Oni Press has announced that industry veteran Spencer Simpson has joined the company as Vice President of Sales, effective immediately. In his new role, Simpson will oversee Oni’s sizable and expanding operations across the Book Market, Direct Market, and Digital platforms. 

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.