I was deeply saddened to read on Publishing Perspectives of the death of its editor in chief, Porter Anderson, and wanted to take a few moments to pay tribute. If you have spent any time on this column you will know how regularly I have turned to Porter’s insights even in the most recent weeks. But a source of fascinating and beautifully articulated information doesn’t begin to do justice to the role Porter played: in my life as a writer and reporter, and in the larger world we all inhabit as writers.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
Posting on LinkedIn, I described Porter as a comfortable sofa. And I say that as someone for whom a comfortable sofa is one of the most essential objects in life, the single item around which daily life is built. What I mean to convey is, yes, his reassuring presence. The sense of grounding and familiarity you felt arriving at the bustle of any event knowing he was there with his soft drawl and wise reflections to guide you through it. But in the same way an old sofa can pop a spring and wind or wound you, a brutal bon mot was never far from the surface of anything Porter wrote or said. Although I thought of him as a critic, wit, and raconteur in the larger-than-life style of Dorothy Parker or Truman Capote, his barbs were never delivered with cruelty but just the right level of acid to melt the most unmerited of egos.
A Champion of Indie Authors
On a professional level, Porter was, among many other things, editor in chief of Publishing Perspectives for almost a decade, covering most of the biggest book events on a daily basis. He was also Jane Friedman’s partner at The Hot Sheet. In both capacities he was essential to the flow of good information but also a champion of indie authors. And that was something I experienced many a time on a personal level. Several times he took me aside and provided words of wisdom, support, and encouragement. How close I came to quitting so many times, and how important his words were in my not doing so, is something I will never forget but sadly will now never have the chance to convey to him.
Porter’s death has, of course, been felt by many in the indie world. A huge thank-you to our own Orna Ross for the following beautiful tribute:
“The news of Porter’s death has shaken the indie author community, particularly those of us who were around for the beginning of the digital publishing revolution. Porter brought an unusual combination of smart intelligence, editorial rigor, and big-picture opinion to everything he wrote, not to mention a formidable work ethic, a scathing sense of humor, and a deep kindness under the jokes and joshing.
“For the Alliance of Independent Authors, he was more than just another journalist trying to grapple with the phenomenon of author-publishing. He illuminated our sector with curiosity and understanding, recognizing its importance before many others did. His Friday afternoon Twitter chats and conference live-tweeting sessions were phenomenally useful, especially back in the days when Twitter was Twitter and self-publishing was finding its feet.
“Porter leaves a gap that cannot be filled, but also a legacy of wit and wisdom that will continue to shape us. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his loved ones, to our advisory board member, his friend and longtime associate Jane Friedman, and to the Publishing Perspectives team.”
Reflections from the Community
And thanks also to my dear friend and one of the first people I met through ALLi, Rohan Quine, for offering me the following lovely reflection:
“I first met Porter in New York at Tools of Change 2013, in a Midtown hotel conference room. I happened to sit at the next table to his, at the front of the audience, just when he was putting the final touches to a kind of ‘nest’ he’d built around him. It was a NASA-style array made of laptops, mounted tablets and cellphones, coiling cables and well-filled coffee, all emanating an impressive aura of serious business and twinkly urbanity combined—the classic Porter cocktail. All day long, I therefore had a close-up side view of the quiet tapping of his keyboard as it fired out an indefatigable stream of tweets, one every 30 seconds for an hour at a stretch, live-summarizing every panel at 100 words a minute. Nor was the furniture in each tweet just a functional table and chairs: every one of those 30-second compositions did contain such essentials, but it also managed somehow to be furnished with a whole matching suite of ottomans, tallboys, and canterburies, in the form of multiple links, @s, #s, and judicious ‘MT’s, all journalistically accurate, wryly analytical, and miraculously free of typos.
“Across the years since then, I caught up with him at many a London Book Fair and I read many an ‘Ether’ or Publishing Perspectives piece by him, always enjoying the mix of sharpness, impeccability, and civilisation with which he improved the landscape. And now … I pledge that next time I’m in the vicinity of a bottle of his beloved Campari, I shall raise a glass of it to him in respectful salute.”
Huge thanks to Joanna Penn for the following lovely words:
“Porter was one of the first people in traditional publishing to open up to indie authors. He was always curious about what we were doing, and always respectful about our choices, and always had a wicked sense of humor when I met him in person at conferences. He will certainly be missed.”
I would encourage anyone with memories to go to the Publishing Perspectives tribute and leave a comment there for the colleagues who must be missing him so much right now.
Thoughts or further questions on this post or any self-publishing issue?
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