Very sad news about a longtime friend.
Paul C. Williams, executive director of the National Association of Independent Publishers Representatives and co-publisher of Bunim & Bannigan Ltd., books, died yesterday in New York City of complications from throat cancer. He was 51 years old.
Williams worked in the book world since graduating from Haverford College in 1980. He started as a store manager, and later regional manager, for the Encore Books chain. In 1985 he became manager of the Doubleday Book Shop at 53rd Street and 5th Avenue in New York City. He then became sales manager at Ballantine Books, national account manager at Grove Press/Weidenfeld & Nicolson and director of marketing and sales at Rizzoli International Publications and Routledge/International Thompson Publishing.
From 1997 to 2002, Williams was publisher of Herodias, Inc., a literary press he founded. From 2005 to the present, he was co-publisher, with James Munves, of Bunim & Bannigan, Ltd., a small press in New York City and Prince Edward Island dedicated to unusual literary works and political nonfiction. He was particularly proud of B&B's award-winning new translation by Stephen Pearl of the Russian classic Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov.
Despite encroaching illness, last year Williams built and launched Frontlist Plus Universal, a web-based data service provided by NAIPR free to booksellers and aimed at fostering the bond between independent book publishers and bookstores.
He is survived by his wife, Livia Tenzer, their daughter, Julia, as well as a son, Corey, his mother, Irene Sieminski Williams, and his siblings Hugh Jr., David, Margaret and Mark.
A memorial service will be held at the 15th Street Friends Meeting in New York City in the fall.