Why I rejected £12m (and retirement)

by Kate Pritchard - Thursday, 20th September 2007 -

Philip Kogan, 77-year-old founder of book publisher Kogan Page, has no intention of writing his final chapter.

Philip Kogan stumbled into publishing after a youthful stint as chief editor of Understanding Science magazine. Forty years on, he's still actively involved in the highly respected Kogan Page and, with daughter Helen now leading the business to new heights, one headache is off the radar.

"At 77, I’m 16 years over retirement age but I’ve now managed to shelve the problem of whether to sell up," he tells us in the October issue of Real Business, out in a couple of weeks.

"I could have made a mint – I was offered £12m for the business many years ago – but it never appealed to me, and I’m not all that interested in money. I’m going to stay involved for as long as I can. My hobby is grumbling. What’s the point in life if I have nothing to grumble about?"

In Kogan's line of academic publishing, the big challenge is speed of movement. "We have to keep a close eye on what’s going on across the pond – a lot of ideas start in the States. The question is whether we can get them out before the idea dies. The typical turnaround of one of our books is six months. That’s quick by many standards."

You can read the full article in October's Real Business magazine – or watch this space for more "grumbles".

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