Tom Doherty

Born Thomas Patrick Doherty in Hartford, Connecticut, his father worked as an engineer for Pratt & Whitney during World War II and was part of the team that designed the United States' first jet engines.{{cite web |last=Liptak |first=Andrew |title=Building a Brand: Tom Doherty’s Tor Books |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/building-brand-tom-dohertys-tor-books/ |website=Kirkus Reviews |date=February 26, 2016 |access-date=May 11, 2025}} From an early age, he developed an interest in reading, especially science fiction. His mother and grandfather bought him a subscription to Astounding Science Fiction as soon as he could read independently, and he later branched out to reading similar magazines like Galaxy Science Fiction.

Doherty attended Marianapolis Academy (now Marianapolis Preparatory School) before enrolling at Trinity College. His major was initially chemical engineering, but he graduated with a degree in philosopy after an abrupt change when he realised he did not want to pursue chemistry as a career. During college, he played guard in football, got tuition money as a "sub-rosa professional boxer", and was a member of the school’s Reserve Officer Training Corps.{{cite web |last=Doherty |first=Tom |title=Tom Doherty interview excerpts |url=https://www.locusmag.com/2003/Issue10/Doherty.html |website=Locus Magazine |date=October 2003 |access-date=May 11, 2025}}

After graduation, Doherty had initially planned to join the U.S. Air Force, but due to cutbacks in recruiting and being told he needed to lose weight to be a pilot, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and posted at Fort Polk (now Fort Johnson) in Indiana. He spent two years there as an FDC artilleryman and doing a lot of reading in his spare time. His enjoyment of literature prompted him to search for a job in publishing when he got out of the army.

Doherty was first connected to Mory Solomon, vice-president of sales for Pocket Books through his father, who was now vice-president of a floor covering company doing work in Solomon's building. While Pocket did not employ him directly, he was given a job on recommendation as a sales rep working in the Boston north area for one of their national distributors, Select Magazines.{{cite web |last=Doherty |first=Tom |title=In Conversation With Tom Doherty |url=https://archeddoorway.com/2014/11/17/interview-with-tom-doherty/ |website=The Arched Doorway |date=November 17, 2014 |access-date=May 11, 2025}} This proved to be short-lived, however, as they were forced to let him go after only seven months due to the loss of a major contract. After being offered a local sales job for Pocket in Philidelphia, he moved to the city.

Doherty progressed through various promotions in sales positions at Pocket Books, from salesman, to district manager, regional manager, divisional manager and national sales manager. In 1966, Pocket was acquired by Simon & Schuster and Doherty worked out of the New York office. As wholesale distributor of Ballantine Books, he became friends with Ian Ballantine and his wife Betty Ballantine. Working closely with the pair, he learned a great deal about publishing and editing, considering them "pioneers" in science fiction. During this time, they also published the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, proving that fantasy could be a best-selling genre.

After receiving a call from Harold Roth, a former executive vice-president of Simon & Schuster, now president of Grosset & Dunlap, Doherty could not resist the offer of changing from sales to publishing. In his new position, he headed Tempo, a Young Adult line. In 1971, he hired Harriet McDougal as editor in chief. In 1974, Roth persuaded their parent company, Filmways, to purchase Ace Books, one of the leading science fiction publishers and Doherty became head of both imprints with McDougal as editorial director. Ace was the mass market publisher of Frank Herbert's Dune series. In 1977, he hired Jim Baen to head up the Ace science fiction/fantasy program. Also in 1977, McDougal returned to her home town of Charleston to found her own small publisher, Popham Press, which would be distributed by Ace, although she continued to do some editing work for Doherty. While there, she discovered author James Oliver Rigney Jr., more commonly known by his pen name Robert Jordan. In 1978, they published The Fallon Blood, Rigney's first novel which became an immediate success.

Following Roth's replacement as president to someone who Doherty found much more difficult to work with, he believed it was time for a change and decided to found his own company. Richard Gallen, who had funded McDougal's startup, provided the investment capital to found Tom Doherty Associates (now Tor Publishing Group) in 1979 and its first imprint, Tor Books, in 1980. Tor Books' first published book was in November of that year. Both McDougal and Baen would come aboard as founding members of the editorial team.

In 1993 Doherty was the recipient of the Skylark Award (also known as the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award{{cite web|year= 1993|title= THE E. E. SMITH MEMORIAL AWARD|url=https://www.nesfa.org/awards/the-skylark/|access-date= 3 April 2021}}) awarded by the New England Science Fiction Association for outstanding contribution to the field of science fiction. Doherty received a "Lifetime Achievement Award"{{cite web|author=World Fantasy Convention|year= 2010|title=Award Winners and Nominees|url=http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/awardslist.html/|access-date= 4 Feb 2011}} at the 2005 World Fantasy Convention, and in 2006, the Raymond Z. Gallun Award for outstanding contribution to the genre of science fiction.{{cite web|author=Fancylopedia 3|year= 2006|title=Raymond Z. Gallun Award|url=https://fancyclopedia.org/Raymond_Z._Gallun_Award|access-date= 4 April 2021}} In 2007, Doherty received the Lariat Award{{cite web|author=Western Writers of America|year= 2007|title=Lariat Award|url=https://westernwriters.org/lariat/|access-date= 4 April 2021}} from the Western Writers of America for contribution to literacy; and was honored with a proclamation from Charles B. Rangel, Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, for outstanding leadership to enhance and provide literacy programs throughout the nation.{{cite web|author=SFScope|year= 2007|title=Rangel Proclamation Honoring Doherty Doherty|url=http://sfscope.com/2007/05/rangel-proclamation-honoring-t.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120607200709/http://sfscope.com/2007/05/rangel-proclamation-honoring-t.html|access-date= 4 April 2021|archive-date= June 7, 2012}} In 2009 Doherty received the Solstice Award{{cite web|author=SFWA|year= 2019|title=Search the Nebula Awards|url=http://nebulas.sfwa.org/search-awards/?sa=1&award%5B21%5D=on&statusfilter=only&start_year=1965&end_year=2021&search=|access-date= 4 April 2021}} from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for his significant impact on the science fiction and fantasy landscape; and in 2017 the Thriller Legend Award from the International Thriller Writers, an award honoring an icon in the industry;{{cite web|author=International Thriller Writers|year= 2021|title=Past Nominees and Winners|url=https://thrillerwriters.org/programs/award-nominees-and-winners/|access-date= 4 April 2021}}{{cite web|author=Publishers Weekly|year= 2017|title=Hawley, Petrie Among Winners at 12th Annual Thrillerfest|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/74255-hawley-petrie-among-winners-at-12th-annual-thrillerfest.html|access-date= 4 April 2021}} and in 2024 the Robert A. Heinlein Award.{{Cite web |title=Robert A. Heinlein Award |url = http://www.bsfs.org/bsfsheinlein.htm}}

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{{World Fantasy Award Life Achievement}}

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Category:1935 births

Category:Living people

Category:American speculative fiction publishers (people)

Category:American speculative fiction editors

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