Saul David (producer)

Saul David (June 27, 1921 – June 7, 1996) was an American book editor and film producer.

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, he won an art competition and received a scholarship to the Rhode Island School of Design, which he attended from 1937 to 1940. After graduation he worked at a radio station in York, Pennsylvania and on a newspaper in Port Huron, Michigan. During World War II, David enlisted in the US Army where he wrote for Yank, the Army Weekly and the Stars and Stripes in North Africa and Europe.

From 1950 to 1960 David worked at Bantam, starting as a publisher's reader then advancing to editorial director and editor in chief. He had known Bantam's president Oscar Dystel during their time working on Stars and Stripes in Cairo. Whilst at Bantam David lured Ross Macdonald away from Pocket Books and hired artist James Avati. Rather than reprint several hardcover Western authors, David thought of hiring and promoting one author to write three original books for Bantam every year. Out of a shortlist of five authors, David chose Louis L'Amour who had been disillusioned with Fawcett publishing.

David left Bantam to work for Columbia Pictures and Warner Brothers. Whilst at Warners David acquired Helen Gurley Brown's book Sex and the Single Girl for the studio. When one studio executive told him the book had no plot, David replied "I told you that a hundred thousand dollars ago"; the studio had purchased a title, not a plot.

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