Scholastic has announced that Elizabeth Whiting has been promoted to v-p of trade sales for Scholastic Trade Publishing and will take charge of the national sales team effective June 1. Whiting succeeds current sales v-p Alan Smagler, and will report to Scholastic Trade executive v-p and president Ellie Berger. Smagler will transition to a consulting role as a strategic business adviser to Berger, also effective June 1.
Whiting joined Scholastic in 2006 as national account manager after working at Client Distribution Services, where she ultimately rose to sales and marketing supervision of Borders Group, Running Press, and more than 40 CDS client publishers. Since joining Scholastic, she has worked closely with Smagler managing all of Scholastic's relationships with its major accounts ranging from Amazon to Walmart. In the process, Whiting has helped drive growth for both Scholastic Trade and Klutz publishing across frontlist and backlist titles, Scholastic said.
“I’m eager to begin in this new role, leading an incredibly successful team and promoting a diverse list of titles that resonate with children of all ages," Whiting said, "and I thank Ellie Berger and Alan Smagler for their mentorship throughout my time at Scholastic.”
Smagler began his 34-year career in children's publishing at Random House. After leadership roles at Simon & Schuster’s children’s publishing division and Houghton Mifflin’s children’s book group, he joined Scholastic as v-p of trade sales in 2006. During his tenure at Scholastic, Smagler has been responsible for more than $300 million in annual revenue while directing the sales activity of all titles, including the Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Dog Man, and Cat Kid series, as well as growth across the Graphix imprint. As a consultant, he will advise on sales strategy and account growth.
“After 34 years, I feel the time is right for me to make this move. It’s been my absolute pleasure and honor to lead the best sales force in the industry for these last 16 years," said Smagler. "I’m confident that with Elizabeth Whiting’s excellent leadership, the success we’ve enjoyed will continue for many years into the future."
