Adrienne Vaughan headed the U.S. division of British publishing group Bloomsbury, best known for the Harry Potter novels.
"Adrienne Vaughan was a leader of dazzling talent and infectious passion and had a deep commitment to authors and readers. She was elected to the AAP Board of Directors this year and made an immediate positive impact," the AAP said in a statement on Friday.
Vaughan, 45, was with her husband and two children on a piloted motorboat when it collided on Thursday with a larger sailing boat carrying about 80 foreign tourists celebrating a wedding, Italy's Ansa news agency reported.
She suffered fatal injuries after being caught up in the propellers of the motorboat. Her husband, who was also thrown into the water, was not as badly hurt and was treated in hospital in the town of Ravello, Ansa said.
The children, whose ages were reported as 8 and 12, were not injured but were in a state of shock.
Prosecutors in the southern port city of Salerno are investigating how the accident happened.
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the skipper of the motorboat had been placed under investigation and had initially tested positive for substance use.
Giuseppe Borrelli, the chief prosecutor in Salerno, was quoted by Corriere as saying that Vaughan was swiftly rescued after being thrown overboard from the bow of the motorboat, but her injuries were so serious that she could not be treated.
An official from the U.S. embassy in Rome said staff were providing "all appropriate assistance to the family".
"We offer our sincerest condolences," the official added in emailed comments.
(Reporting by Keith Weir and Angelo AmanteEditing by Andrew Cawthorne and Helen Popper)
