Meet this year’s contenders for king—or queen—of the road.

U.S. Book Show 2022: Randy Hickernell
As far as Hachette Book Group field rep Randy Hickernell is concerned, although the world has changed since he became a rep in 1979, his repping style has, fundamentally, remained the same—even since the onset of the pandemic.

U.S. Book Show 2022: Kurtis Lowe
Even among sales reps, who typically don’t mind a commute, Kurtis Lowe of Book Travelers West relishes a road trip.

U.S. Book Show 2022: David Mallmann
David Mallmann, who describes his territory as the “Greater Midwest,” is an indefatigable road warrior.

U.S. Book Show 2022: Katie McGarry
Clarion Books editorial director Anne Hoppe wasn’t exaggerating when she observed that HarperCollins rep Katie McGarry’s “idea of a vacation is to go work at her local library, putting books directly into the hands of readers.”

U.S. Book Show 2022: Wendy Pearl
From her early career as a jack-of-all-marketing-trades to her present position representing adult titles for Penguin and for PRH distribution clients, Bay Area sales rep Wendy Pearl has had a front-row seat to the book trade.

Announcement of the winner will be livestreamed on Tuesday, May 24, 4:30–5 p.m. ET.

Click here to register for the U.S. Book Show, and click here for more information on the programming.