Norman Lidofsky will retire at the end of 2014 from his position as Penguin Group USA's president, director of paperback sales. In a staff memo yesterday, Penguin Random House U.S. president and COO Madeline McIntosh praised Lidofsky as "a generous and thoughtful colleague, an inspiring leader, and above all--a consummate salesman working unceasingly in support of Penguin's books, authors, and publishers."
Lidofsky "has led the way in building the trade paperback program into an industry force," she added. "He has helped to keep Penguin Classics vibrant, sustaining its presence as one of the most trusted and recognized sources of classic literature in the world.... He has helped Plume come into its own.... And he was instrumental in the birth of Riverhead Books 20 years ago. Penguin Random House would not be the company it is today without Norman's 32 years of sales leadership, book passion, and dedication."
