About this episode

Gayle Feldman discusses her biography of Bennett Cerf and her career in publishing.

Photo by Michael Lionstar Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built is the latest book by veteran journalist and author Gayle Feldman. Published by Random House in January 2026, this biography explores the life of a driven young man who vowed to become a great publisher – and did. Feldman has served as a senior staff editor for Publishers Weekly and a U.S. correspondent for The Bookseller. Her features, reviews, and essays have appeared in a wide range of periodicals, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Times of London, The Nation, and The Daily Beast. Feldman’s previous books were You Don’t Have to Be Your Mother and Best and Worst of Times: The Changing Business of Trade Books. Fellow biographer and BIO member Lisa Napoli interviewed Gayle Feldman.

People in this episode

Host: Lisa Napoli

Guest: Gayle Feldman

Topics covered

• biography
• publishing
• journalism
• interview
• literature

Keywords

• Gayle Feldman
• Bennett Cerf
• biography
• publishing
• journalism
• Random House
• interview

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Random House, Publishers Weekly, The Bookseller, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Times of London, The Nation, The Daily Beast

Books & works: Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built, You Don’t Have to Be Your Mother, Best and Worst of Times: The Changing Business of Trade Books

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