The New York Observer book is out this week. The Kingdom of New York is a big ol' collection of pieces that rather accurately do sum up the last 20 years here! A couple of things caught my eye. One was an interview with the founding publisher, Arthur Carter (who also invented the leveraged buyout!), in which he explained how he hired everyone early on. The secret to success may astound you!
· "Hilton [Kramer] was on television. I was watching him give an interview, and I always knew about Hilton, so I called him up."
· "I knew [Michael Thomas'] father quite well, because of my first job at Lehman Brothers-his father was a partner there."
· "Then Richard Brookhiser. I had a very good relationship with Bill Buckley, and one day I said, 'Listen, you wouldn't mind if I called Brookhiser?' I ran this by Bill Buckley, he'd invite me over to his house and have these little dinners from time to time."
· "I'd read Spy and then I met [Graydon Carter] up in Connecticut. He had a house up there and we hit it off.... I knew Susan Morrison was his number two at Spy, and after Graydon left, I hired her."
People. People who know people. Are the luckiest people...
Twenty years from now when The Awl book comes out ...
There was an article 5 years or so ago in the Times on entry-level jobs in publishing and some exec fellow unashamedly offered up his hiring philosophy; "I hire kids I know. I summer with their families. This isn't favoritism -- I know these kids' character and that they can speak several languages." (My first job was in publishing. I got it because of someone my dad knew. My dad was a bartender.)
I got my job by being a charming motherfucker. That and coming from a fairly well connected family of New York Jews.
Haaaaaaaaay!!!