Ann Harris, editor of numerous best sellers, dies at 99
In 1969, after years of writing comedic novels and screenplays, William Peter Blatty secured a $10,000 advance to write a very different kind of book—his horror novel “The Exorcist.” The manuscript was so frightening, Blatty later recalled, that his secretary was too scared to work on it alone at home. However, before publication, the novel’s intricate plot and characters had to be carefully refined by an editor: Ann Schakne Harris, a meticulous editor who was gaining recognition in Manhattan’s publishing world during the 1960s for her exceptional editorial skills.
For six weeks, Blatty and Harris worked intensively at a New York hotel, shaping what would become a landmark in the genre of theological horror. When published in 1971, “The Exorcist” went on to sell 13 million copies in the U.S. alone and became one of the decade’s best-selling novels. This breakthrough marked a turning point in Harris’s editorial career, which spanned six decades and included a long list of best sellers. She had spent years working part-time and assisting other editors while raising her children before achieving this major success.
Among the notable works Harris edited were “The Thorn Birds” by Australian author Colleen McCullough, Stephen Hawking’s landmark “A Brief History of Time,” autobiographies of Betty Ford and Warren Buffett, and Pulitzer Prize-winning titles such as Dr. Robert N. Butler’s “Why Survive? Being Old in America” and Dan Fagin’s “Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation.” Harris was known for her hands-on, patient editing style, often working closely with authors to shape their manuscripts over time. For “The Thorn Birds,” she traveled from New York to meet McCullough in Connecticut, sometimes hosting the author in her own apartment while refining the novel’s details.
Described by colleagues and authors as nurturing and quietly authoritative, Harris guided writers to strengthen their own voices without imposing. Author Stephen Fried, who worked with her on four books, noted her active yet gentle editing approach, likening her to a wise grandmother who had read and understood everything.
Born in Manhattan in 1925, Ann Schakne graduated from Hunter College and earned a master’s degree from Radcliffe College, where she took one of the first publishing courses offered. Starting as a manuscript reader in the early 1950s, she became an editor by the mid-1960s and later worked at Bantam, editing groundbreaking books like Hawking’s popular science bestseller. Although her working relationship with Hawking was sometimes challenging, Harris’s commitment to editorial excellence remained unwavering. She once insisted on correcting a computational error in one of Hawking’s books before publication, a decision that reportedly strained their relationship.
Throughout her career, Harris maintained a deep belief in the power of books to tell important stories and effect change. She briefly left publishing to work at a longevity clinic inspired by one of the books she edited and continued working well past typical retirement age. She is remembered as a dedicated editor who left an indelible mark on American literature. Harris died on June 1 at her Manhattan home at age 99. She is survived by her two children and three grandchildren; her husband, acoustical engineer Cyril M. Harris, died in 2011.
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