Kensington Publishing is expanding its back-office relationship with Penguin Group USA. Penguin already handles Kensington's order processing, customer service and cover returns, and will now take over management of Kensington's warehouse operations and order fulfillment. Kensington has been handling those functions itself from a warehouse in Dresden, Tenn., but effective June 1, all of the publisher's inventory will be stored and shipped from Penguin's Pittston, Pa., facility.

"There's a convoy on the way now between Tennessee and Pittston," said Kensington president Steve Zacharius. He said the move makes "common business sense," and added that by moving to Penguin, Kensington expects to speed shipping times and to have more accurate control of its inventory. Kensington had employed two monitors in its Dresden warehouse, and Zacharius expects to hire one person to look after its interests in Pittston.