How Did September 11, 2001 Change Publishing?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

Some people left the business, others developed an interest in the Middle East. How did September 11 affect you?

By Edward Nawotka

bookstore bookshelf

In today’s editorial, I offer some thoughts about how September 11, 2001 changed publishing. One result of that horrific day was closer ties between Western and Middle East publishers and a wave of new titles on subjects such as Islam and Middle East history that previously was all-but-absent in American bookstores.

On the personnel side, I know several people who, following that day, left New York and publishing altogether. One friend of mine, a man with a Sri Lankan background who worked in marketing at a Big Six, was reported to the police by his paranoid neighbor and was jailed for questioning. In reaction, he quit publishing to become a human rights lawyer. Others, left publishing to open yoga studios, still others started health and wellness bookstores, several people left just to get out of New York, which suddenly seemed so sad and vulnerable.

Tell us how you think publishing was changed by September 11, 2001. Tell us your story of that day.

About the Author

Edward Nawotka

A widely published critic and essayist, Edward Nawotka serves as a speaker, educator and consultant for institutions and businesses involved in the global publishing and content industries. He was also editor-in-chief of Publishing Perspectives since the launch of the publication in 2009 until January 2016.