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| Gregory Henry | |
Gregory Henry, senior publicist at Melville House, died suddenly on September 17. He was 48.
Before joining Melville House, Henry had worked at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Reagan Arts and HarperCollins, as well as at smaller indie publishers Rare Bird and Apollo Publishers and, briefly, at Hachette's conservative imprint, Center Street Books.
"It all led to Gregory having an amazing skill set--very intuitive, inventive, and kind of devilish," Melville House publisher Dennis Johnson said. "For example, he liked to send pitches for our lefty writers to arch-conservative media. I think he figured, 'What's the point of preaching to the converted?' It was nervy, as well as a profound understanding of the purpose of publishing books."
He added, "We're still in a state of shock. We'd been trying to get Gregory to come work for us for years, and he finally joined us six months ago. I think the astonishing, industry-wide outpouring of grief and affection for him that we're seeing on social media gives you some sense of how talented a guy he was, how sweet a human being, and why we were lucky for our time with him."
Amy Baker, v-p and associate publisher of Harper Perennial and Harper paperbacks, called Henry "one of a kind! He had a special ability to connect with people, a wicked sense of humor, a unique perspective on life, and a kind heart. He never gave up on something or someone he believed in. All of this made him an excellent publicist, but even more so, a wonderful friend."
Harcourt's former director of publicity, Michelle Blankenship of Blankenship Public Relations, said, "He never ceased to amaze me, finding media opportunities for books no matter how impossible at times. Provocateur, colleague, artist, rascal, champion of authors, publicist extraordinaire--he was a character and he made sure no one could ever forget him. Not only is his passing a great loss to me and the many others who loved him, it is a loss for books."
Rare Bird publisher Tyson Cornell called Henry "a very inspiring person, both personally and professionally [who] always seemed to know how to inspire authors."
Julia Abramoff and Alex Merrill, co-publishers of Apollo Publishers, said they appreciated "the creativity and outside-the-box thinking he brought to his campaigns, often in the process reaching out to his wide network of adoring friends ready to help. What stays with us most, however, is how easy it was to get lost in conversation with him. Gregory was a natural storyteller, and it was telling that his literary hero was Jamaica Kincaid, also born in Antigua and also an innate assessor of humankind with a passion and intelligence that shines bright."
Heather N. Drucker, senior director of publicity for Harper Perennial & Harper Paperbacks, remembered Henry's "irreverent, incredibly smart humor. And each time we talked, we'd end the call the same way. He'd say, 'I love you,' and I'd say it back. That little ending meant so much to me, and it makes me smile even now as I try to shake off this overwhelming sadness. It makes me want to follow in his footsteps and end all calls the very same way--with a declaration of love, because you never know when it will be too late to say it again."