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If you've been following our "Conversations with Peter Mayer" video series, you've already witnessed a number of stories highlighting forty years of Overlook history—from anecdotes about our company's humble beginnings as a publisher of re-printed hardcovers to tales of our long term creative partnership with acclaimed graphic designer Milton Glaser, the brilliant mind behind our beloved winged

Available March 14, we are thrilled to publish Milton Glaser’s new book, In Search of The Miraculous or One Thing Leads to Another, a unique and lavishly illustrated volume based on his exhibit of the same name, which unveiled in 2010 at the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). Borne from a phrase that has persisted in Glaser’s memory for many years, In Search of the Miraculous offers a

Bloomsbury has acquired the Ducksworth Academics list. Peter Mayer, the managing director of Duckworth, and Nigel Newton, the CEO of Bloomsbury, made the joint announcement earlier this week.

Bloomsbury’s Bristol Classical Press will oversee the academic list and that is the name it will operate under. In addition, the Duckworth Trade list will be sold by Bloomsbury in the UK and overseas. Ducksworth will remain an independent press after the transition.

Mayer explained: “We have sought to develop a structure for our two parts and we found it with Bloomsbury. The new structure looks to a future in which both parts of the present Duckworth can prosper in different ways. On the general side we aim to fulfill the promise of the historic Duckworth Trade list, a trade publisher since its founding by Gerald Duckworth in 1898.” (Via Publishers Weekly)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

In a column appropriately named "Forever Young," John Blake writes about Peter Mayer in The Bookseller magazine: "Ask people to name a truly iconic publisher—and I think many would come up with the name of Peter Mayer.

His rise from runner at the New York Times, to two decades brilliantly creating the modern Penguin Group, to his fabulous career at Overlook Press in New York and Duckworth in London, is the stuff of ­legend. I was thrilled, honoured and (to be honest) slightly terrified, therefore, when he first bought US rights to our biography of Lady Gaga by Emily Herbert, then announced he was flying into London and would like to meet.

“He’s a genius, he speaks six languages, you won’t have a clue what he is talking about,” friends warned me. Thanks. Anyway, he shambled into Sheeky’s restaurant, looking a little like Keith Richards’ younger brother, then proceeded to charm and amaze me for a couple of hours.

Despite his own very considerable contribution to serious literature, Peter appeared fascinated by the success of our fast turnround books (he brought a copy of his edition of Lady Gaga with him, less than a month after buying rights, which is entirely unprecedented in the slow-motion world of US publishing). He talked about his success with a high-speed Susan Boyle book, of how he brought sudoku to the US, and of the new outlets and sales opportunities for selling books in the UK and the US.

While all of us who love books are saddened to see wonderful independent shops, and chains such as Borders, going under we have to deal with the new world order, or go out of business. And, though Peter has already chugged effortlessly past his 70th birthday, he is still exhilarated and excited by the challenges we now face.

Reflecting, afterwards, it came to me that book publishers, with a passion for what they do, seem to have discovered the secret of remaining forever young. In Fleet Street, where I worked in another lifetime, youth is every­thing. William Lewis, the editor of the Telegraph, is 39. Dominic Mohan, the latest editor of the Sun, is all of 40. Meanwhile, in the world of literature, Ernest Hecht at Souvenir Press continues to publish wonderful, original titles (and to tell very funny stories) even though he has swung effortlessly past his 80th birthday. Naim Atallah, at Quartet, is 78 but still has the enthusiasm of a teenager. Even Ed Victor, that doyen of agents has, unbelievably, reached 70.

Despite all the new challenges, the magic of constantly dealing with wonderful new stories and ideas seems to be the best tonic in the world. Aren’t we lucky?"

A letter from Peter Mayer, publisher of The Overlook Press, to all the loyal readers of The Winged Elephant:

Overlook Publisher Peter Mayer spoke to Ashley Milne-Tyte on Marketplace about the impact the current economic crisis may - or may not - have on contemporary fiction. From Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath to Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities to Little Dorritt, the classic Charles Dickens novel - the panelists discuss "financial fiction" in this fascinating report. Listen to the interview on the Marketplace/American Public Media website.

Peter Mayer spoke to Jason Boog of GalleyCat this week in Overlook's SoHo office. Here's the post: "GalleyCat caught up with Overlook Press founder Peter Mayer to study the fine art of literary obfuscation. This month, Overlook Press will publish The Stranger by Max Frei--a literary fantasy novel supposedly written by the novel's main character. In reality, The Stranger was written by a reclusive female artist and has sold millions of copies in Russia. After hearing Russian readers rave about the book, Mayer scooped up the eight-book series. "A great deal of Russian literature has been disguised," he explained. "Russia was an autocratic state with great curtailments on people's personal lives... [obfuscation] is a feature that kept a lot of writers out of jail for many years."

The August issue of the Frankfurt Book Fair Newsletter includes an interview with Overlook Publisher Peter Mayer. Peter speaks about his time as CEO at Penguin International in the 1980s and 1990s, and offers his views on how the Frankfurt Book Fair has evolved over the years. Now in its 60th year, the Frankfurt Book Fair will be held October 15-19, 2008.

PW London Book Fair Updates: Mayer Endorses Publication of the Good and Commercial

"Introduced by agent Ed Victor as a “publisher to his core,” Peter Mayer, former head of Penguin and who now runs both Overlook Press and Duckworth Press, was presented with the Trilogy Lifetime Achievement Award at a lunch during Tuesday’s London Book Fair. Mayer, who began as a publisher of mass market paperbacks and became known for publishing some on publishing’s most respected authors, said it is important to publish not only serious books, but dangerous books and commercial titles as well. He noted that it was his decision to publish a series of Sudoku books that will permit the publication of more worthwhile works well after the Sudoku craze is over. Reflecting on the changes that have occurred over his career, Mayer said publishing has become “more retailer driven” with authors more tied to agents than editors, and editors more aligned with marketing concerns as successful frontlist books are often a key to moving ahead today. Still, Mayer said there is much to celebrate in publishing and while the printed word may be under siege, it is far from dead. The years ahead, however, may bring new economic models, speculating that authors may need to consider taking less money up from and share more in risk, and profits. At age 72, Mayer said he feels like he is once again started over and intends to cause more trouble for years to come." By Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly

The Bookseller reports "Peter Mayer is to be awarded with a lifetime achievement award at this year's London Book Fair, following in the steps of Lord Weidenfeld, Christopher MacLehose, John Lyons, and Lynette Owen. Mayer will pick up the fifth annual LBF/Trilogy Lifetime Achievement Award in International Publishing at the London Book Fair on Tuesday 15th April at a special reception in the Earls Court Conference Centre. The award, voted for by the London Book Fair's advisory board, was unanimously agreed after the merits of a shortlist of six international publishing figures were debated. This year's judges commented that Peter Mayer had made an outstanding lifelong contribution to the international publishing industry through his various roles including Penguin India. From 1978 to 1996 he was the chairman and c.e.o. of the Penguin Group, based in London and New York. Since 1996 he has held the position of president and publisher of The Overlook Press and since 2003 he has been the president and publisher of Duckworth Publishers in the UK. Simon Master, chair of the advisory board, said: "Peter Mayer has long been an inspirational figure in the publishing industry both in the UK and overseas. His dedication to British and international publishing has distinguished his career and makes him fully deserving of the London Book Fair/Trilogy Lifetime Achievement Award 2008."

• Coming up with my blog name, one that was perfectly suited to me.
  
• Being welcomed to the blogging world by Jen Robinson.
  
• Buying two of Leila's excellent t-shirts.
  
• Watching Miss Erin and Little Willow crush the competition in my Great Antagonists of Children's Literature and Great Passages of Children's Literature contests.
  
• Laughing and laughing and laughing over MotherReader's posts.
  
• Remembering to treat myself well thanks to Robin.
  
• Remembering to be grateful thanks to Jules and Eisha.
  
• Being able to count on Michele for very smart commentary.
  
• Learning how to write fibs from Greg.
  
• Working as a judge for the Cybils YA category.
  
• Being contacted by a reporter about my postcard series.
  
• Getting to know Kelly, Liz, Heather, Susan, Lady S, Elaine, and so many others out there blogging.
  
• Finding treasures like the picture at the top of this post and the picture at the bottom.
  
• Every single comment and email that you've sent my way. It's meant so much to know when I've captured your interest, introduced you to a poet you'd never heard of, made you think or laugh, or inspired you to contribute to one of my lists. It's also meant a lot just to know you've been reading. Yes, you.