Coming off one of the strongest quarters in its history, National Book Network has hired Patricia O'Hare for the new position of v-p, new business development. In addition to looking for new clients, O'Hare will work with Miriam Bass on marketing consulting for the distributor's clients. O'Hare will be based in Boston and Bass will remain in Los Angeles. Before joining NBN, O'Hare was a consultant for an e-learning startup and before that had been with Jossey-Bass. NBN president Jed Lyons said the distributor is not looking to add additional clients, "but to replace lost business," pointing to the recent acquisition of Presidio Press, a former client, by Random House.
Lyons said sales in the quarter were $12 million ahead of budget. Three bestsellers by Regnery Publishing led the charge--Final Days, Bias and Shakedown--along with Rowman & Littlefield's When Every Moment Counts, which now has 175,000 copies in print. Even without those four titles, NBN was 30% ahead of plan, as many of its publishers were enjoying strong sales. In addition, Biblio Distribution, the unit set up to serve micro-publishers, is 100% ahead of budget, Lyons said.
