After 50 years in book publishing, Ted Heinecken will retire from Fuji Associates on February 28. Heinecken, who started his career in 1963 as a Midwest sales rep for Oxford University Press, went on to manage Heinecken and Associates. He ran the company from 1978 to 2008, when it was acquired by Fuji.
In a release from Fuji Associate about Heinecken's retirement, a number of publishing luminaries sang the praises of the beloved sales rep. Workman president Carolan Workman said Heinecken's "wisdom and professional savvy; his astute--and rarely withheld--opinions; his extraordinary sales ability; and his dedication, loyalty and friendship" will all be missed.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Gary Gentel said Heinecken's "advocacy on behalf of his account base and all independents everywhere was legendary."
Heinecken said: "I have always held the conviction that being a part of the book trade community is a special calling, requiring a love of the book and a belief in the printed (whether or not on paper) word as a keystone of our culture.”
