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On Purdy, NYROB and Preparation

Leon Neyfakh’s article Mr. Silvers, Will You Peek at My Books? strikes home for those of us in the publicity department at OUP. Each visit to Mr. Silvers requires preparation and much mental fortitude. If you aren’t completely prepared you may find yourself embarrassed, for example:

“I remember one time, ” said Christian Purdy of Oxford University Press, “I was suggesting a reviewer to him, and he said, ‘But Purdy, that person is dead.’ I was embarrassed and felt so stupid and said, ‘Jeez, no one told me!’ Every time I’ve suggested a reviewer since, I’ve checked.”

Yup, that’s my boss! I’ll be sure to remind him of that episode the next time I spell an author’s name wrong on the blog. The lesson Purdy learned that day though resonates, preparing for your visit with Silvers, prepares you for the entire season.

Recent Comments

  1. Al

    Death does seem to take away a surprising number of good reviewers.

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