LB Shakes Up Sales Department

by Steven Zeitchik -- Publishers Weekly, 8/9/2004

A reorganization at the Little, Brown sales department has seen the recent hiring of Chris Murphy to head what the company calls its diversified imprints: Little, Brown for Young Readers, Bulfinch and Warner Faith. Murphy, a Scholastic veteran, takes the job of v-p of sales for the group. The newly promoted Shawn Foster and Harry Helm, who will serve as sales directors for LB for Young Readers and for Bulfinch and Warner Faith, respectively, now report to Murphy. Their roles had previously fallen to various people throughout the company. The bulking up of dedicated forces, said company officials, is a response to the imprints' growth.

Last week, the department also brought in Celeste Risko, formerly a buyer at Borders, to replace Jennifer O'Donohue, who went to Penguin. Risko is jumping the conference-room table—she'll serve as a national account manager and will sell to Borders (as well as AMS and its warehouse clubs). Risko reports to Foster.