The building process at Oni Press continues with the announcement that industry veteran Spencer Simpson has joined the publisher as Vice President of Sales, where he’ll oversee operations across the Book Market, Direct Market, and Digital platforms. He joins other recent hires, including President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn. And it’s another strong hire: Simpson is a veteran of DC, Boom, and retailer Books a-Million, where he innovated the Fried Pie exclusive program, and he has a wide knowledge of comics publishing and marketing on many levels.
More quotes and BG below, but Simpsons is one of the execs who was laid off from DC back in the March downsizing/reorganization, along with several other well respected executives. At the time insiders were very surprised at the move, because if you’re going to publish comics, you’re probably going to need Director of Sales and Marketing. Anyway, DC’s loss is Oni’s gain — so let’s go to the PR!
“With a track record of exceptional performance at DC Comics, BOOM! Studios, and Books-A-Million, Spencer is one of the most accomplished comics publishing professionals of his generation,” said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. “Spencer’s keen understanding of the comics marketplace has been an instrumental part of some of our industry’s biggest success stories of the modern era – from BRZRKR and Something is Killing the Children to Batman/Fornite and Wonder Woman: Historia – and his considerable talents are a massive boon to our ambitious plans for the future of Oni Press.”
A native of Alabama, Simpson began his publishing career as the Graphic Novel Buyer for the Books-A-Million (BAM!) bookstore chain, growing the company’s extensive business in graphic novels across retail outlets in 32 states and leading its expansion into single issue sales and the founding of the first Fried Pie exclusive program that spotlighted major releases from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and many more.
In 2018, Simpson joined BOOM! Studios as the company’s first head of sales, inaugurating the post of Sales Manager in 2018 before being appointed to the role of Director of Sales in 2020. During his tenure, Simpson spearheaded some of the most high-profile independent comics and graphic novel launches of the 21st century, including James Tynion IV & Werther Dell’Edera’s Something is Killing the Children, Ryan North & Albert Monteys’ acclaimed adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, and BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney – the #1 best-selling independent comics launch of the past 30 years with more than 600,000 units ordered.
Simpson subsequently moved to DC Comics, where he served as Director of Marketing & Sales from 2021 onward and contributed to many of the publisher’s most notable successes in recent years with series including Batman/Fortnite, Beast Boy Loves Raven, The Human Target, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Wonder Woman: Historia, and World’s Finest: Batman/Superman, as well as the best-selling reintroduction of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman to coincide with Netflix’s adaptation of the same series.
“I am elated to be joining the team at Oni Press, a publisher that I’ve followed closely during my time in the comics industry,” said Simpson. “Oni represents a vital and necessary voice in the medium with a fantastic history of seminal and ground-breaking works – from Courtney Crumrin, The Sixth Gun, and Scott Pilgrim through new classics such as Gender Queer, Mooncakes, Sheets, and The Tea Dragon Society. I’ve seen the exciting slate of upcoming releases that the company will be unveiling in the months ahead, and can’t wait to get started on furthering the long and deep-rooted success Oni has established in bookstores, libraries, and comic shops.”