Dallas Manderson, former sales director at Arlington Books, Century Hutchinson, Random Century and Orion Publishing Group, has died, the Bookseller reported. He was 66. Manderson was also a trustee of the Desmond Elliott Prize.
Malcolm Edwards, who was deputy CEO at Orion Publishing Group until 2015, paid tribute to "his kindness, first and foremost, his care for his staff and his polite implacability as a negotiator, which was greatly appreciated by colleagues when fighting off an attempt to change their pension terms." Orion co-founder Anthony Cheetham called him "the very acme of the perfect sales director."
Author Ian Rankin said Manderson defined a "long and lovely era in English publishing," describing his "steel-trap of a mind wrapped in layers of winning eccentricity. His sales conference talks became the stuff of legend, but away from the limelight he was charming, insightful and inspiring, always professional yet always a friend. He will be missed by all who knew him."
Jo Carpenter, former group key account director at Orion Publishing Group, said he was "a hugely charismatic and brilliant sales director uniquely driven by looking after staff, authors and books as much as he was by results."
Noting that she and Manderson were in their early 20s when "a quirk of fate" led to them both working for Desmond Elliott at Arlington Books in 1977, Christine Berry said "Dallas has been the most wonderful colleague and beloved friend. Like so many others whose lives he has touched, I have had the benefit of his care and compassion, enjoyed his wonderful company and seen first-hand the extraordinary qualities that made Dallas such an exceptional individual."