S&S Reports Double-Digit Sales Gains

Sales rose by double digits in the first quarter ended March 31, 2002, at Simon & Schuster, according to company president and CEO Jack Romanos, and earnings were also up. "The momentum we had in the last part of 2001 has carried into the new year," Romanos told PW. (With the integration of S&S into the entertainment group, parent company Viacom does not break out S&S results.)

Romanos said that while the adult publishing group had an especially strong start to the year, gains were reported across all divisions. The adult group benefited from the successful integration of the former Pocket Books as well as the continued strong sales of John Adams. New titles contributing to the gains included Everything's Eventual, Self Matters, Fall on Your Knees and A Beautiful Mind. Romanos said that the children's group was also ahead of last year's sales pace, and that the audio unit had a "great" quarter, a performance that Romanos said was particularly gratifying since the audio industry in general has had two difficult years. The addition of Andrews McMeel in February as a distribution client also added to sales. Sales were up in all international units except Australia, which continues to struggle with a difficult economy, Romanos said.