Obits

Gabe Hudson, 52, author of short story collection Dear Mr. President and novel Gork the Teenage Dragon died on November 24. Hudson also hosted a podcast called “Kurt Vonnegut Radio.”

Film and TV agent Shari Smiley, 53, died on Nov. 14. Over the course of her career at CAA, The Gotham Group, and her own company, Smiley Management, she sold rights to Wild, Gone Girl, The Devil Wears Prada, and other titles.

Novelist, critic, and poet A.S. Byatt, 87, died on November 16. She was the author of six collections of short stories and 11 novels, including Possession, which won the Booker Prize in 1990. Clara Farmer, her publisher at Chatto & Windus, writes in a statement: “Antonia’s books are the most wonderful jewel-boxes of stories and ideas. Her compulsion to write (A4 blue notebook always to hand) and her ability to create intricate skeins of narrative was remarkable. It was always a treat to see her, to hear updates about her evolving literary characters and indulge in delicious titbits of literary […]

Casey McIntyre, 38, died on November 12 from ovarian cancer. McIntyre was vp and publisher at Razorbill and named vp, editor-at-large, Putnam Children’s as the teams were merged in June. She is survived by her husband, Andrew Gregory, and their daughter, Grace, as well as her parents and sister. Over the course of her career, she worked with authors including Katherine Applegate, Loren Long, Marie Lu, Richelle Mead, Terry Pratchett, Jon Scieszka, Veronica Roth, the March for Our Lives founders, and Sabaa Tahir. Penguin Children’s president Jen Loja said, “Penguin Young Readers and I will miss Casey immensely.  It is […]

Ken Norwick, 82, died on October 30. Norwick was a publishing and intellectual property lawyer, and longtime attorney for the AALA and its predecessors, AAR and IILA. Norwick’s family writes, “Ken was an extraordinarily talented First Amendment, media and intellectual property lawyer, whose clients have included the Dalai Lama, Garrison Keillor, Mitch Albom, Annie Leibovitz and Playboy. He was the author of several books, including ‘The Legal Guide for Writers, Artists and Other Creative People,’ which was most recently updated in 2017. In recent years, he received distinction for his landmark victory in Goldman v. Breitbart in the Southern District […]

Helen Dressner, 91, a former sales rep for Random House, died October 25 of a stroke. She joined the company as a marketing associate in 1977, and for the majority of her career, worked as a national accounts sales manager. Kim Hovey, svp and deputy publisher, Ballantine Bantam Dell, writes, “I had the honor of working with Helen for many years, and was always in awe of what a great salesperson she was. Smart, savvy, and always loved to read, discuss, and champion our books. An amazing colleague and friend.”