PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

​

"As Director of Sales for Soho Publishing, Lori was our direct contact for print and digital advertising as well as promotional services for Soho's publications and events. Lori worked hard to build creative, mutually profitable programs in a very niche business. Her professional skills and discipline in contact management made it easy to have all of the correct information at hand, which made all of our transactions easy. She was also available to us following the contract and kept our account managed correctly from the Soho side. I've worked with several advertising sales people in my career and Lori shines above them all." Linda Pratt, Independent Marketing, Social Media and Design Consultant

​

"I have known Lori for many years as a professional salesperson for both books, and then for consumer magazine advertising. Lori is organized, thorough, and has excellent follow-through. She's personable and likeable and goes out of her way to develop meaningful relationships with her clients. Lori is an experienced sales professional with an excellent track record." Trisha Malcolm, Editor in Chief, Vogue Knitting Magazine

 

"Lori is extraordinarily detailed, aggressive and driven. A self motivated manager that drove our sales force to significant increases. Strongly recommended for any management position." David Morgenstern, Vice President, Sales, Madame Alexander Doll Company

​

 "I can honestly say that it is because of Lori that the account grew from one where I only carried two or three items to within a year or so  one that I was reordering not only older established titles however working with her to develop new titles for each season.  Lori strongly represents the items that  she is selling however at the same time she listens and is great a working with you as a buyer whether its product packaging or delivery times. I attribute a lot of her success to a few attributes-  

1. She is a great communicator and has an easy-going manner that makes it easy to work with her.

2. She is reliable. If she has made a promise to a customer or needs to follow up on a detail she will absolutely do it- no question. Lori often answered question late in the evening to make sure that she would get whatever I needed to me as soon as possible.

3.  She is very self -motivated and acts with a lot of positive energy.  Her energy is contagious.

It is my belief that she would be effective with a large group of people because of these three key factors.  Working at BN as a buyer for many years I have seen a large number of sales reps come and go. Lori was one of my favorite reps to work with. She was prepared and responsive to whatever I needed and in turn the sales for her account more than tripled with a year.  She often brought  new product ideas to the table based on items that had worked for me in the past. If my company had an opening for a sales director I would  happily reach out to Lori to see if she was interested" Rage Kindeslperger, Buyer, Barnes & Noble

​

"Lori is a highly effective and experienced sales director, who provides genuine leadership in areas such as product/budget development, client relationships, and overall business strategy. She is a pleasure to work with!"  Alan Carr, Art Director, Mud Puddle Inc.

 

"Lori & I worked together at two different companies. She is thoughtful in her approach to clients, well-organized, determined, honest, and persevering. At the last company where we worked together, I can say without hesitation that it was because of her that the company not only continued to stay in business, but thrived. I recommend her without any reservations. Any company would be lucky to have her on their team!" Bill Rose, Production Director, Mud Puddle Inc.

 

"Lori was my contact at Mud Puddle Inc, one of the publishers I represent as a foreign rights agent. Lori was always incredibly efficient and quick in her responses, and followed through on actions and paperwork with accuracy and precision. I also appreciated Lori's flexibility and open approach to business, which enabled deals to work well, despite a tough economic parameters."  Rachel Pidcock, International Rights Consultant, Capricorn International Rights Agency

 

“Lori is professional and detailed in her relationships with her customers. Above all she builds trust in her relationships thru honesty and represents her company with integrity. I would recommend Lori as a person who knows how to grow customer partnerships by emphasizing the win win relationship”.  Jason Chudnofsky, Chief Operating Officer, World Publications

​

"I cannot say enough good things about working with Lori. I was a freelance packager with both Sterling and Mud Puddle so I did not work with Lori on a daily basis but during all of our projects she was the most motivated of the group; her personality is inspiring, so from my perspective, she is a born leader; and I never misunderstood anything that she was working on or trying to accomplish and we never had any trouble communicating.

 

My association with her sales ability was her placement of our book titles and they were everywhere from the expected Barnes & Noble to the more nontraditional booksellers. She believed in us and we believed in her and I can say honestly that it was great to be on her team and an honor to both work with and know her." Jo Packham, President and Publisher, Chappelle Publishing and Where Women Create

 

“Lori was my Director of Special Sales at Sterling. I will always recall that it was with great disappointment when she left to explore brighter horizons.  She worked her way up the ladder from sales person to one that ran the entire Special Sales department. 

 

She had a wonderful personality that made her a favorite with all her clients.  Regarding her work ethic, I cannot say enough about the way she devoted herself to her job, and making sure that whatever deal she put together, benefited not only our company, but the client as well.

Our department when she left consisted of ten others on her sales staff.  She also was in charge of our outside Special Sales reps which probably numbered around 150-200.  One of Lori's strengths was when she was on the road with the reps, learning from them, teaching them our philosophy, and finalizing deals with a client in person, along with the rep.  Lori thought on her feet, and loved the challenge of finding a solution to any issue, weather with a sales associate, rep or client. She was constantly coming up with new ideas on how to improve, and make something that was working, even better." Martin Schamus, Senior Vice President, Special Sales, Sterling Publishing Company Inc.

 

“Lori was my first boss in publishing and she gave me the best possible start to a publishing career. I was her assistant and she always treated me with respect and kindness plus she was a wonderful and willing teacher! She was highly respected by her sales reps, buyers and colleagues. I value everything Lori has taught me - especially her always positive approach to challenges!”  Meghan O’Brien, Assistant Manager, Special Sales, Sterling Publishing Company Inc.

 

“Lori was always very professional, knowledgeable and effective as a sales manager. She effortlessly managed many top accounts and has a natural ability to sell. Lori's incredible personality helped to create a very positive, motivating work environment. She has an impressive work ethic and consistently brought in new business.”  Luisa Esposito, Account Executive, Sterling Publishing Company Inc.

 

“I worked for Lori at Watson Guptill Publications. She's smart, and tireless in building her special sales business. Her accounts love her, and her relationship-based selling is just as strong as her new business development.  Her management style is tough, but fair, and any hard working sales person can learn a lot from Lori.”  Annie Blake, Special Sales Manager, Watson-Guptill Publications

 

“I worked for Lori in, what was, my first job in the publishing industry. In the time we worked together, Lori was not only a great manager but also a great teacher. Lori clearly loves what she does, and possesses an incredible knowledge of the sales and marketing process as it pertains to publishing. She seems to have endless contacts and sales leads and, more often than not, she was able to close the deal on which we were working. Although I am no longer involved in publishing, I still find myself using skills I learned from Lori while at Newmarket Press.” Michael Goldman, Sales Coordinator, Newmarket Press

 

“I had the good fortune of working with Lori while I was the Senior Buyer for Books at Michaels. Lori's thorough knowledge of not only publishing but also retail sales was invaluable to me. She served my business on many levels: she recommended best selling titles, worked with me and my team collaboratively to create and execute proprietary craft books and she provided exemplary customer service.”  Michele Orr, Senior Buyer for Books, Michaels

 

“I always loved working with Lori. When she managed my account at Girl Scouts, she always had imaginative and unique ideas for products and their corresponding programs. She was and continues to be a person of the highest integrity who will do anything and everything to deliver her product on time and of the best quality. She would be an asset to any organization lucky enough to hire her.”  Mindi Rosenthal, Merchandising & Buying Manager, Girl Scouts of the USA

 

“I worked with Lori when she was Sales Manager at Sterling Publishing. She was an excellent manager, who taught our group and worked with each sales rep to help them achieve their goals. I enjoyed our business relationship and recommend her highly for any sales or sales management position.”  Barbara Toback, Sales Manager, One Coast Representatives

 

“A first-rate sales professional, marketing strategist, and publishing expert, Lori has been instrumental in boosting sales of my books in specialty markets. Despite the fact that Sterling Publishing juggled hundreds of authors per season, Lori made me feel that my books were the only ones in their catalog. When you mix sales expertise with loyalty and a great personality, you have a powerful combination and a standout in the industry. I wholeheartedly recommend Lori to any publishing company.”  Robert Mandelberg, Author, Sterling Publishing Company Inc.

 

“As one of the top-selling authors at Watson-Guptill publications, it was very important for me to see results in the special sales division, which could greatly increase overall royalties. I worked with Lori on many occasions, and found her to be tireless - and equally important - tactful - in her persistent approach to the buyers. Anytime I had a suggestion for her, I found that she had already capitalized on the opportunity, one step ahead of my idea. In addition, she kept me informed of her progress, and valued my input as to which book titles would be best for which buyers. She would be an asset to any company.”  Christopher Hart, Author, Watson-Guptill Publications

 

“Lori Horak was the Director of Special Sales at Watson Guptill Publications during the release of my three books. She worked tirelessly to get my books into specialty retailers, constantly thinking of new retail avenues. She even managed to get us into the top craft chains, including Michaels, which was a huge piece of business. Throughout, she showed incredible support and enthusiasm for my books. It was so wonderful to have her on my side.”  Jonathan Fong, Author, Watson-Guptill Publications

 

“Lori is one of the rare people that does exactly what she promises, and much more. She followed through with what I asked each time I worked with her, and she gave me extra information that helped me, and looked out for me and saw other things I needed to handle before I knew they existed.”  Margie Deeb, Author, Watson-Guptill Publications

 

“Lori and I worked on my second book project together when she was at Watson Guptill. I have never worked with a more dedicated, friendly and knowledgeable person. She helped make that book a best seller in it's channel. To this day she is still available to me for advise and support through the friendship we fostered when working together. I could not recommend her more highly. She truly know the publishing business.”  Michael Grecco, Author, Watson-Guptill Publications