Traditional publishing was done by William Armstrong.

He was adored, respected, and admired everywhere, but especially by Americans. Nigel Newton, who created Bloomsbury Publishing after spending nine gratifying years working with Armstrong at Sidgwick & Jackson, was one of the exceptional people he had the uncanny ability to surround himself with.

No cause of death was revealed.

Armstrong formed close relationships with his writers, and they frequently signed lucrative contracts while having a good time at the Garrick Club.

He started working for the struggling Sidgwick & Jackson publishing house in 1968. Charles (later Lord) Forte, the company’s owner at the time, actively supported and encouraged him as he started working to reverse the company’s problems.

Because he and Lord Longford, Armstrong’s chairman, were both Irish, smart, and appreciative of one another, they ended up making a great team. Because he lacked it, Longford was impressed by Armstrong’s commercial acumen.

In fact, one could argue that Armstrong was the catalyst for the rise of the celebrity author cult. Edward Heath’s books Sailing (1975) and Music (1976) were propelled to No. 1 bestseller status by a barrage of personal publicity orchestrated by S&J’s dynamic publicity supremo Stephen du Sautoy, which included a specially commissioned train taking the author across the country. The unsigned books were said to be the most expensive ones.