Robert Loomis, Renowned Editor of Styron and Angelou, Announces Retirement

On 06/05/2011, Random House announced the retirement of longtime executive editor Robert Loomis, marking the end of a distinguished publishing career that spanned more than five decades. Loomis, aged 85 at the time of the announcement, had worked at Random House for 54 years, editing and guiding the work of numerous prominent authors. The company confirmed that he would officially step down from his editorial role in June 2011. Loomis joined Random House in 1957 and became known for his long term editorial relationships with writers across fiction and nonfiction. Among the authors he worked with were Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, William Styron, and Shelby Foote. His collaboration with Angelou included editing several of her autobiographical works, helping shape a series that began with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969. Over the decades, Loomis developed a reputation for close editorial partnerships and for supporting authors across multiple books. Random House noted that Loomis would remain connected to the publishing house in an advisory capacity following his retirement. His career included editing bestselling and award winning titles, as well as mentoring younger editors within the company. The announcement in May 2011 formally recognized his contributions to American publishing and his role in shaping the literary output of several major writers during the second half of the twentieth century.