Jan Nathan, the Executive Director of PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association since its beginning in 1983, passed away June 17, 2007. She was 68.

The cause was a year-long battle with cancer, the family said.

PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association represents 4,200 book, audio and videotape publishers. As the largest association of independent publishers in the United States it assists in marketing the membership’s titles to the trade (bookstores, libraries, reviewers), presents educational seminars to assist publishers in understanding all aspects of the business, and acts as an advocate for publishers’ rights in the industry.

Initially Nathan had been President of Manhattan Publishing Company (creating inflight magazines for regional commuter airlines). In 1983, just as she established Jan Nathan & Associates, a company to manage professional trade associations, a group of 15 Southern California publishers joined together to send Jan to the trade show of the American Booksellers Association, now called BookExpo America (BEA).

As Howard W. Fisher, President of PMA from 1989 to 1990, stated: “Jan Nathan gave independent publishers a voice and support in an industry dominated by large publishers. She was the right person for the time in creating a national vision. The beginnings of this group coincided with the first desktop publishing computers that created an explosion of publishers, all who needed help growing every aspect of their business.”

That group of 15 then formed Publishers Marketing Association which was renamed PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association in 2005. Bob Alberti, the second PMA President, remarked that when his predecessor turned over the reins, he said: “You have one charge. Keep Jan Nathan, no matter what it takes.”

In addition to leading the organization in the many and varied marketing and educational programs and spearheading advocacy issues, Nathan personally

• acted as a voice for the independent publishing community,
• was quoted as an expert in trade magazines such as Publishers Weekly and Library Journal and in various non-trade publications notably the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Atlanta Constitution and Inc. Magazine,

• spoke on all aspects of book publishing throughout the United States at various conventions and trade shows,
• acted as expert witness in publishing-related cases,
• acted as representative for more than 300 publishers at international book fairs and annually negotiated the sale of foreign rights,
• since the 1988 creation of the PMA Independent, the organization’s newsletter, wrote a monthly column and acted as its publisher,
• instituted industry reports addressing pressing topics affecting the members: fact sheets, white paper reports, “The Rest of Us” (a groundbreaking report showing in excess of $30 billion in revenues generated by independent publishers previously were not reported),
• established The Benjamin Franklin Awards, now in its 19th year, and
• created the Trade Distribution Program providing juried members with a distribution program experienced by the major publishers.

Jonathan Kirsch, Esq., Legal Counsel for PMA stated: “It is not overstating to say that Jan Nathan is among the most crucial and decisive figures in the media revolution that turned independent publishing into the thriving industry that it is today. Over her long and accomplished career in publishing, she proved herself to be both a visionary and a practical problem-solver, a ubiquitous and beloved figure at every venue where the publishing industry gathered.”

Don Tubesing, President of PMA from 2002 to 2004, said: “Jan’s enthusiasm and warmth, her patience with answering the most basic publishing questions over and over again, and her consistent focus on encouraging us all to produce books of the highest quality, made her an unmatched force in the growth of independent book publishing. The thousands of publishers and exquisite books produced by PMA members remain as her tribute. The current health of independent publishing remains as her legacy.”

Additional marketing programs of the organization are numerous. A few are:

• advertising at shared-cost and greatly discounted rates in the major trade journals (Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, etc.),

• direct mail offerings to bookstores, book reviewers and libraries, and
• exhibiting titles of the members at book fairs worldwide (BEA, American Library Association convention, and Book Fairs in Frankfurt, London, Guadalajara, and Tokyo).

The educational programs are equally numerous, including

• PMA/BEA Publishing University, just prior to the annual BookExpo America, with 75 plus seminars over a three day period covering all areas of publishing: management, editorial, design, production, marketing, publicity, and distribution,
• Publishing University Online, an outgrowth of the PMA/BEA Publishing University,
• Mid-size Publishers Seminar, educational programming to meet the needs of the larger members of the organization,
• PMA Independent, the monthly 48-page monthly information-filled newsletter covering all areas of publishing, and
• Affiliate publishing groups that handle the local or regional needs of publishers across the country who are assisted through monthly meetings, attendance at regional shows, and regional publishing conferences.

Nathan had an infectious personality which raised the spirits of all those who came in contact with her. According to Judith Appelbaum, the editor of the PMA Independent, Nathan would call her prior to submitting her column and would end by saying, no matter what subject she was exploring to help PMA members — with the energy and enthusiasm so typical of her — “It’s really interesting.”

As a champion for independent publishers she often reacted to the news of the day. When it came to her attention that a rebinder of books was assigning its own ISBN numbers to publishers’ books they were rebinding — and selling them into the library market without permission, Nathan took on the cause of hundreds of publishers affected. She involved PMA’S legal counsel and encouraged the media to pick up the story. Eventually the rebinding company bowed under the pressure and agreed to everything asked.

Although PMA was nearest and dearest to her heart, Nathan was concerned with all aspects of independent publishing. With the Small Press Center in New York City (now New York Center for Independent Publishing), she was integral in the formation of Small Press Week (March 24-30, 1996), now Small Press Month. Her passion for lifetime literacy and first amendment rights caused her to establish connections between PMA and other major trade groups, such as The Media Coalition and The Book Industry Study Group, for whom, at the time of her death, she served as Treasurer.

Born January 7, 1939, she grew up in Brooklyn and Freeport, NY and later attended Ithaca College and Stanford University. Nathan and her family moved from Massachusetts to Northern California in 1965, later relocating to Hermosa Beach in Southern California in 1973. Her love of the beach kept her there.

She raised six boys virtually single-handedly and yet found time to pursue higher education and create a successful business that she leaves behind.

Somehow she always had time to satisfy her passion for the game of bridge, was very active in the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), and was ranked in the top two percent of all players in the ACBL. In 2003, she was the manager of the highly successful North American Bridge Championships Tournament held in Long Beach for tens of thousands of participants.

She is survived by her mother, Lillian Huebner of Redondo Beach, Calif.; six sons: Tom Nathan of Canyon Lake, Calif., Mark Nathan of Redondo Beach, Corey Nathan of Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, Terry Nathan of Redondo Beach, Chio Baldocchi of Hermosa Beach, Calif., and Tome Baldocchi of Torrance, Calif.; a husband, Steve Mager of Hermosa Beach; and ten grandchildren.

There will be a private family memorial service on June 28. Plans are under way for a public celebration, under the auspices of PMA, and will be announced soon.

In lieu of flowers her family asks that donations be made to a fund that is being created to honor Nathan’s interests.

For more details contact Alice B. Acheson, or Florrie Binford Kichler, President, PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association at fkichler@patriapress.com

Last 5 posts by Jan Nathan

• What Makes You a Publisher? - April 9th, 2007
• Ignorance Is a Long Way from Bliss - April 11th, 2004
• A 10-Step Program for Becoming a Publisher - February 11th, 2004
• Director's Desk: At What Cost? or Does It Pay to Ignore Ingram? - May 19th, 2003