We miss you, Michael

We were deeply saddened to learn that Michael Wile recently passed away. Michael joined the Prairie books NOW team in late 2017/early 2018 as our Toronto-based national contact for advertising sales.

We had many conversations over the phone, and his upbeat, positive, and encouraging attitude shone through his voice. In every conference call, his personality came through loud and clear. 

It was also a pleasure to catch up with Michael about his many interests including gardening, online book clubs and current news/events.

Michael was very enthusiastic about the work of publishers all across Canada. He often shared with us ideas for distribution to ensure the publication was reaching a wide audience of readers, and he always wanted to make sure that publishers were getting value for their advertising dollars.

Michael filled an important – and often under-celebrated – niche role in the publishing/literary industry, and worked for a number of varied publications, including Montreal Review of Books.

We consider ourselves lucky that we had the chance to work with Michael on Prairie books NOW. He valued his connections with publishers, some of whom he had worked with for many years. 

We pass along our condolences to Michael’s friends and family. 

We miss you, Michael. 

Sincerely,

Anastasia Chipelski, Prairie books NOW Managing Editor 

Michelle Peters, Executive Director, Association of Manitoba Book Publishers