Thank you to all of our authors, friends, and colleagues for the outpouring of well-wishes and remembrances you’ve sent our way. Here are just a few of your tweets, posts, and comments. It has meant so much to us to read them.
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Peter left a wake of good and beauty behind him. I don’t think I will ever be able to imagine him away from his Workman office. Peter had an abiding love for his profession and an artist’s eye with everything that he produced. From the smallest project to a huge series of books. He saw every aspect of publishing in a different way and he tweaked and tweaked, sometimes to our chagrin, but he had an unerring sense of style and creativity.
Peter changed my life in so many ways. I remember the day he said he would like to do some of my books. On that morning in his office, I dumped a lunchbox full of red earthworms on his table. He didn’t flinch, “Oh, you brought your ‘Girls,’” he said casually.
One night when we were walking to a dinner celebration, Peter was in the middle of a sentence when he saw a man sitting on the sidewalk. Peter stopped, bent over the man and said something to him, then emptied his pocket of cash.
I hope he knew how deeply we all cared for him.
—Sharon Lovejoy and Jeff Prostovich
I was seated next to him at a BEA dinner once, as a very new bookseller, and I still vividly remember how delightful it was to talk with him, and what a gentleman he was. I have met very few people who were as happy to be in the book business as he was. And he was so EXCITED about things! Innovative, but never to show off or out of fear, it seemed—always just because it was what he liked to do, and he did it with confidence. That one meeting has stayed with me and inspired me ever since.
He was a stand up guy and a publishing genius who always did what he thought was right, always loved what he did, and always always always championed the backlist. He was tough but fair and has a sixth sense for knowing what worked and what didn’t. In a world where more and more things are owned by fewer and fewer companies, he was an independent publisher in every sense of the word.
The book world lost a prince today. The real genuine article.
—Burgin Streetman
Thank you for liking puppets and believing in my book, Peter.
The literary and publishing world lost a great friend yesterday.
Peter and his staff were ruthless perfectionists, sparing no time or expense to make each book the best it could be. Sometimes (as was the case of Planet Barbecue), Peter would look at more than 100 different cover layouts to pick just the right one. “When your name is one the cover,” he would say, “you owe it to your readers to get it right.”
Peter was a guy’s guy. He embraced life (he was an inveterate golfer, skier, and gastronome) and like the perfect gentleman he was, honored fair play. Peter, we will miss you.
Profound loss. Peter Workman was an extraordinary man & tireless champion of publishing. We’re all in a better place b/c of him.
Goodbye to the Man Who Changed My Life
I did not know him well—we had a casual acquaintance—but I will be forever indebted to him.
Two years ago, he gave me a chance when nobody else would. He saw opportunity where others saw obstacles.
His prescient staff came to him with a novel idea—a dance photography book set in everyday life. He had reservations, but he did not close the door, as many had before him. Whereas other publishers loved the photos but felt a book would not sell, Peter felt a book would sell because he loved the photos. So he put Dancers Among Us on his list, and in the process he added yet another best-selling title to his distinguished record of achievement.
This was Peter’s favorite photo from the book, and one he seriously considered using on the cover. As I look at it now, I see a woman ascending to the heavens, bringing with her the beauty and simplicity she enjoyed in life. Those left behind have the satisfaction of knowing that her influence on their lives will be lasting and powerful.
Thank you, Peter.
It’s no secret that Peter Workman and Workman Publishing completely changed my life when they started publishing my Stitch ‘n Bitch books. He was a kind, smart, and somewhat eccentric gentleman, and he will be missed.
Like millions of others, I first came to Workman Publishing when I was pregnant and turned for advice and comfort to What to Expect…. Years later I had the privilege of being a Workman author with Rambam’s Ladder, a book about generosity and giving. The book resulted in many wonderful experiences, chief among them the chance to meet Peter Workman, who was a gifted publisher and exceptional human being, a memorable character and a true mensch.
Peter will be missed by so many, but his passion—not just for books, but for ideas, for ingenuity, for not settling for good when things can be great, and not settling for great when perfection is in sight—will live long because he spent his life fostering it in everyone around him.
I contacted Peter Workman out of the blue back in 1986, seeking advice about a book I was working on. He took my call (which almost shocked me into stupefaction) and went out of his way to help me, accepting several more phone calls and giving me much needed and appreciated counsel. I have never forgotten his generosity.
Peter was a kind and funny man; serious about books, not so serious about himself. He seemed to be simultaneously old school, while open to everything new.
As a former Workman employee, agent and author, I will always be grateful that Peter Workman was my professional mentor and friend. He ‘taught’ by example: Trust your instincts, be curious, look for opportunity and pursue your interests with gusto. You didn’t look to a P&L Statement to determine if a book idea was worthy of being published. What was critical was that the idea be fresh and offer real value and that it be championed by an author with a passionate interest. I learned so much that has become the centerpiece of my professional life from observing Peter in action. His sense of fairness and loyalty showed me that the best formula for success was really caring about what you did and seeing the big picture of how that fit into the world. He may be gone from the physical world but his spirit and legacy endures through so many lives and books that he helped shape.
—Annie Brody
Peter Workman brought great joy to this planet. Every single encounter with Peter left me at least one step higher on the ladder of life. His work had the same effect on millions of people around the world.
Peter Workman was truly one of a kind, a legend in an industry filled with “legends.” He stepped up quickly to buy the rights to my book “Amazing Gracie, A Dog’s Tale.” Even though he was not the highest bidder for the book, my agent assured me that going with Workman would end up being the right decision. Man, was she ever right! Peter Workman made me feel like I was his most important client, and my book his most important project. I suppose that was just one of his many gifts – the ability to make us all feel special. I admired him for remaining independent, especially during the years of publishing house consolidation and acquisitions. God speed on your journey, Peter…you will be missed. A great man indeed.
I knew Peter through our work for the New York Book Fair and Goddard Riverside Community Center. In some impressive company, Peter was always a candidate for smartest person in the room. Throughout nearly 20 years of committee and board meetings, he was consistently soft-spoken and respectful to others. He always had something valuable to contribute, never said or thought the obvious, and I never saw him operate from anything other than complete sincerity and the best of intentions. I learned a tremendous amount just from being at the same table as Peter. Goddard and the Book Fair will miss him greatly.
—Amy Mintzer
Without Peter’s faith and encouragement I would never have gotten my first science book, “The Grand Tour,” published. I should emphasize the word “faith” since Workman had never published anything like this before (his most recent best-seller had been “The Preppy Handbook”). His support extended to four other books (like “The Grand Tour,” all done in collaboration with my friend, Bill Hartmann) in addition to three revised editions of “Grand Tour.” I am convinced that my entire career as an author/illustrator began with Peter Workman. I owe him a lot for that. Always approachable, modest, friendly and unremittingly enthusiastic, Peter will be sorely missed.
When Peter Workman called me to say he would like to publish my first book, THE JOY OF BEING SINGLE, you could hear my scream in Parsippany. And last year, it celebrated twenty years in print. That’s the staying power of a Workman title, as tribute to the man and the house. He was always very very kind to me. And only once was a little off base when he said, “Allia, cats are old hat….they’ve had their run.” Needless to say, he changed his mind with several bestselling cat books. All I can say is I owe my career to him and will miss him tremendously.
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