an independent company of publishers’ sales representatives.
We represent publishers to trade bookstores and book wholesalers on the East Coast. We’ve cultivated strong relationships with our customers for over fifty years, and our publishers benefit. Our customers trust us to bring them high-quality books from the best publishers.
Como History
In 1966, Jock Moore and Murray Cohen (COhen + MOore = COMO) teamed up to sell books for publishers like Avon and Ballantine. Como was one of the first independent publisher rep companies in the country. The company has changed structure many times throughout the years, the most recent being in 2015 when Maureen Karb took ownership and added 10 additional publishers.
We are proud to be woman-owned and represent several amazing indie publishers. We are even more proud to be recognized for our outstanding service; Como Reps have been nominated for Publishers’ Weekly Rep of the Year 2x and have won numerous other awards and nominations from NAIBA and NEIBA.
It's a testament to this industry and to Como reps over the years that an independent group representing independent publishers and serving independent bookstores can thrive for 50+ years.
Love reading about history? So do we.
Read the full story of Como since its days in the Swinging ‘60s in New York City.
MEET THE TEAM
Maureen Karb
OWNER
Maureen serves as the head of group for Como Sales and the main point of contact. Working at a Waldenbooks while in college sparked her love for bookselling and publishing. She went on to graduate from the NYU Center for Publishing in New York and worked at Simon & Schuster for four years before taking a position at Workman Publishing in the special markets department. After a brief stint at Barefoot Books in Cambridge, she joined Como Sales in 2012.
Maureen was given the Saul Gilman Award for outstanding service as a sales representative to New England independent bookstores in 2017 and she was a Publishers Weekly Rep of the Year nominee in 2020.
Her territory includes ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, and RI.
Nissa Bagelman
BOOK SALES REPRESENTATIVE
The granddaughter of independent bookstore owners, Nissa's inevitable path to publishing started with a college internship at The Boston Book Festival, followed by a stint as a bookseller at Borders, and on to her first publishing job in special sales at The Perseus Books Group. After Perseus, she moved to New York to join the Workman family in the special sales department. After a few years at Workman, Como scooped her up in 2017, she “hired” her dog “assistant” in 2019, and the rest is history.
Nissa was awarded the Kristin Keith Sales Rep of the Year award for the NAIBA region in 2021!
Her territory includes NY, NJ, PA, MD, DC and DE.
Sami Thomason-fyke
BOOK SALES REPRESENTATIVE
Sami is a former bookseller, events manager, and youth specialist from Oxford, MS. After getting her degree in English Literature from Millsaps College, Sami worked at Square Books and Square Books, Jr. for 5 years before moving to the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library. She also had a brief stint as a ride operator at Walt Disney World post-college and has the wild stories to prove it.
As a bookseller, Sami received the James Patterson scholarship as well as participated in Indies Introduce, Children's Institute, and SIBA events. She resides with her husband Paul (a fellow book professional) and two ill-behaved cats in Oxford, Mississippi.
Her territory includes AL, GA, MS, SC, TN, FL, WV, NC, and VA.
Phoebe gaston
BOOK SALES REPRESENTATIVE
Phoebe attended the University of Denver’s post-graduate Publishing Institute program in 2007 and began as a publishers’ sales representative with sales group Book Travelers West shortly thereafter. Over the next 15 years she sold books in nearly every state in the western US for a variety of publishers and gift companies including Workman Publishing, Union Square & Co., Dover Publications, Ten Speed Press, and Quarto Publishing Group, among many others. Phoebe has serviced independent bookstores, museum accounts, and bookstore chains, as well as wholesale companies like Event Network and Books West. She served on the MPIBA Board of Directors for three years.
She was awarded Workman Publishing Company's Rep of the Year in 2012.
In 2021 Phoebe joined the sales group National Book Travelers. After moving to her home state back east, she joined Como Sales in 2022 where she will continue to sell to select accounts.
Adele HERMAN
BOOK REP EMERITUS
Adele Herman has been a sales rep for Como Sales for more than forty years. Her first job was as a Flexowriter operator, pre-computers. She then married Sam (an original member of Como Sales) and worked as a Medical Secretary. Her next job was Mommy. While raising her children, Marjie and Danny, she was a Girl Scout leader, Youth Group Advisor, Reading Aid for Philadelphia public schools, and then became a Sales Rep for Como Sales. Now she devotes most of her time to selling and reading books. "Bookselling is my life, and Backlist is our business!"
Adele was awarded the William Helmuth Sales Rep of the Year award for the NAIBA region in 2006 alongside her husband Sam.
Her territory included Pennsylvania, South and Central NJ, Maryland and Delaware.
GAIL WHITTEN
BOOK REP EMERITUS
Gail worked for Waldenbooks for 20 years in a variety of positions until the Borders and Walden’s merger. She then secured a position at one of the premier independent bookstores in South Florida, Liberties Fine Books & Music, as head buyer and remained there for a couple of years. She was offered a job with Booklink as a commission sales rep where she stayed for many years representing Workman, Running Press, Andrews McMeel, Abbeville, IPG and many others. In 2006 she left Booklink to become a “hybrid” rep for Workman and WW Norton where she covered FL, GA, AL, MS, SC for both companies. When the partnership dissolved in 2008, she became a member of the Como Sales group, where she happily remains to this day!
Gail was nominated in 2021 as Publishers Weekly Rep of the Year.
Her territory included Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Mississippi.
Cozy up with Como
Are you a retailer looking for books and gifts? We know all the books and gifts that work well in a bookstore environment.