Mary Beth Thomas, the v-p and director of independent retail sales at HarperCollins, has left the company, PW has confirmed. In addition, HarperCollins is offering a voluntary buyout program for salespeople, according to a person familiar with the matter.
It is not yet clear if a replacement will be named for Thomas. A representative of HarperCollins, reached for comment, noted that the publisher does not comment on personnel matters.
The shakeup is the latest in a series of move made by Ed Spade since he was named president of sales in January 2023, succeeding the retiring Josh Marwell. (Spade joined the publisher in 2021, following its purchase of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt trade group.) The changes in the sales group are also in keeping with what CEO Brian Murray has called a year of transformation for the publisher, which has seen new leadership appointments as well as a host of structural changes.
Last fall, the HarperCollins children's group was placed under the direction of Liate Stehlik, president and publisher of the Morrow Group, with HarperCollins Children's Books president and publisher Suzanne Murphy leaving the company. In November, Rich Thomas was promoted to senior v-p and executive director of publishing at HCCB, and Stehlik also announced that the integrated marketing, marketing design, and rights teams at Morrow and HCCB would being combined. Also last year, the publisher closed its Harper Design unit and the YA Inkyard Press imprint.
How all these changes are beginning to play out may come into focus on May 8, when HarperCollins parent company News Corp. releases its results for the quarter ended December 31, 2023.
