Philip Martin Bio


Philip Martin, director of Great Lakes Literary, is experienced in all aspects of publishing for small companies or individuals. Recent experience includes three years as acquisitions editor for The Writer Books (affiliated with The Writer magazine), producing books for professional writers on craft and career advice. In this capacity, he edited essays and book-length works by prominent and successful authors.

Philip Martin photograph
He has also edited and produced nonfiction and fiction titles for adults and young readers. His first book won the 1989 Banta Award, a top literary prize from the Wisconsin Library Association. Subsequent titles won independent-press awards, including the national Benjamin Franklin Award (two times for nonfiction) and the Small Press Book Award (for fiction); other projects were finalists for Minnesota Book Award, Great Lakes Book Award, and other honors.

He is the series editor of The New Writer’s Handbook, an annual anthology of advice for writers to help them improve their literary skills and advance their careers. Of the inaugural 2007 edition, Library Journal (in a Starred Review) said of the Handbook, "It surprises and satisfies." It won Gold in the 2007 Book of the Year Awards (Careers category), a national competition for the best books by independent presses, sponsored by ForeWord Magazine.

Martin is also author of three books on cultural and literary heritage. His book on traditional music, Farmhouse Fiddlers: Music & Dance Traditions in the Rural Midwest (1994), won an award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers as the best nonfiction book of the year by a Wisconsin author. His book, The Writer’s Guide to Fantasy Literature (2002), advice for writers entering the field of speculative fiction, won widespread praise ("A genuinely valuable book, intelligently assembled and edited." —Peter S. Beagle, World Fantasy Award winner; "Rich with insights, thorough and knowledgeable, it's the best and most reliable guide to a multi-faceted subject." —Lloyd Alexander, Newbery Award winner).

He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he gardens (when it's not cross-country skiing weather), plays soccer (with friends with aging knees who should know better), and helps good writers create great books.