George Platt Brett Jr. (December 9, 1893 – February 11, 1984) served at Chairman of the American division of Macmillan Publishing and secured publishing rights to Gone With the Wind.[1]
George Platt Brett Jr. | |
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Born | Darien, Connecticut, U.S. | December 9, 1893
Died | February 11, 1984 Southport, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 90)
Occupation | Publisher |
Known for | Publisher of Gone with the Wind Head of Macmillan Publishers (United States) |
Spouse | Isabel Stevenson Yeomans |
Children | George Platt Brett III Bruce Yeomans Brett |
Parent |
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George Brett started with Macmillan in 1913 as a traveling salesman and took over as President of Macmillan in 1931. Brett took over as chairman in 1936 after the death of his father, George Platt Brett Sr.[2][3][4]
Brett is best known for having "scored one of publishing's all-time triumphs by gaining the rights to 'Gone With the Wind.'[1] The success of Gone with the Wind from 1935 to 1936 lead to bonuses of 18% to all employees at Macmillan. Additional literary success under Brett were Rachael Filed's All This and Heaven Too and Katleen Winsor's Forever Amber.[5] In addition, Brett published notable authors C. S. Lewis and Marianne Moore.[6]
In 1939, Brett promoted a special motion picture edition of Gone with the Wind at the same time the film was being released. Brett was the first to introduce marketing a book and movie at the same time. This was perhaps the earliest instance in the book publishing industry of the "tie-in," a marketing strategy which involves a mass media commodity appearing simultaneously in several formats that advertise each other.[7]
In 1944 Brett fought efforts by the British Publisher Bureau to corner the American market for British publishing houses.[8] In 1951, Brett bought the US division from London based Macmillan Publishing. At this time Macmillan was the second largest publisher in the United States[9]
Brett was succeeded by his son, Bruce Y. Brett in 1958.[6]
Brett was born in Darien, Connecticut, and attended the Salisbury School in his home state and the Collegiate School in New York City. Brett was married to Isabel Stevenson Yeomans.[1][11] He died in 1984.[12]