Publishing Icon John F. Baker Passes Away at 93

John F. Baker, legendary editorial director of Publishers Weekly for 31 years, passed away at 93. A true industry icon and passionate reader.

on Oct 27, 2025

Publishing Icon John F. Baker Passes Away at 93

John F. Baker, editorial director at PW for 31 years before his 2004 retirement, died Oct. 24 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He was 93.

A Brit, Baker came to PW in 1973 as managing editor after stints at Reuters, Venture magazine, and Reader's Digest Books. He was made editor-in-chief in 1980 and made editorial director in 1990. Baker remained a contributor to PW after retiring, writing for the Deals column, supplements, and occasional features.

Baker was in effect synonymous with PW during his tenure at the magazine, reporting major stories, covering all significant industry events, and appearing at the numerous parties publishers threw back in the day. Above all, Baker was an avid reader and was known to walk to the office—or anywhere else—for that matter with his nose buried in a galley, usually inattentive to the world around him.

Baker managed PW's editorial operations at a time of great change and expansion in the business of book publishing, a time that involved consolidation among publishers and the growth of the bookstore chains, frequently at the expense of independent booksellers.

As old PW co–editorial director Michael Coffey noted on the occasion of PW's 150th anniversary, Baker "was willing to step into the spotlight when the times demanded it, writing a controversial editorial criticizing the ousting of André Schiffrin at Pantheon, and speaking for the industry in the early hot days of the fatwa on Salman Rushdie."

Baker was also among the limited number of journalists to land an interview with Jacqueline Onassis when she was Doubleday's editor.

Due to his word gift, Baker was repeatedly called upon to render toasts and tributes. His large heart will be missed by those that worked with him and knew him.