| Sara
Nelson became editor in chief of Publishers Weekly in January 2005,
straight from a stint as the Book Beat columnist for the New York Post.
A journalist for twenty-five years, Sara had previously written a publishing column
for the New York Observer and reviewed for publications from Glamour
magazine to the Chicago Tribune. She was one of the founding editors of
Inside.com. Her freelance pieces have appeared in the New York Times,
the Wall Street Journal, and many national magazines. A native of
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Sara graduated from Yale, where she majored in Latin
American Studies. She specialized in analyzing and translating the works of obscure,
late Latin American poets, work she naively expected to continue when she arrived
in New York after graduation. But while she did translate two novels (Colombian
Gold and The Imposters) and several poems for literary journals - and
briefly considered a career as an agent, working with the Latin American literature
specialist, Thomas Colchie - she was soon lured by the world of magazines. Her
first staff job was as an editorial assistant at the Conde Nast startup, SELF
magazine, and her first published article was about running shoes. Over
the years, Sara wrote and edited stories about everything from private schools
to AIDS. She wrote celebrity profiles and book reviews and personal essays. In
2003, she published her memoir/reading guide, So Many Books, So Little Time,
which became a BookSense bestseller. In addition to her work as a journalist,
Sara has been a teacher at the Radcliffe Publishing Course, the NYU Summer Publishing
Institute and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She has also worked in TV
as a reporter/producer ("Top Cops" and "Women Aloud"). She
has appeared regularly on radio and television networks and programs, including
NPR, Air America, CNN, Entertainment Tonight, Today and Good Morning America. Sara
lives in New York City with her son, Charley. |
