PW: Rasmussen Named Head of Dorchester

Mass market paperback veteran, Lisa Rasmussen, who most recently served as director of sales at Avon Books, joined Dorchester Publishing last month as president and publisher, succeeding Ted Carroll. Through its Leisure Books and Love Spell imprints, Dorchester will publish about 200 mass market paperback titles this year, primarily in the romance, horror, techno-thriller and western genres.

Rasmussen said her initial objective at Dorchester will be to "heighten the company's titles" in the marketplace and to expand distribution. "We have a solid foundation here that I plan to build on," Rasmussen told PW. In addition to increasing marketing support, Rasmussen said she "will explore entering subgenres and new genres that match our demographic." She is also "considering" moving Dorchester beyond the mass market format. Rasmussen reports to John Backe, head of the Backe Group, which owns Dorchester.