Remembering Jan
 

In Memory of Jan Nathan, BISG Treasurer

When Jan Nathan died on June 17, she had served as a BISG board member for 10 years and as the organization’s treasurer for nearly five, starting in the rocky days of 2002 and continuing until illness caused her to step aside. 

The tributes and stories that follow come from people who worked with her at BISG.

Publishers and others who knew her primarily through PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, are contributing at www.pma-online.org, where you will also be able to read broader material in her honor from the August and September issues of the PMA Independent.

"I met Jan Nathan when I joined the board of the Book Industry Study Group.  She offered me a spot on the finance committee.  At that first committee meeting I got an initial glimpse of her passionate commitment and fierce devotion to the industry she loved.

I went on to serve as Vice-Chair and Chair of BISG and throughout that time Jan gave of herself and of her time unstintingly as Treasurer and as an active Board Member representing her constituency of independent publishers.

In addition, to the valuable insights she brought to the many and varied topics we debated and discussed in the course of our work on the board, Jan also was generous in sharing the experience and wisdom she had accrued managing her own not-for-profit member-based industry organization.  The Book Industry Study Group would not be as relevant, vibrant or financially sound as it is today were it not for her contributions.

Whether it was in debating the size of the book industry or discussing the smallest detail of the next fiscal year’s budget, Jan brought her careful attention and indomitable spirit to bear on the issue at hand.  BISG and the industry at large are made poorer by her absence.

We have lost a respected colleague from whom we learned much

I will miss the sound of her voice and the movement of her mind in our ongoing debates."

-- Joe Gonnella, Barnes & Noble

"The most striking aspects of working with Jan were her friendliness and positive energy. She was never unapproachable. No matter how much she had to do, she always took the time to offer a friendly word, and never made anyone feel as though an issue was too minor for her attention. She was an enthusiastic supporter of the industry, and willingly gave a great deal of her time and energy to BISG projects. I was fortunate to work with her in her role as BISG Treasurer for nearly four years, and I don’t think I ever caught her on a bad day. She always had patience, understanding, and a smile."

-- Sara Raffel, Book Industry Study Group

"A story Jan once told me about her family has stayed with me through the years. We were talking about our children and how they sometimes fought with each other when they were little, and Jan said, “Whenever one of my kids came to me to complain about one of his brothers, I’d say, ‘You can tell me what he did that made you mad, but first you have to tell me something good about him.’”

Although many other traits also made her a great colleague – her intelligence, her enthusiasm and her energy always come quickly to mind – I can’t say enough about the value of Jan’s power to put things in perspective. Working with her at PMA, at the Book Industry Study Group and in other arenas, I had many occasions to see it in action, and to be profoundly grateful for it."

 -- Judith Appelbaum, Sensible Solutions

"I never had the opportunity to work closely on a day-to-day basis with Jan; we only connected during BISG board of directors and executive committee meetings. During those interactions, I found her to be delightful to work with -- easygoing but firm -- exactly what you'd want in a Treasurer. Knowing that Jan was overseeing the budgets, I was never worried about how we'd do. She will be missed greatly."

-- Andrew Weber, Random House

"It’s been my experience that publishing is a business of mentorship. And no one was a greater mentor to more people than Jan Nathan. Jan and I meet nearly three years ago when I first signed on as Marketing and Communications Manager at BISG. I was very green at the time and extremely grateful to Jan for giving so much of her patient guidance while helping me understand the business we were both working in. Each time we spoke, Jan inspired me with her candor, approachability and determination. I’m lucky to have known her, and to have been one of the many she mentored."

-- Angela Bole, Book Industry Study Group

"In my earliest memory of Jan, she is leading a PMA U. panel for new publishers and looking at my first book, designed by my best friend and written by me. Jan tried so hard to tell me how bad the book was without discouraging me.  That’s one of the first lessons I learned from her—the unerring optimism; the belief in the value of independent voices; the ability to see just below the surface to the real value.  Her orientation was humbling and tremendously empowering.  And especially in those early years, she taught me that railing against the system was just a waste of breath and that we needed to direct our efforts to learning how to be better, how to be great publishers.

Three years later, I went to the Frankfurt Book Fair for the first time.  I had a half of a booth in the PMA aisle.  I didn’t know that you needed appointments in advance and couldn’t just show up.  Once again Jan was practically helpful and encouraging.  She brought over her appointments.  She introduced me to agents.  She made sure that I knew the protocol.  By the end of that first Frankfurt I was able to confidently start building our foreign rights business.

Jan was enormously special in so many ways and for so many reasons—for encouraging us, for gently but firmly guiding and correcting us, for helping us to deal with the realities and complexities of book publishing without giving up."

-- Dominique Raccah, SourceBooks

"Jan was a great supporter of the Book Industry Study Group when I was chairing its board. Her significant knowledge of the book industry helped make BISG a stronger and financially stable not-for-profit organization. 

I truly enjoyed working with Jan. She was always willing to help us through whatever challenges arose; always working hard without much fanfare, glory or honor; always abuzz with new ideas about raising revenue for our organization. She never gave up, no matter what roadblock was ahead. She quietly thought about alternatives when problems arose, made suggestions and reworked the roadmap. I am fortunate to have known Jan and I was proud to call her my friend."

-- Charlie Benante, Pearson

"Since the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) was established to reflect all aspects of the industry, I felt it was most important to have Jan Nathan as an active member of the Board of Directors.  When she agreed to serve, I was delighted that smaller, independent publishers would be represented, as well as their larger counterparts, customers and suppliers. 

Jan always brought a smile with her from California to the New York City-based Board and Committee meetings, contributed to the concepts of studies, and even volunteered to serve as Treasurer of the Board.  Meeting her at the PMA area at BEA or Frankfurt always included a warm welcome and an explanation to those around about the good works of the Study Group. 

She has influenced the definition of publishing, the number of titles published, and the methodology of the industry through her activities on the BISG Board and will be sorely missed, I’m sure."

-- Sandy Paul, former Book Industry Study Group Executive Director

"Jan Nathan, the champion of everything book! That was my first impression of Jan and it still remains.  As an advocate of independent publishers she took her role seriously.  Always on the lookout for opportunities to encourage and educate  -- and always with a twinkle in her eye."

-- Sally Dedecker, Sally Dedecker Enterprises

"Jan did not limit her contributions to her membership on the BISG Board of Directors; she was also an energetic supporter and advocate of the work of BISG committees. 

She was a driving force in increasing the price that can be encoded in the Bookland EAN bar code.  The industry was debating whether or not to raise the upper price limit to $499.99, and Jan solicited several comments from PMA members that helped convince the BISAC Machine Readable Coding Committee that the change was needed and desired.

Jan was also very active in disseminating information to the PMA membership as the industry transitioned from ISBN-10 to ISBN-13. 

 While Jan was a faithful representative of her constituency, she also kept the broader interests of the book industry in mind."

-- Tom Clarkson, Cumberland Systems Review Group

"Jan’s illness gave us only a short time to work together.  I met her first when she was part of the search committee set up to find a new Executive Director for the Book Industry Study Group and what I recall from the time I spent with her then was how committed she was to BISG and to the voice of the independent publisher within the organization.

At that first, somewhat formal, meeting, her passion for publishing and for books came across very strongly.  That first impression was reinforced in later meetings and in my contact with her.  She was very generous with her time and an invaluable source of advice and guidance to me as I became familiar with my new role. 

Everyone closely involved with BISG knows how much time and energy Jan committed to it.  We will greatly miss her energy and enthusiasm, her extraordinary knowledge and experience, and her belief in how much can be achieved by working together."

-- Michael Healy, Book Industry Study Group

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