stadium from his home on the Lower East Side of New York, stand outside the gate where the players came in and get their autographs on his baseball. These included Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig among many others.  When I was a girl, I remember him taking me to the stadium and introducing me to Mickey Mantle.

When my brother John and I became competitive figure skaters, my dad became passionate about the sport and actually helped to get figure skating on television.

When my brother, sadly, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, dad became a passionate participant in the National MS Society, served on their board, and set up two funds in my brother’s name – a research fund which continues to this day and a nursing fellowship.

My dad was, of course, passionate about books (he was a brilliant editor and marketer), and he built a publishing company into the leading mass market publisher in the world.

More than anything else, however, my father was passionate about people.  He made a real difference in the lives of so many—family, friends, and colleagues—really almost everyone whose life he touched.  He encouraged me to become an agent and to open my own literary agency so many years ago.

I will miss him very much but I have many wonderful memories of him and am so profoundly grateful for the enormous outpouring of love from his many admirers over the last several days.

So on Father’s Day, I will be remembering my father Oscar Dystel in a very special way this year.  Happy Father’s Day, Dad, wherever you may be.  I love you.

January 29, 2014   John   in memoriam, John, mentors, music, opinion, picture books  
0

Remembering Pete (the author)

As I’m sure you’ve seen by now, the great folksinger Pete Seeger passed away Monday night at the ripe old age of 94. Like a lot of kids with liberal-minded parents, I grew up with Pete’s music,  and I still vaguely remember him dancing across the stage at Symphony Space at one of his children’s concerts. Later on in college, I got to know more about his achievements, especially his work with the Clearwater Sloop and their annual festival in the Hudson Valley.

But then, I also had the privilege and pleasure of working with Pete as his editor on several of his picture books. And while the appreciations and obituaries today have rightly focused on his music and his activism, I just wanted to point out that Pete had quite a prolific career as a writer, too–his bibliography lists over 30 titles, from picture books to autobiographies to instruction manuals. And several of them, like Abiyoyo and How to Play the Five-String Banjo are classics in their own right.

And what was so fascinating about working with Pete was that Pete the Author was often at odds with Pete the Folksinger. In other words, while Pete clearly loved books and the written word, he struggled to reconcile the idea of a book as a finite project with the ever-evolving folk process. In other words, he couldn’t stop tinkering!

Thinking about it now, it’s a shame that the e-book revolution came just a little too late for Pete–I think he would have loved the idea that he could publish a piece of writing but continue to update it. Or better yet, to get other writers involved in a story through Wattpad or other crowd-sourcing websites. Ironic that the folk process could be furthered by this strain of technology…

Anyway, musings aside, I hope that if you’re thinking about Pete that in addition to listening to his music, you’ll look up some of his books as well–and if you don’t, Abiyoyo might come down from the hills and getcha!

April 15, 2013   Jane   advice, in memoriam, Jane, publishers  
1

Stepping outside the box

Last Sunday, a much loved and major figure in book publishing died.  Peter Workman was an icon of our industry. Not only was he kind and generous, but he was also a creative genius.  Beginning as a book packager, he quickly became the publisher of such bestsellers as What to Expect When You’re Expecting, The Silver Palate Cookbook and many other hugely successful titles.  The New York Times says his percentage of “wins” merited membership in the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame and it did.  One out of every three books he published sold over 100,000 copies.

Why were this man and his publishing company, one of the last independent companies in our business, so successful?  Because time and again he stepped out of the box in his book packaging and marketing decisions.  His willingness to do the untraditional and unexpected was what made him and Workman Publishing so incredibly successful.

We all, I think, can learn a lesson from Peter Workman.  I see it in the book ideas many of my clients present to me.  I see it in the new arena of indie book publishing, which is so exciting.  I see it in publishers’ new willingness to be creative in their pricing and promotional ideas.  Most importantly, I see it in publishers and authors being more willing to work together to publish great books successfully.

We will miss Peter Workman very much.  But I believe we can pay a great tribute to him by studying his many and varied creative ideas and implementing versions of them as we step out of our boxes and conduct and grow our business.

May 08, 2012   John   children's books, in memoriam, John, opinion, picture books  
2

Thoughts on Maurice Sendak

As I’m sure you’ve all heard, Maurice Sendak passed away this morning at the age of 83. Certainly, I was saddened by the news, as Where the Wild Things Are and the Nutshell Library were a part of my early childhood like so many others. And like so many other newish parents, I’ve come back to Sendak recently, sharing both books with my sons, as well as adding In the Night Kitchen and Little Bear into the mix. If one mark of success for a picture book artist is a book that speaks across generations, then Sendak’s career was truly unparalleled.

That said, I distinctly recall back when I started in kids’ books that Sendak was looked upon less than favorably by his peers. Partly, I think there was some jealously of his success, but I also think there was a feeling that he turned his back on the children’s book community. In particular, back in the 1990s Sendak spent a lot of time on the college lecture circuit (I saw him give a fantastic talk as an undergrad), which definitely rubbed some people the wrong way, for both of the aforementioned reasons. And, of course, there was his famously prickly demeanor, which didn’t always seem so lovable to those on the inside…

But I also wonder if his lack of picture book production over the last two decades had something to do with it. Most working picture book artists average at least a book a year, if not two, and by going so long between books, I think he may have heightened both the jealously and resentment factors. Certainly, that’s an old story with artists—those who deny the audience what they want run the risk of losing their fans.

Yet whether it was a conscious decision to curry favor, a sense of mortality, or whether it was just where his art took him, his recent spate of activity—the Wild Things movie, Brundibar, Bumble-Ardy, palling around with Stephen Colbert—certainly drew him back into the fold. And so it’s good to see all the tributes to him across the internet, especially from the children’s book community.

But really, the ultimate tribute will come tonight, when literally millions of children will go to sleep to his words—I know my kids will be two of them.

November 02, 2011   Stacey   biography, children's books, in memoriam, inspiration, opinion, Oprah, Stacey  
3

Biographies to inspire kids

We’ve all been talking a lot about Steve Jobs and the impact he had on our world, so it’s no surprise that PW announced recently that Feiwel and Friends is doing a quickie bio of him for kids.

I think it’s important for kids of all ages to be exposed to greatness and to learn about influential people outside of their own often sheltered lives who forged their own path to success. He’s the kind of person I’d like my kids to emulate (well, maybe not the dropping out of college part).

It got me wondering about other leaders of industry or culture I’d like to see profiled in book form for kids. Adults seem to have their bases pretty well covered. Some days it seems that anyone who has ever appeared on television has a book deal, but I don’t think the same is necessarily true for the children’s market.

Is there anyone you’d like to see written about in this way for children? There are a few who come to mind for me. Oprah Winfrey has already been done, for several ages. And I love the cover illustration on this Hillary Rodham Clinton book for kids. Dorothy Rodham, Hillary’s mom, just died at 92 so perhaps there is a book in that. Michael J. Fox continues to inspire in his fight against Parkinson’s. Lucille Ball, followed by Gilda Radner, showed that women can be smart, and funny, even when faced with adversity. And J.K. Rowling proved that with the right combination of talent, persistence, and imagination, anything is possible. I’d like to teach my kids about all of these amazing people who helped to change the world for the better.

I know there are countless others. Let us know your ideas and maybe we can find a way to make it happen!



August 10, 2011   Stacey   in memoriam, reading, Stacey  
8

Writers on Goodbye

I had plans to blog today about a book-to-film article I read that I wanted to share following up on my post from last week. But then, on Monday, I heard the terrible news that my client, Jennifer Perillo’s, husband died suddenly at just 51 leaving behind Jennie and their two daughters, ages 8 and 3. I was so shocked and saddened by this news that it’s really taken over all my thoughts since. And just yesterday I learned that my 79-year-old cousin passed away after a long battle with cancer, so I’m thinking a lot about death and its effects on those left behind.

Many members of the food and blogging community have come together to support Jennie, who is loved by everyone who knows her. I initially met Jennie through another client, Shauna James Ahern of glutenfreegirl.com, who wrote such a beautiful piece about Jennie, her husband, writing, and community, that I felt compelled to share it with you all.

All of this made me wonder about writers and what motivates them during times of sadness. Writers who write personally, through blogging or memoirs, in particular. When something wonderful happens, they generally want to write about it. And when something tragic happens, same. Writers write. It’s what they do, and it’s to our benefit when someone with the uncanny ability to articulate in just the right ways what a painful situation feels like, looks like, and sounds like shares with us those feelings and experiences, and in a way that makes it relatable to the reader. Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking comes to mind. It’s about the sudden death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, and the simultaneous severe illness of their only daughter. And Elizabeth McCracken’s An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination is another great example. This is also a memoir, about the loss of a pregnancy in its ninth month, a reflective and poignant look at a different, but no less painful, sort of grief.

I wonder if you have any favorite memoirs about loss. I’m not sure I actually want to read them right now given my state of mind, but I do appreciate the comfort that other people’s experiences can have on our own.

March 23, 2011   Miriam   celebrity, characters, fun, in memoriam, Miriam, opinion  
1

Heroes of their own life stories

There’s a dusting of snow in the grassy areas all over the tri-state area today and a cold rain is falling from the leaden skies here in the City.  The fact that April is eight days away and that this has been one of the more gruesome winters I’ve experienced in a couple of decades is enough to make me want to just go back home, get in bed and pull the covers over my head (and not emerge until June).  But, if the general foulness of the weather wasn’t enough, the news this morning that Elizabeth Taylor has died makes the grayness feel a bit more enveloping.  Needless to say, I was (and am) a big fan of  Ms. Taylor, a great beauty, a sometimes brilliant actress, and a larger-than-life public figure who often used her powers for good, rather than evil.  A woman who could have coasted on her looks all her life instead demanded to be taken seriously as an artist, businesswoman, and humanitarian, while never losing her sense of humor and her ability to mock her own faults, excesses and failures.  Upon being named a Dame of the British Empire, she famously quipped, “I’ve always been a broad, now I’m a dame.”

Thinking about how much I’ve always admired Elizabeth Taylor’s spirit and resilience I came across this piece in the Huff Post featuring eight women writers’ female heroes (one of the authors is our own, wonderful Tayari Jones).  I expected that the heroes chosen would be literary types—the usual suspects such as Jane Eyre, Jo March, or even some unusual ones like Olive Kitteridge—but instead, these authors picked women like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rosa Parks, and Zelda Fitzgerald.   Dynamic, smart, dogged, defiant, and mostly unforgettable real women.  It occurs to me that these iconic figures spark our imaginations in ways that eventually find their lives and actions reinvented and reinterpreted (and sometimes rediscovered) in books, plays, and songs.   From Joan of Arc to Eleanor of Aquitaine to Evita Peron our female heroes have become great fictional characters as well.

But how about all the literary figures who are merely based on a real female hero?  What are your favorite examples of veiled portrayals of great or famous or notorious women who made their mark in the real world and whose avatars live on in fiction?

February 15, 2011   John   in memoriam, John  
0

Remembering Margaret K. McElderry

Checking Facebook this morning, I was saddened to see the news that Magaret McElderry had passed away at 98. For those who only know the McElderry name from her eponymous imprint at Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, check out this article in the Times that gives a wonderful overview of her life and astonishing career.

While I didn’t know Margaret personally very well, I was lucky enough to be in the room back in 1997 when Margaret shared her story with the S&S Children’s department. I had just joined S&S in August, my first real job in publishing, and I was as green as you can get—yet here was a bona fide publishing legend taking the time to share her story with even the lowliest assistants. And with her modest grace, she showed us all how a publishing career can be created, sustained, and flourish despite the vicissitudes of time, taste, and corporate makeovers. I know I’m not the only one who left that day feeling that a career in kids books was a life worth living.

In rereading the Times article now, it’s fascinating to note just how radical and risky her choices were, particularly how her embrace of foreign authors and illustrators opened up the global children’s book market. At a time when kids’ books (and publishing in general) are going through a period of major uncertainty, it’s instructive to recognize how, in her own time, Margaret found new avenues for talent and new ways to grow the business.

I only hope that as we learn to navigate these new waters, we can do so with the style and elegance for which Margaret was known and celebrated. As her friend and protégé Emma Dryden wrote this morning, “Long may her spirit live on in all of us.”

January 24, 2011   Jane   in memoriam, Jane  
0

Abner Stein

In our lives, there are only a few times, I think, that we meet someone who really makes a difference.  For me, Abner Stein was one of those people.

Abner was our British agent.  He represented those of our books for which we had retained the British rights from the U.S. publisher.  And he was a superb agent.

But more than that, Abner was a superb human being.  When I was just starting out on my own – leaving my former employer in 1994 to begin what is now Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, Abner was incredibly supportive, encouraging me to spread my wings and build my business.  Over these many years, his support continued as our friendship grew.

As one of his colleagues wrote recently in a remembrance in Book Brunch, “For Abner, publishing was a personal business.  The consummate professional, he believed in the importance of personal connections.”  And that, I have found over these many years as an agent to be so true.

It is because of Abner and a couple of others like him that I have grown and succeeded as far as I have in my business.  And I hope they knew (and know) how grateful I am to them.

Abner Stein died on January 12th.  I will miss him very much but I will never forget his kind generosity and wonderful support.

« Older posts