I met Porter Anderson in 2017, when the school textbook market in Georgia was facing a very difficult period. Porter called and asked for an extensive interview on the topic. I was both astonished and profoundly grateful that the editor-in-chief of a major international media outlet Publishing Perspectives, writing from across the ocean, devoted so much time to the struggles of a small country, researched the issue in detail, and produced an excellent article about everything that was happening. From that moment on, he covered every important story coming from Georgia. I remember especially well his unconditional support when Georgia was the Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and his first and only visit to Tbilisi during the pandemic, when UNESCO named Tbilisi the World Book Capital.
Over the years, Porter and I developed an incredibly warm and friendly relationship. Like everyone else, I encountered him wherever the heart of the global publishing industry was beating — at book fairs, conferences, and professional programs. He always seemed to be on a plane, traveling long distances from one continent to another so he could tell us everything about the pulse of our industry.
Often, when we publishers gathered at the end of a long day to spend a pleasant evening together, Porter would head back to his hotel to promptly report everything that had happened to his readers. He worked tirelessly, and perhaps this is why Publishing Perspectives became a space where everyone — representatives of large, medium, and small markets — had their voices heard, a place where all had the opportunity to be at the epicenter of the global publishing world’s energy, to be seen, needed, and understood. The greatest contribution to this belongs to Porter Anderson!
Porter became a kind of talisman in my professional journey, and today, more intensely than ever, I feel that throughout these years he was always by my side. Recently I revisited our correspondence. We exchanged countless emails, and truly, he was there every time I took another step in my career.
But he was not only my supporter. I saw this even more clearly when I became President of the International Publishers Association – IPA and our partnership reached a new level. From what I have seen and what I haven’t, I am absolutely certain that Porter Anderson was an active, generous, and supportive figure in the lives of countless publishers and across many parts of our industry.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to him for the professional dedication he embodied every day. I want to thank him and say openly that I owe many milestones of my path directly to Porter. Thank you for sincerely loving the publishing industry, for genuinely caring about us, and for supporting us unconditionally. The news of his passing was a devastating shock to me, and I believe his loss is a tremendous one for our industry.
Porter, my dear friend, may you rest in peace, and thank you for everything. I will never forget your kindness.