EVP and director of Business Affairs at Writers House Al Araneo, 53, died suddenly and unexpectedly on Saturday from natural causes. “A treasured and invaluable colleague, Al’s absolute professionalism, deep kindness, and generous and insightful counsel helped make Writers House a joy to work at,” said agency president Simon Lipskar. “He was a dear friend to everyone who worked with him, and we are all grief-struck by this terrible loss.” Araneo started the contracts department at Writers House in 2006 after working for 13 years at Penguin, Doubleday, and Bookspan, and oversaw the department’s growth. In 2020, he became director […]
Obits
Obituary: Paul Auster
Paul Auster, 77, died on April 30 of complications from lung cancer. He is the author of 34 books, including The New York Trilogy and 4321, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His most recent book, Baumgartner, was published in November.
Obituary: Richard Parks
Literary agent Richard Parks, 83, died of complications from dementia on April 23. Parks was the founder of The Richard Parks Agency and previously worked at Curtis Brown.
Obituary: CJ Samson
CJ Sansom, 71, author of Dissolution, Winter in Madrid and Dominion, died on April 27 of multiple myeloma.
Obituary: Daniel C. Dennett
Philosopher Daniel C. Dennett, 82, died on April 19 at Maine Medical Center of complications of interstitial lung disease. He was the author of Brainstorms and From Bacteria to Bach and Back, among other titles.
Obituary: Janet Reid
Longtime literary agent and generous creator of Query Shark, Janet Reid died on Sunday, after a brief illness, reportedly passing “swiftly and at peace, with loved ones seeing her through.” Her client Allison K. Williams wrote on social media, “My beloved agent @Janet_Reid has departed for the great library in the sky. Long before we worked together, her blog & @QueryShark educated me about querying, publishing & writing. She was a generous advice giver who truly listened to writers at all stages.” Friends and her next of kin are working on an official obituary.