Editing Publishers Weekly (section)

==History==
===Nineteenth century===
The magazine was founded by [[bibliographer]] [[Frederick Leypoldt]] in the late 1860s, and had various titles until Leypoldt settled on the name '''''The Publishers' Weekly''''' (with an apostrophe) in 1872. The publication was a compilation of information about newly published books, collected from publishers and from other sources by Leypoldt, for an audience of booksellers. By 1876, ''The Publishers' Weekly'' was being read by nine tenths of the booksellers in the country.

In 1878, Leypoldt sold ''The Publishers' Weekly'' to his friend [[Richard Rogers Bowker]], in order to free up time for his other bibliographic endeavors.<ref>Beswick, Jay W. ''The Work of Frederick Leypoldt, Bibliographer and Publisher''. R. R. Bowker, 1942.</ref> Augusta Garrigue Leypoldt, wife of Frederick Leypoldt, stayed with the publication for thirty years.<ref>[https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/89034-the-recent-change-makers-at-publishers-weekly.html ''Publishers' Weekly'' @ 150]. ''PW'', Apr 19, 2022.</ref>  The publication eventually expanded to include features and articles.<ref name=baker>{{cite web|website=Wired For Books|url=http://wiredforbooks.org/johnbaker/|author=Baker, John|title=Interview|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312010952/http://wiredforbooks.org/johnbaker/|archive-date=March 12, 2007}}</ref>

[[Harry Thurston Peck]] was the first editor-in-chief of ''[[The Bookman (New York)|The Bookman]]'', which began in 1895. Peck worked on its staff from 1895 to 1906, and in 1895, he created the world's first bestseller list for its pages.

===Twentieth century===
[[Image:Pw06.jpg|right|thumb|Cover of the November 6, 2006 issue]]
In 1912, ''Publishers Weekly'' began to publish [[Publishers Weekly lists of bestselling novels in the United States|its own bestseller lists]], patterned after the lists in ''The Bookman''. These were not separated into fiction and non-fiction until 1917, when [[World War I]] brought an increased interest in non-fiction by the reading public.<ref name=baker/><ref>{{cite book|author=Hackett, Alice P. |title=50 Years of Best Sellers and How They Grew: 1895–1945|publisher= R. R. Bowker|date= 1945}}</ref>

For much of the twentieth century, ''Publishers Weekly'' was guided and developed by [[Frederic G. Melcher|Frederic Gershom Melcher]] (1879–1963), who was editor and co-editor of ''Publishers' Weekly'' and chairman of the magazine's publisher, [[R. R. Bowker]], over four decades. Born April 12, 1879, in [[Malden, Massachusetts|Malden]], Massachusetts, Melcher began at age 16 in [[Boston]]'s Estes & Lauriat Bookstore, where he developed an interest in children's books.<ref name=Miller>{{cite book|author=Miller, Marilyn Lea |date=2003|title=Pioneers and Leaders in Library Services to Youth: a Biographical Dictionary|publisher= Libraries Unlimited}}</ref> He moved to [[Indianapolis]] in 1913 for another bookstore job. In 1918, he read in ''Publishers' Weekly'' that the magazine's editorship was vacant. He applied to Richard Rogers Bowker for the job, was hired, and moved with his family to [[Montclair, New Jersey|Montclair]], New Jersey. He remained with R. R. Bowker for 45 years.<ref name=Miller/>

While at ''Publishers Weekly'', Melcher began creating space in the publication and a number of issues dedicated solely to books for children.<ref>{{cite news|author=Hansen, Harry |date=1945|title=On the Best Definition of an Editor's Usefulness|editor-first= Mildred |editor-last= Smith |work=Frederic G. Melcher: Friendly Reminiscences of a Half Century Among Books and Bookmen|pages= 24–28|location= New York|publisher= The Book Publishers' Bureau}}</ref> In 1919, he teamed with Franklin K. Mathiews, librarian for the [[Boy Scouts of America]], and [[Anne Carroll Moore]], a librarian at the [[New York Public Library]], to create [[Children's Book Week]].<ref name=Miller/>

When Bowker died in 1933, Melcher succeeded him as president of the company; he resigned in 1959 to become chairman of the board of directors.<ref name=baker/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/melcher.html|title=Frederic G. Melcher|work=Library Journal|date=April 1, 1963|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821121853/http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/melcher.html|archive-date=August 21, 2009}}</ref>

In 1943, ''Publishers Weekly'' created the Carey–Thomas Award for creative publishing, naming it in honor of [[Mathew Carey]] and [[Isaiah Thomas (publisher)|Isaiah Thomas]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,774310,00.html|title=Publishers' Oscar|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=February 15, 1943|access-date=December 2, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207220540/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,774310,00.html|archive-date=December 7, 2012}}</ref>

For most of its history, ''Publishers Weekly,'' along with the ''[[Library Journal]]''-related titles, were owned by founding publisher R. R. Bowker. When [[Reed Business Information|Reed Publishing]] purchased Bowker from [[Xerox]] in 1985, it placed ''Publishers Weekly'' under the management of its Boston-based Cahners Publishing Company, the trade publishing empire founded by Norman Cahners, which Reed Publishing had purchased in 1977.

The merger of Reed with the [[Netherlands]]-based Elsevier in 1993 led to many Cahners cutbacks amid takeover turmoil. Nora Rawlinson, who once headed a $4 million book selection budget at the [[Baltimore County, Maryland|Baltimore County]] Library System, edited ''Library Journal'' for four years prior to becoming editor-in-chief of ''Publishers Weekly'' in 1992, where he served until 2005.

===Twenty-first century===
In 2005, the magazine came under the direction of a new editor-in-chief, veteran book reviewer [[Sara Nelson (editor)|Sara Nelson]], known for publishing columns in the ''[[New York Post]]'' and ''[[The New York Observer]]''.<ref name=twsOctJ15>{{cite news|first=Motoko|last=Rich|title=Top Editor at Publishers Weekly Is Laid Off|newspaper=The New York Times|quote=Sara Nelson, ... who was previously a publishing columnist for The New York Post and worked at The New York Observer|date=January 26, 2009|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/top-editor-at-publishers-weekly-is-laid-off/|access-date=October 5, 2010|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20101007013944/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/top-editor-at-publishers-weekly-is-laid-off/|archive-date=October 7, 2010}}</ref>
Nelson began to modernize ''Publishers Weekly'' with new features and a makeover by illustrator and graphic designer [[Jean-Claude Suares]].  The switch to a simple abbreviated logo of initials effectively changed the name of the magazine to ''PW'', the name long used for the magazine within the book industry.<ref name=pw/>

She also introduced the magazine's short-lived [[Quill Award]]s, with nominees in 19 categories selected by a nominating board of 6,000 booksellers and librarians. Winners were determined by the reading public, who could vote at kiosks in [[Borders (retailer)|Borders]] stores or online at the Quills site. Reed Business dropped the Quill Awards in 2008.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/arts/27arts-QUILLAWARDSA_BRF.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin|title= Quill Awards Are Ended|newspaper= The New York Times|date= February 27, 2008|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180428160734/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/arts/27arts-QUILLAWARDSA_BRF.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin|archive-date= April 28, 2018}}</ref>

Since 1872, the front covers of ''Publishers Weekly'' were used to display advertisements by book publishers. ''PW'' editorial covers now feature illustrations and author photographs tied to interior articles, these covers follow the front cover advertisement. The visual motif of each cover is sometimes repeated on the contents page.<ref name=pw/>

The Nelson years were marked by turbulence within the industry as well as a continuing trend away from serious writing and towards [[popular culture|pop culture]]. ''Publishers Weekly'' has enjoyed a near monopoly over the past decades, but now with vigorous competition from Internet sites, e-mail newsletters, and daily newspapers.<ref name=twsOctJ31>{{cite news|first=Edward|last=Wyatt|title=The Winds of Change Are Felt at Publishers Weekly|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 5, 2005|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EED91339F936A35752C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|access-date=October 5, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302170141/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EED91339F936A35752C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|archive-date=March 2, 2012}}</ref>

In 2008, faced with a decline in advertising support, Reed's management sought a new direction. In January 2009, Sara Nelson was dismissed along with executive editor Daisy Maryles, who had been with ''PW'' for more than four decades. Stepping in as editorial director was Brian Kenney, editorial director of ''[[School Library Journal]]'' and ''Library Journal''.<ref name=pw/> The dismissals, which sent shockwaves through the industry, were widely covered in newspapers.<ref name=twsOctJ22>{{cite news|first=Staci D.|last=Kramer|title=Reed Tightens The Belt Again: Layoffs Hit Variety, Multichannel, PW; Wage Freeze; B&C Shrinking|newspaper=The Washington Post|quote=At {{sic|''Publishe|r's Weekly''}}, the layoffs include Sara Nelson, editor-in-chief...|date=January 27, 2009|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012602002.html|access-date=October 5, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111125321/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012602002.html|archive-date=November 11, 2012}}</ref>

In April 2010, George W. Slowik Jr., a former publisher of the magazine, purchased ''Publishers Weekly'' from Reed Business Information, under the company PWxyz, LLC. Cevin Bryerman remained as publisher along with co-editors Jim Milliot and Michael Coffey.<ref name=pw/>

On September 22, 2011, ''PW'' began a series of weekly podcasts: "Beyond the Book: PW's Week Ahead".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://beyondthebookcast.com/tag/publishers-weekly/page/3/|title=Publishers Weekly – CCC's Beyond the Book – Part 3|work=beyondthebookcast.com|access-date= April 12, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20150412163900/http://beyondthebookcast.com/tag/publishers-weekly/page/3/|archive-date= April 12, 2015}}</ref>

In 2019, ''[[The Millions]]'' was acquired by PWxyz.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Rosenfield |first=Kat |date=2019-01-09 |title=The Millions Will Live on, But the Indie Book Blog Is Dead |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/the-millions-was-the-last-great-indie-book-blog.html |magazine=[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]] |accessdate=2022-06-13 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613080440/https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/the-millions-was-the-last-great-indie-book-blog.html |archivedate=2022-06-13 }}</ref>

''PW'' maintains an online archive of past book reviews from January 1991 to the present.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/archives/index.html|title=Book Reviews, Bestselling Books & Publishing Business News – Publishers Weekly|work=PublishersWeekly.com|access-date= April 12, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402054545/http://publishersweekly.com/pw/archives/index.html|archive-date= April 2, 2015}}</ref> The earliest articles posted in ''PW''{{'}}s online archive date back to November 1995. A redesigned website was unveiled on May 10, 2010.<ref name=pw/>