Gabriella Page-Fort, editorial director at AmazonCrossing, was named PW Star Watch Superstar at a party at New York's Tao Downtown nightclub on September 6.
"I was raised on books, and they are as essential to my survival as food and shelter. The privilege of working in publishing humbles me, and I take the responsibility that comes with my role as editorial director at Crossing very seriously," Page-Fort said in her acceptance address, after thanking former and current mentors including AmazonCrossing associate publisher Galen Maynard and publicity director Maggie Sivon.
She added: "May the diversity of the literature we read be the bedrock, fostering compassion and respect across borders as we race toward an ever-more-connected future."
During her time at Amazon, Page-Fort has acquired such works as the Hangman’s Daughter series by German author Oliver Pötzsch, Polish writer Zygmunt Miloszewski’s crime novel Rage, The Gray House by Russian writer Mariam Petrosyan, and Japanese writer Shion Miura’s The Great Passage.
“Gabriella has had a tremendous role in increasing the number of books in translation published in the United States,” said Jim Milliot, editorial director of Publishers Weekly. “The quality of her acquisitions has expanded the U.S. literary landscape and opened new territory for readers and book lovers.”
The Star Watch event was attended by roughly 200 members of the publishing community, according to PW publisher Cevin Bryerman. The event marked the third anniversary of the PW Star Watch program.
During Page-Fort's tenure at AmazonCrossing, the publisher has released more than 300 titles from 36 countries in 21 languages; Page-Fort acquired 239 of those titles in 19 languages. Maynard, who nominated Page-Fort, credits her with “changing the landscape of literature available to English readers today and introducing voices from around the world at a pace unmatched in the industry.”
As part of winning the award, Page-Fort will travel to the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.
Page-Fort, who has attended the FBF in the past, said she is nonetheless looking forward to this year's event. The award has brought other perks, as well. "Because of this honor, I've actually convinced Amazon to send me to the Sharjah Book Fair this year. I'm pretty excited."
