Diana Calice Named Spanish Book Specialist at IPG

by Carmen Cusido -- Críticas, 4/1/2008 8:58:00 AM

Chicago-based Independent Publishers Group (IPG) announced Diana Calice will serve as Spanish Book Specialist. “Working with Spanish-language books is a passion of mine,” says Calice, who is bilingual and was a computer-specialist in “a prior life.” “I think you have to have a certain mindset to work with computers. I find the book world much more fascinating,” Calice says.

Calice has more than five years of experience as a Spanish-language sales representative. Prior to coming to IPG, she worked at Barron’s Educational Series based in Hauppauge, NY, from August 2006 until earlier this year. Prior to that, she was at Borders Group Inc., where she served as the North American buyer of Spanish-language titles. At Baker & Taylor, she was director of the Spanish-language market. Calice will oversee the marketing and sales efforts for all Spanish-language publishers and titles at IPG.

Calice replaces Carolyn Ramirez, who oversaw the Spanish-language publishers and titles since 2002. According to a press release from IPG, she stepped down last month to spend time with her growing family.

Formed in 1971, IPG distributes a wide variety of Spanish-language publishers, including Blume, Combel Editorial, Villegas Editores, and Thule Ediciones. The list features children’s books, original works in Spanish, and bestsellers in translation.

Mexican-American and Michigan native Calice hopes to attract more Spanish-language consumers to IPG by “acquiring books that everyone is interested in and by reaching out to more independent bookstores, libraries, and special sales markets, such as museum gift shops and zoos and letting them know what we have to offer for their specific customers,” she says.