PubU | ECPA

Unlocking Growth with Special Markets

In this dynamic session, veteran Sales Director, Cheryl Kerwin, explores ways to grow sales in new areas. Her particular emphasis will be on developing and growing sales through the library market channel which is often underdeveloped with Christian publishers. Many of the principles she will teach can be applied to other special market sales channels as well.

Cheryl Kerwin

Cheryl Kerwin has been working in various areas of the Christian Retail industry for over 40 years, starting as a customer service rep in a Christian bookstore, to a promotions manager with a retail marketing group, to a Senior Marketing Manager and now Sales Channel Director at one of the most respected Christian publishers in the industry. Cheryl’s career started in 1985 when she was hired at one of the largest and most honored Christian bookstores in the country. This training Cheryl received instilled a “striving for excellence” principle that she has taken into each and every job since then. During her 16+ years of retail experience she specialized in employee development, vendor relations, product knowledge (books, music and kids), promotions and merchandising. The knowledge acquired during her years in retail has given her a unique perspective of how to get a product into the consumer’s hands. During her 20+ years at Tyndale House Publishers she’s been a part of one of the most innovative sales and marketing teams in the industry having marketed many New York Times bestselling titles like the Left Behind series and Joel C. Rosenberg and authors Francine Rivers, Chuck Norris, Karen Kingsbury and Phil Vischer. Being on the Sales team has given her a well-rounded knowledge of publishing and getting product into the hands of consumers. The Sales Rep team Cheryl manages benefit from the years of management training she has received and are among some of the most respected Sales Reps in the industry.

Expanding Your Global Reach

International Sales can feel mysterious and challenging to many of us. Smaller publishers don’t have the budget to send reps overseas and larger publishers often work through their secular parent companies to access these markets. International Sales leader and pioneer, Peter Cerra, will help us see that there are lots of opportunity for growth in these markets as we learn to appreciate their needs and cultural realities.

J. Peter Cerra

J. Peter Cerra serves as the Senior Director of International Publishing and Sales at Tyndale House Publishers. A seasoned veteran of the Christian publishing industry, he brings over 35 years of diverse experience to his role, having held positions in inventory management, licensing, international marketing, and sales. Throughout his career, Peter has developed a deep expertise in international sales and global partnerships. He is driven by a passion for collaborating with customers around the world to facilitate the distribution of Christian books and Bibles, ultimately seeking to see lives transformed through faith-based literature.

The Salesperson’s Journey

Every sales career is a journey, and each stop changes the way we see customers, organizations, and ourselves. Drawing from his experience moving from large publishing houses to a smaller independent publisher, Dan Van Gorp will share the successes, surprises, and business lessons that shaped his approach to sales. This interactive conversation will examine the differences in resources, culture, speed, relationships, and expectations across organizations of different sizes. Participants will be invited to share their own experiences and identify practical ideas for building stronger partnerships, serving customers well, and succeeding wherever their journey takes them.

Dan Van Gorp

Dan Van Gorp is Director of Sales at Kregel Publications and has more than two decades of experience in serving the Christian publishing and bookselling community. His career has included senior sales leadership roles with HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Penguin Random House, where he worked closely with retailers, distributors, authors, and ministry partners. Dan values the relationships at the heart of Christian bookselling and is passionate about ensuring meaningful books reach the readers who need them. He and his wife, Jani, have been married for more than 30 years and have four children. Outside of work, Dan enjoys traveling with his family, officiating basketball, and staying actively involved in his church and community.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Sales People

Drawing from years of experience, lots of reading and many bumps in the road, Dave Almack, will present seven key traits of effective sales people. Building on those traits, he will highlight seven key habits that reinforce and sustain these traits. Interestingly, these are not dependent on personality dimensions like introversion or extraversion, and can be developed in every person who desires to succeed in sales.

Dave Almack

Dave Almack is an experienced and innovative leader in the Christian publishing and retail industry. He is the current Director of Sales, Marketing and Acquisitions for P&R Publishing in Phillipsburg, NJ and was previously the National Director for CLC USA and Publisher for CLC Publications for over twenty years. His time in CLC included oversight of their US based Christian retail stores and management of a store in Philadelphia whose sales quadrupled in a six-year time frame. He is also the Director of the Academy of Christian Editors, an avid reader and a fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs Football team in the Premier League.

Embracing Change

A Panel Discussion: In this session, Dave, Cheryl, Dan, Mark and Peter will tackle the reality that sales involves constant change and innovation. Customers, markets, distribution channels, books and authors change all the time and we have to adapt. Drawing from lessons learned from some of the most significant changes that have already taken place in our industry, this panel will explore what is coming next and how we need to pivot and grow in the years to come.

Panel: Cheryl Kerwin, Peter Cerra, Dan Van Gorp, Dave Almack

Cheryl Kerwin

Cheryl Kerwin has been working in various areas of the Christian Retail industry for over 40 years, starting as a customer service rep in a Christian bookstore, to a promotions manager with a retail marketing group, to a Senior Marketing Manager and now Sales Channel Director at one of the most respected Christian publishers in the industry. Cheryl’s career started in 1985 when she was hired at one of the largest and most honored Christian bookstores in the country. This training Cheryl received instilled a “striving for excellence” principle that she has taken into each and every job since then. During her 16+ years of retail experience she specialized in employee development, vendor relations, product knowledge (books, music and kids), promotions and merchandising. The knowledge acquired during her years in retail has given her a unique perspective of how to get a product into the consumer’s hands. During her 20+ years at Tyndale House Publishers she’s been a part of one of the most innovative sales and marketing teams in the industry having marketed many New York Times bestselling titles like the Left Behind series and Joel C. Rosenberg and authors Francine Rivers, Chuck Norris, Karen Kingsbury and Phil Vischer. Being on the Sales team has given her a well-rounded knowledge of publishing and getting product into the hands of consumers. The Sales Rep team Cheryl manages benefit from the years of management training she has received and are among some of the most respected Sales Reps in the industry.

Peter Cerra

Peter Cerra serves as the Senior Director of International Publishing and Sales at Tyndale House Publishers. A seasoned veteran of the Christian publishing industry, he brings over 35 years of diverse experience to his role, having held positions in inventory management, licensing, international marketing, and sales. Throughout his career, Peter has developed a deep expertise in international sales and global partnerships. He is driven by a passion for collaborating with customers around the world to facilitate the distribution of Christian books and Bibles, ultimately seeking to see lives transformed through faith-based literature.

Dan Van Gorp

Dan Van Gorp is Director of Sales at Kregel Publications and has more than two decades of experience in serving the Christian publishing and bookselling community. His career has included senior sales leadership roles with HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Penguin Random House, where he worked closely with retailers, distributors, authors, and ministry partners. Dan values the relationships at the heart of Christian bookselling and is passionate about ensuring meaningful books reach the readers who need them. He and his wife, Jani, have been married for more than 30 years and have four children. Outside of work, Dan enjoys traveling with his family, officiating basketball, and staying actively involved in his church and community.

Dave Almack

Dave Almack is an experienced and innovative leader in the Christian publishing and retail industry. He is the current Director of Sales, Marketing and Acquisitions for P&R Publishing in Phillipsburg, NJ and was previously the National Director for CLC USA and Publisher for CLC Publications for over twenty years. His time in CLC included oversight of their US based Christian retail stores and management of a store in Philadelphia whose sales quadrupled in a six-year time frame. He is also the Director of the Academy of Christian Editors, an avid reader and a fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs Football team in the Premier League.

Pivoting for Progress

In this highly impactful session, Mark Warner, will explore one of the most important questions we face in sales. How do we know when to change course in the face of uncertainty or even setbacks? This is not easy to do and may of get set in our ways and keep doing things “because we have always done them that way”. In a world that is changing faster than we might imagine, learning to pivot is an essential skill that we must develop.

Mark Warner

Mark Warner is VP of Business Development and Operations with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Mark has worked in publishing for nearly 22 years, including several roles at HCCP focused on sales, corporate integration, business strategy/turnaround, plus working 3.5 years as Publisher for Christian Audio/RB Media before returning to HCCP in early 2024. Mark specializes in finding growth via new business opportunities and helping challenged businesses improve. He is an avid reader and received his BA from Spring Arbor University, MA from Regent University, and lives outside of Nashville with his wife of 29 years and three sons.