Kate Duffy Has Died

Kate Duffy, the beloved Kensington Books editorial director, passed away today.

Last year, Publishers Weekly recorded that video interview with the editor, a touching tribute to a life lived with books. Barnes & Noble Book Clubs credits the editor to rescuing Judith McNaught‘s novel, “Whitney, My Love” from the slush pile.

Here’s a memorial post from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books: “When I tried to explain to my husband why I was so blown away by meeting Kate and talking with her at RWA, I couldn’t figure out how to explain who she was in romance. She wasn’t just an editor or a fan of the genre. ‘She’s the Julia Child of romance,’ I said.”

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.