By Athina Karolidou
Betty A. Prashker, a trailblazing figure who broke barriers for women in the publishing industry, passed away on 30 July 2024 at the age of ninety-nine. Her extraordinary career, marked by her editorial acumen and unwavering advocacy for women's rights, left an indelible mark on the publishing world.
Prashker’s adoration for books reportedly manifested itself early on in her life, particularly when she needed to use a wheelchair for the best part of a year due to rheumatic fever. This early immersion in literature would foreshadow her lifelong dedication to the written word.
Her initiation into the publishing industry occurred following her graduation from Vassar College in 1945. Despite the industry being largely male dominated at the time, Prashker distinguished herself through her keen editorial skills and her remarkable ability to identify promising new talent. Over the course of her career, she edited more than 500 books, many of which have now risen to the level of modern classics.
Her first position was that of Copyeditor at Doubleday, an American publishing company which had established itself as the largest book publisher in the United States by 1947. After five years at Doubleday, she took a fifteen-year hiatus to focus on building a family – marrying and raising three daughters. However, due to the emerging feminist movement of the sixties, Betty Prashker was able to re-enter the publishing workforce. She rejoined Doubleday Publishing as an Associate Publisher and Editorial Director. In this position of authority, Prashker published important works by established and upcoming authors.
One of Prashker's most significant contributions was her work on Kate Millett’s Sexual Politics, published in 1970. This groundbreaking book became a cornerstone of the second-wave feminist movement. From the start of her career, Prashker established herself as a fierce advocate of women’s rights and she supported this reputation by her work on this text. Her contribution went beyond traditional editing – she worked closely with Millet, helping her refine her arguments and produce an impeccable finished product, worthy of its groundbreaking status in their contemporary society. Reflecting on this experience, Prashker described it as “an educational experience for a dilettante like me.”
When the opportunity arose in 1982, Prashker left Doubleday for Crown Publishing where she ascended to the senior position of Editor-in-Chief. Her leadership and editorial vision were instrumental in shaping Crown Publishing’s reputation as a publisher of diverse genres and influential works. During her tenure there, Prashker continued to support and promote new and often controversial voices.
In the early nineties, she edited and published Susan Faludi’s Backlash: The Undeclared War Against Women, a book that had been rejected by several other publishers due to its controversial subject matter. Prashker, however, saw beyond the initial hesitations and understood that the book addressed important and unresolved issues in gender equality.
Faludi later reflected on their collaboration, writing on Medium in 2014: “The one person who was interested was Betty Prashker, editor-in-chief at Crown Publishers and, not coincidentally, a feminist pioneer.”
Prashker’s contributions have left significant marks in the publishing world and her feminist outlook opened opportunities for individuals who otherwise would have been overlooked by the industry. As Tina Constable, Executive Vice President of the Random House Publishing Group, noted, “Without Betty, there would have been no Crown Publishing as we knew it, with its fabulous roster of authors whose editorial collaboration with her helped them achieve an enormous, devoted readership.”
Betty Prashker is survived by her three daughters, Susan P. (Geoffrey) Herman, Lucy (Thomas Curtin) Prashker and Marti P. Murray, along with six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Her legacy will continue to influence the publishing industry and the countless lives touched by the books she helped create.
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