Derek Weiler

Derek Xavier Weiler (October 4, 1968 – April 12, 2009) was a Canadian magazine editor and author. In a career that culminated in his editorship of Quill & Quire, Canada's national book trade magazine, he became an important figure in Canadian publishing. His editorials, as well as the direction in which he steered the publication, shifted from straight service and booster journalism to a critical view of the industry they served.^[1]

Weiler received a B.A. and M.A. in English literature from the University of Waterloo and a certificate in Magazine and Book Publishing from Centennial College in Toronto.^[2]

His first job in publishing was as an editor for Key Porter Books.^[3] After being hired at Quill & Quire as a staff writer in 1999, his first job of national significance, he rose through the positions of review editor and news editor to be named editor in chief in 2004.^[2] During his tenure, which included the magazine's 70th anniversary in 2005, he also wrote book reviews and articles for the country's three major newspapers: The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and the National Post.

Weiler described the magazine's modus operandi under his leadership thus: "We don’t think reviews should only be positive, and we don’t think our news coverage should pretend that the future is rosier than it seems to be. We don’t shy away from hard questions or unpopular subjects, but at the same time, we do strive to be fair and judicious."^[3] Though Quill & Quire under his leadership became a more objective, and as a result a more credible, magazine, Weiler, his publishers and his editors, managed to maintain their good relations with the publishing houses, literary agents, bookstores and writers that make up the largest share of the magazine's subscription base.

Weiler had a textual tattoo on his inner forearm that read "I can't go on. I'll go on," a well-known line from Samuel Beckett's The Unnamable, and a reference, as he revealed in a blog post,^[4] to his ongoing struggle with a longstanding heart condition, the details of which he did not reveal.

Weiler died suddenly, the result of his heart condition,^[5] on April 12, 2009, in Toronto at the age of 40, the day his last book review,^[6] of a debut story collection by Wells Tower, appeared in the Toronto Star.

References

1. ^ Williams, Leigh Anne (April 14, 2009). "Q&Q Editor Derek Weiler Dies at 40". Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6651537.html?rssid=192. Retrieved 2009-04-24. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ ^{a b} Staff of Quill & Quire (April 13, 2009). "Derek Weiler, 1968-2009". Quill & Quire. http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2009/04/13/derek-weiler-1968-2009/. Retrieved 2009-04-24. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "The Mighty Q". Pages' Books and Magazines. http://www.pagesbooks.ca/features.php?type=feature&id=206. Retrieved 2009-04-24. 
4. ^ Weiler, Derek (March, 2007). "Branded". Archived from the original on 2007-05-25. http://web.archive.org/web/20070525110707/www.burymenot.com/2007/03/branded.html. Retrieved 2009-04-24. 
5. ^ Staff of Quill & Quire (April 16, 2009). "Saying goodbye". Quill & Quire. http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2009/04/16/saying-goodbye. Retrieved 2009-04-30. 
6. ^ Weiler, Derek (April 12, 2009). "Hurray for the Vikings' part". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/616934. Retrieved 2009-04-24. 

External links

• "Farewell, Derek Weiler", Shelf Life, The Globe and Mail
• "The funny/sad thing", Author profile, Miriam Toews, Quill & Quire

Persondata
Name	Weiler, Derek
Alternative names
Short description	journalist
Date of birth	October 4, 1968
Place of birth
Date of death	April 12, 2009
Place of death