Ex-DKFL Director Forms New Firm, Books &Beyond

Judith Rosen |

Oct 23, 2000

News
Ex-DKFL Director Forms New Firm, Books &Beyond Judith Rosen -- 10/23/00 In late September, Susan Schilling, former national sales director with DK Family Learning, launched Books & Beyond, a direct-sales book business based in Kansas City, Mo. Modeled after DKFL, Books & Beyond's sales team will sell books from a variety of publishers at Tupperware-like parties in homes and schools. According to CEO Schilling, Books & Beyond's mission is to promote "a lifelong pursuit of knowledge" and to provide jobs for the nearly 30,000 sales people, primarily women, in the U.S.--60,000 worldwide--who were effectively terminated when DK's new owner, Pearson, decided to close the division (News, July 24). "Literally," she said, "we got a call on July 18 that on August 31 everything would be closed." Immediately after the call, Schilling contacted longtime friend John McMeel, co-owner of Andrews McMeel, to support her new venture. He agreed, and in September Andrews McMeel produced the company's first 128-page, four-color catalogue and began distributing Books & Beyond's products. Schilling's husband, Nick, president and CFO of Books & Beyond, took a 90-day leave from his job with Sprint to help her with the business. He called in a favor from a local Web designer to get www.booksandbeyond.com up and running in a month. The site features an online version of the print catalogue; background on the company's charitable donation program, and information on signing up to be a sales representative. Schilling plans to add online ordering soon. Although Schilling and Barbara Jack, v-p of national field development, were both with DKFL, Schilling said, "the only affiliation I have with DK is I am a distributor of their product. DK is only 16 pages of the catalogue." After her experience with DK, Schilling said, she realized that "in order to have a successful business--and still be ethical and moral and upstanding--it has to be completely independent of everyone." If anything, her first list of 650 items is heavy with books and gifts from Andrews McMeel, whose products account for 50% of the first list, which includes offerings from nine other publishers. Three hundred people attended B&B's initial sales conference in September. The company will hold mini-conferences in 20 additional cities in October and early November.

News

Ex-DKFL Director Forms New Firm, Books &Beyond
Judith Rosen -- 10/23/00

In late September, Susan Schilling, former national sales director with DK Family Learning, launched Books & Beyond, a direct-sales book business based in Kansas City, Mo. Modeled after DKFL, Books & Beyond's sales team will sell books from a variety of publishers at Tupperware-like parties in homes and schools.

According to CEO Schilling, Books & Beyond's mission is to promote "a lifelong pursuit of knowledge" and to provide jobs for the nearly 30,000 sales people, primarily women, in the U.S.--60,000 worldwide--who were effectively terminated when DK's new owner, Pearson, decided to close the division (News, July 24). "Literally," she said, "we got a call on July 18 that on August 31 everything would be closed."

Immediately after the call, Schilling contacted longtime friend John McMeel, co-owner of Andrews McMeel, to support her new venture. He agreed, and in September Andrews McMeel produced the company's first 128-page, four-color catalogue and began distributing Books & Beyond's products.

Schilling's husband, Nick, president and CFO of Books & Beyond, took a 90-day leave from his job with Sprint to help her with the business. He called in a favor from a local Web designer to get www.booksandbeyond.com up and running in a month. The site features an online version of the print catalogue; background on the company's charitable donation program, and information on signing up to be a sales representative. Schilling plans to add online ordering soon.

Although Schilling and Barbara Jack, v-p of national field development, were both with DKFL, Schilling said, "the only affiliation I have with DK is I am a distributor of their product. DK is only 16 pages of the catalogue." After her experience with DK, Schilling said, she realized that "in order to have a successful business--and still be ethical and moral and upstanding--it has to be completely independent of everyone." If anything, her first list of 650 items is heavy with books and gifts from Andrews McMeel, whose products account for 50% of the first list, which includes offerings from nine other publishers. Three hundred people attended B&B's initial sales conference in September. The company will hold mini-conferences in 20 additional cities in October and early November.

A version of this article appeared in the 10/23/2000 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: