2003: Donna Seaman, Booklist
2002: award not given
2001: Carol Stacy, Romantic Times publisher
2000: Jeff Bezos, president & CEO, Amazon.com
1999: award not given
1998: Daisy Maryles, executive editor, Publishers Weekly
1997: Kay Murray, attorney, Authors Guild
1996: Evan M. Fogelman, literary agent
1995: Gerald Ratcliff, bookseller
1994: Richard Curtis, literary agent
1993: Jayne Ann Krentz, author
1992: Marilyn Black, publisher, Meteor Kismet
1991: Kate Duffy, executive editor, Meteor Kismet