Lisa Holton, who took over for Barbara Marcus as head of Scholastic’s trade and book fair units in May 2005, is leaving the company to form her own new media venture. Ellie Berger, publisher of the trade group, has been promoted to president of the unit, while Alan Boyko, president of book fairs, will report to Scholastic chairman Dick Robinson.
Robinson praised Holton for leading the efforts of the Harry Potter team that culminated in the July release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a book that resulted in record revenue and profit in the company’s first quarter. He also commended her for bringing new talent to the trade unit which contributed to the development of new series and titles.
Berger has been at Scholastic since 1985 and Robinson said she is “universally respected throughout the industry as the person at Scholastic who makes things happen.” As publisher, Berger has guided the strategic direction of the trade program, and Robinson said he is “confident that Ellie will lead us to a strong expansion of our trade publishing program.”
