They are authors and publicists; retailers and editors; festival directors and campaign leaders; literacy advocates and agents. And they are chief executive officers and managing directors.
Each personality on The Bookseller’s “Book Trade Most Influential 100,” in her and his way, has had an impact on the UK trade industry. Some are honoured as “evergreen” presences on the scene, others are new to the list.
A few are in a special class of returnees — they’ve been on the list in the past, fell off, and now are making “re-entries” onto the roster. As one quips in a tweet early Friday morning:
Ahem. Am not-so-secretly chuffed to be back in @thebookseller’s list of top 100 industry influencers for 1st time since was fired.
Here’s the full list. And here’s the staff’s writeup.
I say three cheers for the staff: The Bookseller’s 100 is the kind of thing you always want someone else to compile. It’s not unlike trying to remember everybody to thank when you win your Oscar. You hit the perfect 100, only to realize you’ve left out your mother, right?
Nevertheless, the ritual of The List on a recurring basis in any industry or avocation can be an important one because it helps point out business values as they morph and change over time.
For example, the Booksellers Association’s Tim Godfray leads the 2014 pack: “Godfray has been named 2014’s ‘101st,'” our article explains, “a position which honours a member of the industry who has had an impact far beyond his or her organisation alone.” Just to sum it all up in a tote bag:
The Bookseller judged that “Godfray and the BA have put their heads above the parapet in the past couple of years because the climate requires it. An indicative Godfray/BA 2.0 moment came at last year’s London Book Fair, with the normally suited-and-booted chief exec prowling a stage, sporting a Books Are My Bag (BAMB) T-shirt and a pair of trainers, speaking eloquently yet forcefully about why an unchecked Amazon is bad for the entire trade.”
And “entire trade” is the phrase, when it comes to this disparate gathering of luminaries. The creative corps may not see their saints go marching in here, as they do when, for example, the 2015 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award puts 142 books on its longlist. But a lot of the managerial set will find this batch an edifying 100. I count 32 chief executive officers and 20 managing directors among them.
By Porter Anderson | @Porter_Anderson
The FutureBook: #FutureChat today: A book trade under the influencers
Read the full post at: TheBookseller.com/futurebook
