In a restructuring of its field sales force, Simon & Schuster is expanding the group's selling responsibility to include not only independent bookstores but specialty accounts as well. As part of the realignment S&S is eliminating the use of commissioned rep groups to sell its titles to specialty markets. In addition, the S&S sales team, which had consisted of an adult sales force and a children's sales force, will sell all S&S titles to its accounts.

Frank Fochetta, v-p of field sales and special sales at S&S, said the reorganization was dictated by the market. "The marketplace is telling us that this is a logical move," he said. The specialty market is S&S's fastest growing sales retail channel, Fochetta noted, outpacing growth of indie bookstores. The addition of specialty accounts, which consists mainly of smaller gift stores plus some larger chains such as Hallmark, to a rep's territory will permit S&S to continue offering in-person sales calls to all indie bookstore accounts that want it, Fochetta said. S&S is discussing moving some indie stores to telesales, but will make that change only with the approval of the bookseller. Under the reorg, each rep's territory will be smaller; S&S will divide the country into three sections, each with eight to nine reps. George Keating, Brian Kelleher and Emily Santos will direct the East, Central, and West regions, respectively.

Kelleher, who had previously been field sales director of the children's sales force, explained that children's-only bookstores will for the most part continue to see the reps they had previously seen. "By and large for our existing book customers we are retaining the specialization in adult and children's," he said. Many general bookstores with large children's sections will see two reps, adult and children's, as they had before. S&S is evaluating all retail accounts on a case-by-case basis, but all accounts will continue to be repped by S&S, Kelleher emphasized.

Speaking of the new unified force, dubbed the United Field Sales Organization, Kelleher said, "We're very excited about it. It not only opens up markets we hadn't been in before but it opens up the scenario where we more equitably credit reps for their work," for example those who sell adult titles into a children's bookstore.

Reps will undergo training over the summer on how to sell the full range of S&S titles. "We will build a sales team that has a broad understanding of our list," Fochetta said. The new sales force will begin calling on accounts September 5, to sell the spring 2007 list.   --Jim Milliot and Diane Roback

It’s been quite a ride for wacky science teacher Ms. Frizzle and her students, who have been enthusiastic passengers on the soaring Magic School Bus for two decades. Launched in 1986, this spirited science series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen encompasses 131 titles over a variety of formats and has sold more than 58 million copies.

In 1994, the Magic School bus crew made their debut in an animated TV series produced by Scholastic Media with support from the National Science Foundation. Starring Lily Tomlin as the voice of Ms. Frizzle, the series has received multiple awards, including a Daytime Emmy. Warner Home Video’s seven Magic School Bus DVDs have sold more than five million units.

And, as it prepares to celebrate the series’s 20th anniversary, Scholastic will release The Magic School Bus and the Science Fair Expedition, the 11th picture book in the series and the first in seven years. A 50,000-copy first printing is on order for this September title.  

Actor Tyler James Williams plays a young Chris Rock in UPN's hit comedy Everybody Hates Chris.

"Licensing is becoming more of a factor for this age group," says Valerie Garfield, v-p and associate publisher, Simon Spotlight and Little Simon. "But there's sort of a disconnect. [The license] has to be brand-sensitive and savvy, but also match the needs of the age group. They love celebrities, but not all are appropriate for this demographic." The Everybody Hates Chris books will deal with issues that readers ages seven to 13, especially boys, can relate to, with the same sense of humor featured in the show. The fact that the main character is African-American was a bonus as well, Garfield says.    read more licensing news