At the first large international event since Porter Anderson’s passing, a few friends and colleagues from around the world came together to celebrate his life and legacy.

By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox

It has been almost four months since our Editor-in-Chief Porter Anderson passed away. This week, the London Book Fair brought together the larger international publishing industry for the first time since his passing and we all felt his absence.

If you are a regular reader, you might have noticed that what Porter loved most was flying around the world, moderating and hosting great conversations about the industry, seeing friends and colleagues in far-flung places. 

For those who didn’t know him, Porter was a private person, not one to share a lot of personal details freely and with everyone. While Porter and I have known each other for almost fifteen years and have been close colleagues for a decade, with the last year being the closest, I wouldn’t say I knew him well beyond his work. 

But over the last several months as we have navigated through his passing, I’ve learned a lot about Porter, both personally and professionally. What was most interesting was discovering the close friendships with many incredible publishing luminaries around the world, including London Book Fair’s Director Emma Lowe. 

At LBF this week, Lowe hosted a small group of us to raise a glass and share some memories of Porter.

As his partner in Publishing Perspectives, Porter and I often had heated debates over speakers, stories, and topics to focus on in the newsletter and on stage in the Publishing Perspectives Forum. Though we each defended our position, the debate was always made in respect and with our readers and audience in mind, always hoping to share the best coverage of the international industry.

Philip Jones, Editor of The Bookseller, who hired Porter as Associate Editor of The FutureBook prior to him coming to Publishing Perspectives said of Anderson, “He combined skill, real passion and dedication for really hard work and a real waspish sense of humor. I watched his ascendancy to become a fulcrum of book coverage and international news with real admiration.”

Porter was always happiest on the road and he showed that right up to the end. I think that is how he’d like us to remember him and that is how I always will.