Von Holtzbrinck continues to unify different elements of its American trade publishing holdings. Last week the company announced that it was creating the Holtzbrinck trade sales organization. Henry Holt's six field reps will be combined with St. Martin's 28 reps into one unit under the direction of Alison Lazarus, who has been named president of the new sales group. Lazarus will report to John Sargent, president of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings. Maggie Richards will continue as v-p of sales and marketing for Holt and will report to John Sterling, newly named president and publisher of Holt.
Under the restructuring, the two field sales forces will sell all the imprints of St. Martin's, Tor, Holt, Picador and the distributed lines of each company. Jeff Capshew will oversee all the operations of the Broadway sales division, which focuses on hardcovers and Picador titles, with Ken Holland serving as director of field sales. Brian Heller will head the Fifth Ave. sales team, which sells trade and mass market paperback titles, and Ellen Williams will be the director of field sales. Janet Wagner will move out of the New York office to become associate director of field sales for both groups.
The restructuring will result in the elimination of one position, as well as the dropping of the commissioned rep groups that had worked with Holt. In addition, Farrar, Straus &Giroux will continue to be sold by its own commissioned group. "Roger felt he wanted to continue with the way things are and that's fine with us," Sargent told PW. The large national accounts will continue to be served by reps on a company-by-company basis.
The reorganization will also result in the creation of a special sales organization to be run by Judy Sisko. The new group will sell all imprints and distributed lines of St. Martin's, Tor, Holt, FSG and Picador to the specialty retail, mail-order, premium and export markets.
The reorganization will take effect Jan. 1, 1999.
SMP Trade Appointments
Elsewhere within the Holtbrinck group, Sally Richardson, president of St. Martin's Press trade division, has made a number of new appointments. Named to the newly created position of associate publisher is John Cunningham. Cunningham had been marketing director and will be replaced in that position by Matthew Baldacci, who moves to the company from DK Publishing. Richardson told PW that Cunningham's new position is part of an effort to "better exploit" the 600 titles that St. Martin's publishes annually. Cunningham and Baldacci will both report to Richardson.
St. Martin's has also joined the growing ranks of publishers who have a staff member dedicated to the online market, with the appointment of Mike Curro as Internet marketing manager. In the newly created post, Curro will work with the sales departments to service and implement electronic markets as well as with publicity and marketing.
On the editorial side, Elizabeth Beir has joined St. Martin's as executive editor; she will focus on nonfiction and popular culture. She had been director of Penguin Putnam's Boulevard Books imprint. In a second editorial hire, Heather Jackson, who had left St. Martin's to work as a packager, has rejoined the company.
