George Brett started with Macmillan in 1913 as a traveling salesman and took over as President of Macmillan in 1931. Brett took over as chairman in 1936 after the death of his father, George Platt Brett Sr.[2][3][4]
Brett is best known for having "scored one of publishing's all-time triumphs by gaining the rights to 'Gone With the Wind.'[1] The success of Gone with the Wind from 1935 to 1936 lead to bonuses of 18% to all employees at Macmillan. Additional literary success under Brett were Rachael Filed's All This and Heaven Too and Katleen Winsor's Forever Amber.[5] In addition, Brett published notable authors C. S. Lewis and Marianne Moore.[6]
In 1939, Brett promoted a special motion picture edition of Gone with the Wind at the same time the film was being released. Brett was the first to introduce marketing a book and movie at the same time. This was perhaps the earliest instance in the book publishing industry of the "tie-in," a marketing strategy which involves a mass media commodity appearing simultaneously in several formats that advertise each other.[7]
In 1944 Brett fought efforts by the British Publisher Bureau to corner the American market for British publishing houses.[8]
In 1951, Brett bought the US division from London based Macmillan Publishing. At this time Macmillan was the second largest publisher in the United States[9]
Brett was succeeded by his son, Bruce Y. Brett in 1958.[6]
From 1916 to 1919, he served with the United States Army on the Mexican border and then in France during World War I. Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, Infantry, August 15, 1917, promoted 1st Lieutenant, January 12, 1918, and Captain, August 22, 1918.
