As part of Midpoint Trade Books' growth strategy, which began with a change in ownership at the beginning of the year the New York City—based distribution company opened a California office last week, headed by John Teall, formerly with Publishers Group West. Teall will sell to key accounts in the west, as well as serve as the company's primary liaison with West Coast publishers.
"It's long overdue," Midpoint founder and president Eric Kampmann told PW. "We have a great presence in New York. It really came to me when I was a PMA speaker last year. There's so much talent out there. This will extend our reach."
At the same time, Kampmann announced the appointment of Julie Hardison as marketing director. She will work out of the company's distribution center in Kansas City, Kans. In the near future, Kampmann plans to hire two more people for the New York office, where he and company executives Gail Kump and Chris Bell are located.
Kampmann expects Midpoint to have some 200 clients by year's end. One recently signed publisher with bestseller potential is Windsong Press, founded by Raymond Chandler, author of All That Glitters: The Crime and the Cover-Up (Sept.), about the 1993 sexual abuse allegations lodged against Michael Jackson. Chandler is in the midst of a national media tour that included a segment on 20/20. Midpoint has advanced 30,000 copies of the book's 50,000-copy first printing.
