Lakeside Book Company Reshapes Distribution Sales After Baker & Taylor Acquisition
Lakeside Book Company is moving quickly to expand the distribution business it acquired with Baker & Taylor Publishing Services, restructuring its sales teams and pursuing new publisher clients as the market for distribution options narrows. The company says the changes are meant to give publishers a fuller package that combines sales, distribution, and printing services.
Following its purchase last November of Baker & Taylor Publishing Services, Lakeside Book Company has begun reorganizing the distribution business it inherited and is now positioning it for growth. The company, one of the country’s largest book printers, had been watching the market for publisher distribution tighten for several years before acquiring the former library wholesaler’s distribution arm, a move that added a new line of business to Lakeside’s manufacturing operations.
That acquisition has now been followed by a sales restructuring designed to make the distribution operation more competitive. Lakeside has merged sales resources from Dover Publications, the publisher it has long owned, with representatives who previously worked at BTPS, now known internally as Lakeside Book Distribution. The aim, according to distribution veteran Todd McGarity, is to build a single sales force that can sell both Dover titles and the books handled for Lakeside’s distribution clients.
McGarity joined Lakeside in January in a newly created role as senior vice president of business development for the company’s Book Services division. He said the new sales team is led by Jeff Tegge, vice president of client services, and Mark Hillesheim, sales director. Under Hillesheim, the channel managers are Michael Riley for national accounts, Deanna Meyeroff for trade sales, Lorina Lana for special markets, and Randy McKenzie for Christian sales.
The restructuring also changes staffing across the company’s sales network. Two Dover sales representatives will shift to the Lakeside Book sales team, and Dover’s Judy Kessler will represent Lakeside Book clients in the mass merch channel. McGarity said the team now numbers 11, alongside the commission rep groups Imprint Group West, Fujii Associates, and Como Sales, as well as commission groups focused on the gift and Christian markets. No changes have been made so far to Lakeside’s Canadian distribution operations.
The company’s effort comes as publishers continue to look for alternatives in a distribution landscape that has been under pressure. The BTPS acquisition brought Lakeside about 150 distribution clients, and McGarity said the company has added about 12 more publishers in recent months. He described the push as an aggressive effort to win new clients, especially small and medium-sized publishers.
A key part of Lakeside’s pitch is the broader set of services it can offer through the same corporate umbrella. Because the company also provides offset, digital, and POD printing, it can present a distribution prospect with manufacturing options as well as sales support. McGarity said six of the new distribution clients are already using those printing services, suggesting Lakeside is trying to build a more integrated offering than a traditional distributor alone.
McGarity framed the reorganization as the start of a larger expansion effort rather than a one-time adjustment. He said the sales changes are only the beginning of what he called a transformative growth phase at Lakeside Book, arriving at a moment when publishers are actively seeking other distribution choices. For the broader publishing industry, the development is another sign that distribution is becoming more consolidated and that large service providers are trying to bundle more functions to attract publishers looking for stability and flexibility.