Stuart Applebaum, the longtime publicity, PR, and corporate communications pro at Penguin Random House and predecessor companies, is retiring after a 52-year career, the last 10 of which he has been emeritus executive v-p, corporate communications, at PRH.
 |
|
| (Photo: Michael Lionstar) | |
In a letter to staff about Applebaum's retirement, PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya and executive v-p, director of communications and social responsibility, Claire von Schilling noted that Applebaum, who has worked at Knopf, Bantam Books, Bantam Doubleday Dell, Random House, and Penguin Random House, is "Bertelsmann's longest-tenured employee in North America." His job titles have included publicity assistant, book publicist, Bantam publicity and public relations director, company spokesperson, chief communications officer, v-p, senior vice president, and executive v-p.
They continued: "His legacy is not just attributable to his longevity but to his profound impact on our publishing programs and operations, our colleagues, and our trade community worldwide. Stuart has supported several generations of authors, publishers, and journalists by communicating our company's daily news and aggregated history--and helping us make both in the process."
Applebaum made the decision to retire at the beginning of the year, but has kept it secret until now. He said, "Next week, I celebrate my diamond birthday. I feel fine, and I am still performing at my peak, full tilt, full time, Monday to Sunday. But it's time."
He plans to give more attention to the Stuart S. Applebaum Giving Foundation, which he founded 22 years ago, to provide donations to library, book, arts, health, and Judaic organizations.
Among the many milestones during his career:
- In 1975, as a Bantam publicist, he put together the intensive publication launch and movie tie-in book tours for Peter Benchley's publishing phenomenon, the Jaws paperback that sold more than 10 million copies.
- He helped persuade Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca to write his wildly popular autobiography.
- He helped make Yeager: An Autobiography a million-copy bestseller and establish Bantam's hardcover imprint.
- He has had a 50-year relationship with Louis L'Amour as the author's book publicist and a continuing publishing collaboration with the L'Amour family for the more than three decades since L'Amour's death.
- He also led media campaigns for Maya Angelou, Barbara Cartland, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, Frederick Forsyth, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., Robert Ludlum, Gore Vidal, Tom Robbins, Judith Krantz, Nora Ephron, Jerzy Kosiński, Jonathan Kellerman, and dozens of other Bantam authors.
- In his role in corporate communications, he led the English-language communications plan to announce Bertelsmann's purchases of Doubleday in 1986, the formation of Bantam Doubleday Dell the next year, and the purchase of Random House in 1998. In 2012, during Hurricane Sandy, he stayed at his office desk for 32 hours to spread the word about the Penguin and Random House merger.
"Through it all," Malaviya and von Schilling wrote, "Stuart has always and immediately been available for every kind of comms topic time and again with his signature clarity, vigor, common sense, thick skin, and rare ability to see around corners.
"It has been reassuring, especially when we have a high-stakes issue, to know that Stuart can advise us and help solve it. But his contributions to our community go beyond communications. He also has been an incredible mentor to countless individuals over the years, including former assistants of his who went on to be publicity executives across the industry. At Penguin Random House, we will continue to lean on the deep bench of talent that he has inspired and nurtured....
"Your 52-year legacy, Mr. Applebaum, to our company, our authors and our readers, and to our publishing community, is unmatched. Thank you."
---
Some of us at Shelf Awareness have known and worked with Stuart for all of our careers in the book world and, like his colleagues at PRH, send our thanks, too, for all his help in informing us about some of the major stories of the day. We hope he continues to be involved in the book world and continues to send his thoughtful, amusing, and prescient observations and comments.