Rowman & Littlefield hires Ganster after sales boost

Academic and trade independent publisher Rowman & Littlefield has made a key appointment in the US following double digit growth in Europe and Asia.

The publisher has hired former editor-in-chief at Cengage Learning, Linda Ganster, as editorial director of its academic and professional division in the US. Ganster, who has also been a publisher at McGraw Hill, will bring "terrific new leadership to our editorial team when she joins us in September”, Oliver Gadsby, president of the company’s academic and professional division and chief executive of Rowman & Littlefield International, said.

The publisher has seen double-digit growth in sales outside the US between the months of January to July 2016, up over 100% compared with the same period in 2015, Gadsby said, although he declined to give the value figure. The boost has been led by the international sales and marketing team based in London, and the sales increases have been notable in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands and China.  

Rowman & Littlefield International (RLI), established in 2013 and based in London, is publishing over 130 titles this year. In addition, RLI has brokered "some great publishing relationships with think tanks in London and Brussels", adding to its output, Gadsby said, highlighting stand out titles Just Food, Making Sense of Heidegger and Critical Perspectives on Social Media and Protest amongst those driving its growth.

The publisher has historically focused its efforts on sales in North America, but "the picture has changed over the past five years [and] there’s now a concerted focus on global growth, with the sales relationships and marketing effort to back it up", Gadsby, told The Bookseller. “It’s a very exciting time in our business, both in the US and globally", he said. "Under the leadership of group president and c.e.o., Jed Lyons, the company has made some key commitments to international markets, and we’re now enjoying the fruits of that work."

In 2017, the RLI list is set to grow further and the editorial group is expected to expand. “In my US role, I’m encouraging the American editors to look beyond North America in their recruitment of authors, and their sense of market, and I’m sure that will help our presence develop," Gadsby said.