| Sara Nelson | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | Andover |
| Alma Mater: | Yale University |
| Occupation: | Editor, book reviewer consultant, author |
| Years Active: | 1980 - present |
| Employer: | Amazon.com |
| Notable Works: | Book So Many Books, So Little Time (2003) |
Sara Nelson is an American publishing industry figure who is an editor and book reviewer and consultant and columnist, and is the editorial director at Amazon.com.[1] Nelson was previously editor in chief at Publishers Weekly from 2005 - 2009 during a time of restructuring and industry downsizing. After that, she was book editor at Oprah's O Magazine. Her book So Many Books, So Little Time was published in 2003.[2]
Nelson graduated from Yale in 1978 and Phillips Academy in Andover in 1974.[3] She wrote about books and publishing at the New York Post, the New York Observer, Glamour magazine, and held editorial positions at Self, Inside.com, and Book Publishing Report.[4] Nelson married and had a child and is an advocate for respect for working mothers.[5]
Nelson embarked on a project to read one book each week and write about it, and the effort morphed into a book entitled So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading which was published by Putnam in 2003.[6] While her initial book - a - week plan fell apart almost immediately, according to New York Times book reviewer Ihsan Taylor, the effort was fruitful since the book was seen as a commentary on the "nature of reading itself."[7] Nelson's future employer, Publishers Weekly, reported that her book revealed her "infectious enthusiasm for literature in general."[8] Writer Augusten Burroughs said Nelson's book was a "smart, witty, utterly original memoir about how every book becomes a part of us."[9]
Nelson became editor - in - chief of the trade magazine Publishers Weekly in January 2005. New York Times reporter Edward Wyatt suggested that the top job at Publishers Weekly in 2005 involved facing "many challenges".[10] In her new position, Nelson added a new assessment for books called a "signature review".[11] Paid circulation dropped by 3,000 to 25,000 in the mid-2000s.[10] Nelson pushed for significant changes towards modernization, greater use of the Web, and more focus on analytical reporting.[10]
In 2008, Nelson commented on the intersection of political candidates, books, and television celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Obama.[12] Nelson was interviewed on National Public Radio on Winfrey's influence,[13] similar to that of radio personality Imus,[14] in the publishing arena.[15]
Nelson wrote about Twitter writers signing book deals,[16] Jonathan Littell's controversial 1,000 page Holocaust novel,[17] and realignments of publishing firms.[18] She commented on trends in changing technology, such as the coming of digital books such as Amazon's Kindle.[19]
In 2009, Nelson was dismissed from Publishers Weekly.[4] The action was widely covered in newspapers.[20]
In September 2009, Nelson was appointed book editor at Oprah's O Magazine.[21] She continued to comment in the media about new forces in publishing such as the new quarterly literary magazine called Electric Literature.[22] Nelson appeared with Harry Smith of CBS News on The Early Show.[23] She's also served as moderator for events sponsored by the LA Times Festival of Books.[24]