Hey, M&S, happy birthday
Judy Stoffman has a piece in today’s Star about M&S. As she points out, her story runs the same day that the publishing house will be celebrating its 100th anniversary at Harbourfront.
Stoffman’s main point is that, with Random House’s 25% ownership, “the historic firm … has been reconfigured in the past six years in ways that might be causing Jack McClelland to spin in his grave.” Stoffman spoke with a handful of Canadian publishing types, including Anna Porter, who worked at M&S with McClelland back in the 1970s. “‘Is (M&S) an imprint of Random House?’ says retired publisher Anna Porter. ‘That’s the way it functions.’”
Stoffman also spoke with M&S president Doug Pepper:
“‘What does independence mean?’ Pepper asks rhetorically. ‘I’m allowed to decide what books we buy, how much advances we pay, what royalties we offer, how many we print, the marketing terms. I make the decisions in consultation with the board.’”
Related links:
Read the rest of Stoffman’s article here
