HarperCollins Hosts Home House London Book Fair Opener

HarperCollins’ Brian Murray, left, and Peter Usborne

Powerful publishing personalities partied at HarperCollins’ annual London Book Fair opening night party , exhibiting the influence the publisher still holds.

By Roger Tagholm

HarperCollins worldwide hosted its traditional pre-fair opener on Monday at Home House, the Downton-esque pile near Marble Arch in central London. As ever, the world and his agent were there, including the eponymous publisher Peter Usborne, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the LBF International Awards last night. Now 77 he is far from winding down. “I’m going to go on and on!” he told Brian Murray, HarperCollins’ President and CEO, and as if to prove it the pair were having a detailed discussion about HarperCollins’ use of Donnelly for printing.

Sloan Harris from ICM, left, and PRH CEO Marcus Dohle

Other guests included Penguin Random House CEO Marcus Dohle, PRH Chair Gail Rebuck and agents Ed Victor, Sloan Harris of ICM and David Miller of Rogers, Coleridge & White.

Scout Anne-Louise Fisher and Nick Pearson

Unlike Usborne, scout Anne-Louise Fisher is deciding to step back and has already announced her retirement in June. She was telling Fourth Estate’s Nick Pearson that she hopes “to live in Italy for a year, like an Italian, somewhere quiet and non-touristy.” Sort of Eat Pray Don’t Scout Anymore.

David Miller and Gail Rebuck

About the Author

Roger Tagholm

Roger Tagholm is based in London and has been writing about the book industry for more than 20 years. He is the former Deputy Editor of Publishing News and the author of Walking Literary London (New Holland) and Poems NOT on the Underground (Windrush Press).