Industry Suffers Loss: Jan Nathan Dies at 68

On June 17, the book publishing industry suffered a major loss when Jan Nathan, the founding executive director of the PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, passed away at her home in California after a battle with cancer. She was 68.

Nathan’s work with PMA (originally the Publishers Marketing Association) and its many members has had a major impact on the independent book publishing industry. She formed PMA in 1983 to help independent publishers advance their businesses through education and cooperative advertising and marketing efforts. Today, the organization consists of more than 4,000 members nationally.