For Immediate Release:
Obituary: Sally Dedecker Dies at 62
Publishing Consultant, Book Expo Director of Education, BISG Board Member
CATSKILL, NY - November 7, 2017. Longtime industry executive Sally Dedecker died peacefully Monday evening, after a bout with cancer. She was 62. Known most recently as Book Expo’s Director of Education, she ran her own consulting company Sally Dedecker Enterprises since 1993. Prior to this she was Vice-President of Marketing at Ingram Book Group, Vice-President of Sales at Simon & Schuster, and Trade Sales Manager at NAL. A graduate of Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, Sally Dedecker began her publishing career right out of college as an assistant to the head of ACE Books, Tom Doherty, and worked her way up to sales management there.
In September, Sally Dedecker was honored at the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) Annual Meeting with a Lifetime Service Award in recognition of her “tireless and persistent efforts” as a board member for 22 years.
In presenting the award, former BISG chair Dominique Raccah (Sourcebooks) noted, “As we continue to reinvent BISG, there's no better example of what our core values mean in practice than Sally Dedecker. For more than half of the time that BISG has been serving the industry, Sally has been serving BISG.”
Current BISG chair Maureen McMahon added, “If I had to describe Sally Dedecker in one word, it would be 'unstoppable.' Her combination of industry knowledge, energetic problem solving, and generous friendship put her at the top of the list of colleagues we turn to for advice – or when we just need a dose of Sally's no-holds-barred candor. You can always count on Sally to tell it like it is.”
“Sally was a mentor, champion and friend to many in the book industry. She was one of the people who wore many hats and anchored the industry in uncountable ways,” said Seth Gershel, an independent publishing consultant who knew Sally Dedecker since her early days in the publishing industry when she was at ACE books and who also worked with her recently on Book Expo educational programming.
She is survived by a brother, George Dedecker.
Plans, including those for a memorial service, will be shared at a later time.
Contact:
Susannah Greenberg,
Susannah Greenberg Public Relations
Phone: (646) 801-7477
Email: publicity@bookbuzz.com
In September 2017, Sally Dedecker was presented a lifetime achievement award by the Book Industry Study Group:
In 1999, Sally Dedecker moderated A Bookexpo America panel on the future of bookselling in the next millennium, captured on video by C-SPAN:
PHOTOS OF SALLY DEDECKER:
Color photo from LinkedIn, photographer unknown.
B&W photo by Susannah Greenberg.
Capture of video still from BookTV and C-SPAN, 1999.
Capture of video still from BookTV and C-SPAN, 1999.
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| Sally Dedecker presiding at a panel at Bookexpo in 1999, via BookTV and C-SPAN. |
OBITUARIES:
Shelf Awareness:
Obituary Note: Sally Dedecker
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/theshelf/2017-11-08/obituary_note:_sally_dedecker.html
Very sad news: Sally Dedecker, who worked in sales and marketing for several publishers, ran her own consulting company and was head of education for BookExpo, died on Monday. She was 62 and had lung cancer.
For more than 20 years, Sally was also a board member of the Book Industry Study Group, which in September gave her a Lifetime Service Award. In presenting the award, former BISG chair Dominique Raccah of Sourcebooks said, "As we continue to reinvent BISG, there's no better example of what our core values mean in practice than Sally Dedecker. For more than half of the time that BISG has been serving the industry, Sally has been serving BISG."
For many years, she was president of Sally Dedecker Enterprises, a publishing consulting firm that she founded in 1993. In 2011, she was named director of education for BookExpo. She had earlier been v-p of marketing at Ingram, v-p of sales and distribution services at Simon & Schuster, and trade sales manager at New American Library.
We remember Sally as sharp, quick-thinking and with a great sense of humor. We'll miss her.
Publishers Weekly:
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/theshelf/2017-11-08/obituary_note:_sally_dedecker.html
Very sad news: Sally Dedecker, who worked in sales and marketing for several publishers, ran her own consulting company and was head of education for BookExpo, died on Monday. She was 62 and had lung cancer.
For more than 20 years, Sally was also a board member of the Book Industry Study Group, which in September gave her a Lifetime Service Award. In presenting the award, former BISG chair Dominique Raccah of Sourcebooks said, "As we continue to reinvent BISG, there's no better example of what our core values mean in practice than Sally Dedecker. For more than half of the time that BISG has been serving the industry, Sally has been serving BISG."
For many years, she was president of Sally Dedecker Enterprises, a publishing consulting firm that she founded in 1993. In 2011, she was named director of education for BookExpo. She had earlier been v-p of marketing at Ingram, v-p of sales and distribution services at Simon & Schuster, and trade sales manager at New American Library.
We remember Sally as sharp, quick-thinking and with a great sense of humor. We'll miss her.
Publishers Weekly:
Obituary: Sally Dedecker https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/Obituary/article/75318-obituary-sally-dedecker-62.html
Obituary
Longtime industry executive Sally Dedecker died peacefully Monday evening after losing her long-fought battle with cancer. She ran her own consulting company, Sally Dedecker Enterprises, since 1993, and was honored at the recent Book Industry Study Group (BISG) annual meeting with a Lifetime Service Award in recognition of her 'tireless and persistent efforts' as a board member for 22 years. Since 2011 Dedecker also served as Book Expo's Director of Education. She began her publishing career as an assistant to the head of ACE Books, Tom Doherty, and served as an executive at Ingram Book Group, Simon & Schuster, and NAL. An obituary remembers her as "a mentor, champion and friend to many in the book industry." Plans, including those for a memorial service, will be shared at a later time.
Bookselling This Week / The American Booksellers Association:
http://www.bookweb.org/news/obituary-sally-dedecker-102236
Sally Dedecker, a longtime figure in the book industry, died from cancer at age 62 on Monday, November 6. She is survived by her brother, George Dedecker.
Obituary/ Prayer Service in Catskill, NY on Thursday, November 16, 2017 http://www.millspaughcamerato.com/obituary/Sally-Anne-Dedecker/Catskill-New-York/1763119
Obituary: Sally Dedecker
Publishing Executive
CATSKILL, NY - November 7, 2017. Longtime local Catskill resident Sally Dedecker died peacefully Monday evening, after a bout with cancer. She was 62. Known most recently as Book Expo’s Director of Education, she ran her own consulting company Sally Dedecker Enterprises since 1993. Prior to this she was Vice-President of Marketing at Ingram Book Group, Vice-President of Sales at Simon & Schuster, and Trade Sales Manager at NAL. A graduate of MacArthur High School in Levittown NY and Hofstra University. New York, Sally Dedecker began her publishing career right out of college as an assistant to the head of ACE Books, and worked her way up to sales management there.
In September, Sally Dedecker was honored at the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) Annual Meeting with a Lifetime Service Award in recognition of her “tireless and persistent efforts” as a board member for 22 years.
She was predeceased by her partner Mike Reed and is survived by a brother, George Dedecker and his wife Pamela.
Family and friends will gather on Thursday, Nov. 16th from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Millspaugh Camerato Funeral Home, 139 Jefferson Hgts., Catskill. A prayer service will be conducted by Sister Mary Mazza at 4:30 p.m.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to lungcanceralliance.org
FROM THE SOURCEBOOKS BLOG by Dominique Raccah:
"Remembering Sally Dedecker"
https://www.sourcebooks.com/blog/remembering-sally-dedecker
FROM THE INDEPENDENT BOOK PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION:
http://www.ibpa-online.org/news/373898/Obituary-Sally-Dedecker.htm
FROM HUDSON VALLEY 360:
https://www.hudsonvalley360.com/article/sally-dedecker
FROM THE BOOK INDUSTRY STUDY GROUP:
A Recap of the Memorial Service on February 1, 2018
Written by Charlotte Abbott
A Woman of Valor: Celebrating Sally Dedecker - Book Industry Study Group
Sally Dedecker, who formed Sally Dedecker Enterprises in 1993 after working at NAL, Simon & Schuster and Ingram, died on November 6 after battling cancer. She was 62.
Photo: LinkedIn/Sally Dedecker
One of Dedecker's most recent roles as part of her consulting service was director of education for BookExpo, in which she oversaw the conference program. After graduating from Hofstra, Dedecker served as trade sales amanger at NAL, v-p of sales and S&S, and v-p or marketing at Ingram.
Dedecker was also a long-serving board member at the Book Industry Study Group. At its annual meeting in September, BISG presented Dedecker with the Lifetime Service Award, which is given to an individual for their efforts, often unseen, on behalf of the Book Industry Study Group. In presenting the award, former BISG chair Dominique Raccah and Sourcebooks founder, noted, “As we continue to reinvent BISG, there's no better example of what our core values mean in practice than Sally Dedecker. For more than half of the time that BISG has been serving the industry, Sally has been serving BISG.”
Publishers Lunch:
Longtime industry executive Sally Dedecker died peacefully Monday evening after losing her long-fought battle with cancer. She ran her own consulting company, Sally Dedecker Enterprises, since 1993, and was honored at the recent Book Industry Study Group (BISG) annual meeting with a Lifetime Service Award in recognition of her 'tireless and persistent efforts' as a board member for 22 years. Since 2011 Dedecker also served as Book Expo's Director of Education. She began her publishing career as an assistant to the head of ACE Books, Tom Doherty, and served as an executive at Ingram Book Group, Simon & Schuster, and NAL. An obituary remembers her as "a mentor, champion and friend to many in the book industry." Plans, including those for a memorial service, will be shared at a later time.
Bookselling This Week / The American Booksellers Association:
http://www.bookweb.org/news/obituary-sally-dedecker-102236
Obituary: Sally Dedecker
Sally Dedecker, a longtime figure in the book industry, died from cancer at age 62 on Monday, November 6. She is survived by her brother, George Dedecker.
Dedecker recently worked as BookExpo’s director of education and ran her own consulting company, Sally Dedecker Enterprises. She previously served as vice president of marketing for Ingram Book Group, vice president of sales for Simon & Schuster, and trade sales manager for NAL. A graduate of Hofstra University, Dedecker began her publishing career as an assistant to the head of ACE Books.
In September, Dedecker, who served on the board of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) for 22 years, was given the Lifetime Service Award at the BISG annual meeting. Dominique Raccah, former BISG chair and publisher and CEO of Sourcebooks, said when presenting the award, “As we continue to reinvent BISG, there’s no better example of what our core values mean in practice than Sally Dedecker. For more than half of the time that BISG has been serving the industry, Sally has been serving BISG.”
Current BISG chair Maureen McMahon also noted during the meeting, “If I had to describe Sally Dedecker in one word, it would be ‘unstoppable.’ Her combination of industry knowledge, energetic problem-solving, and generous friendship put her at the top of the list of colleagues we turn to for advice — or when we just need a dose of Sally’s no-holds-barred candor. You can always count on Sally to tell it like it is.”
The family has asked that donations be made to the Lung Cancer Alliance.
Obituary/ Prayer Service in Catskill, NY on Thursday, November 16, 2017 http://www.millspaughcamerato.com/obituary/Sally-Anne-Dedecker/Catskill-New-York/1763119
Obituary: Sally Dedecker
Publishing Executive
CATSKILL, NY - November 7, 2017. Longtime local Catskill resident Sally Dedecker died peacefully Monday evening, after a bout with cancer. She was 62. Known most recently as Book Expo’s Director of Education, she ran her own consulting company Sally Dedecker Enterprises since 1993. Prior to this she was Vice-President of Marketing at Ingram Book Group, Vice-President of Sales at Simon & Schuster, and Trade Sales Manager at NAL. A graduate of MacArthur High School in Levittown NY and Hofstra University. New York, Sally Dedecker began her publishing career right out of college as an assistant to the head of ACE Books, and worked her way up to sales management there.
In September, Sally Dedecker was honored at the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) Annual Meeting with a Lifetime Service Award in recognition of her “tireless and persistent efforts” as a board member for 22 years.
She was predeceased by her partner Mike Reed and is survived by a brother, George Dedecker and his wife Pamela.
Family and friends will gather on Thursday, Nov. 16th from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Millspaugh Camerato Funeral Home, 139 Jefferson Hgts., Catskill. A prayer service will be conducted by Sister Mary Mazza at 4:30 p.m.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to lungcanceralliance.org
FROM THE SOURCEBOOKS BLOG by Dominique Raccah:
"Remembering Sally Dedecker"
https://www.sourcebooks.com/blog/remembering-sally-dedecker
FROM THE INDEPENDENT BOOK PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION:
http://www.ibpa-online.org/news/373898/Obituary-Sally-Dedecker.htm
FROM HUDSON VALLEY 360:
https://www.hudsonvalley360.com/article/sally-dedecker
FROM THE BOOK INDUSTRY STUDY GROUP:
A Recap of the Memorial Service on February 1, 2018
Written by Charlotte Abbott
A Woman of Valor: Celebrating Sally Dedecker - Book Industry Study Group
A Woman of Valor: Celebrating Sally Dedecker
by Charlotte Abbott
 Friends and colleagues of longtime Book Industry Study Group board member Sally Dedecker gathered on February 1, 2018 to warmly rekindle her spirit, at an event organized by her friends Dominique Raccah and Carol Fitzgerald and hosted by her Book Expo colleagues Andrew Esposito and Brien McDonald.
More than 30 industry influencers from the American Booksellers Association, Book Industry Study Group, Bowker, Overdrive, Publishers Marketplace, Publishers Weekly and other organizations joined Sally’s brother and sister-in-law and several close friends in the cozy wood-lined wine reserve at The Black Barn in New York City. Their remembrances encompassed Sally’s years as a Book Industry Study Group board member, as Book Expo’s Director of Programming, and as a strategic consultant to publishers, as well as her roots in bookselling and in sales marketing at NAL, Simon & Schuster and Ingram.
Many saluted the depth of Sally’s book industry knowledge and the breadth of her rolodex, her skill and dedication as a problem-solver, and the joy she found in bringing people together and in driving initiatives forward. Yet as people kept stepping up to speak, what became even more salient was the wide range of men and women who deeply cherished Sally as a funny, blunt and wise friend, who was always ready for a laugh, and could always put her finger on what mattered most.
American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher praised Sally for her ability to step forward when conversations became tense, and to create a bridge that enabled everyone at the table to come to an understanding. “When anyone needed someone to get something done, Sally was that go-to person. She knew everyone, and always knew the right person to call at the right time. She was extraordinary, and we’ll miss her a lot.”
Sally’s brother George Dedecker emphasized how surprised and overwhelmed his sister had been when BISG awarded her a Lifetime Service Award in 2017 for her “tireless and persistent” and “often unseen” efforts for 22 years.
“We wanted to thank her for her incredible contributions,” responded Sourcebooks CEO Dominique Raccah, who originally approached BISG Director Brian O’Leary about the award. “You would leave a meeting with her and have an incredibly long list of deliverables and no idea how you got that list. She was always creating something so much larger than you envisioned at the outset.” O’Leary acknowledged that it hadn’t been easy to surprise Sally with the award, since she always had her ear to the ground. Yet “the chance to recognize someone who truly gave to BISG makes my job worthwhile. We wouldn’t be the organization we are today without Sally,” he said.
Carol Fitzgerald, founder of TheBookReportNetwork.com, who served with Sally as a Book Expo advisory board member, marveled at the fine balance of empathy, toughness and support Sally offered her friends and colleagues, and her habit of putting others first. “She would tell me when an idea was not solid. She would come back to me with suggestions, even months later as a project evolved. She would cheer accomplishments and send lovely notes,” Fitzgerald said. Even during Sally’s final illness, “her goal was to get to medical appointments without dropping a call.”
Other speakers, including Overdrive business development executive Steven Rosato, independent consultant Seth Gershel, and IDPF conference organizer Wendy Erman Wels, elaborated on the idea that Sally’s open ear, big heart and high standards “made us better people.”
Independent book publicist Susannah Greenberg, who knew Sally for 30 years, spoke of a visit last summer to Sally’s house in Catskill, NY, where she had been living alone since the 2014 death of Mike Reed, her husband of 27 years. “She lived in a idyllic place. We sat on her front porch and she didn’t talk about her illness. We talked about the flowers, the weather and the trees.”
Sally’s longtime BISG colleague Peter Balis -- who bonded with Sally over their shared frustration with a Catskills grocery store they both frequented -- saluted Sally with a reading from the Book of Proverbs, verse 31. “Translated it means a Woman of Valor or a Woman of Strength,” Balis said. “In many Jewish families, we read these words when a great woman leaves our lives.”
A Woman of Valor
A good woman, so hard to find
She is more precious than rubies
Her circle cast with friendships deep,
Full of love and graceful ease–
She is a woman of valor.
She opens her hands to the poor
She does not fear the other,
Extends her heart to those in need,
Encourages her friends to succeed–
She is a woman of valor.
Praise her, love her, hold her with your eyes
Be the safety that she needs to unlock all that she can be
And let her goodness rise.
Credit is hers for the fruit of her labors
Optimism is her might;
Surrenders to God, she does not despair
Knows how to wrap you in her care–
She is a woman of valor.
Trust in her with your secret fears
Know that she'll hold you gently;
When she speaks wisdom's spread around
Her depth of compassion, so profound–
She is a woman of valor.
She counts herself vital in the world
And revels in its wonders;
In others she sees the Divine,
Holds on dearly to her lifeline
She is a woman of valor.
Amen.
BTW News BriefsBook Industry Gathers at Sally Dedecker Memorial EventFriends and colleagues of Sally Dedecker gathered on Thursday, February 1, at a memorial event in New York City held in remembrance of the longtime Book Industry Study Group (BISG) board member. The event was organized by Sourcebooks founder and CEO Dominique Raccah and The Book Report Network co-founder and President Carol Fitzgerald, and hosted by Dedecker’s BookExpo colleagues Andrew Esposito and Brien McDonald. According to BISG, more than 30 industry influencers from such companies as the American Booksellers Association, BISG, Bowker, Overdrive, Publishers Marketplace, Publishers Weekly, and more joined Dedecker’s family for the occasion at The Black Barn restaurant. In addition to her role as a board member of BISG, Dedecker had also served as BookExpo’s director of programming and as a strategic consultant to publishers. She also had roots in bookselling and in sales and marketing at NAL, Simon & Schuster, and Ingram. American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher was one of many who spoke at the event. Said Teicher, “When anyone needed someone to get something done, Sally was that go-to person. She knew everyone, and always knew the right person to call at the right time. She was extraordinary, and we’ll miss her a lot.” February 1, 2018
Reblogged from BTW - Bookselling This Week News Briefs - A publication of the American Booksellers Association
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Sally Dedecker was a good friend and wise book publishing advisor to me and to so many of us. I will miss her. My sympathies to all her friends and family.
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