BISG to Honor Sourcebooks' Dominique Raccah
The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) will recognize Dominique Raccah, Founder and CEO of award-winning publisher Sourcebooks, with the Sally Dedecker Award for Lifetime Service. Raccah will be honored at BISG’s Annual Meeting in New York, taking place on April 25, 2025, at the Times Center.
Established in 2013 and named for one of BISG’s longtime volunteers and advocates, the Sally Dedecker Award recognizes an individual who has made a positive impact on the book publishing industry. Throughout her career, Dominique Raccah has led Sourcebooks in ways that have made it a beacon for change in the industry. An entrepreneur who embraces change and leads with an author-first mindset, Raccah has built the company from a one-woman startup into the sixth largest U.S. publisher and the fastest-growing publisher in the UK. Under her leadership, Sourcebooks has pioneered new ways to connect authors and readers, championed banned books and diverse voices, and led the industry in data-driven publishing, redefining what it means to be a book publisher in the 21st century.
Raccah also contributed extensively to oversight and direction of the Book Industry Study Group. She served as co-chair or chair of the board of directors for a combined six years, and she was an active member of the executive committee for nine years. During her time on the board, BISG oversaw the implementation of the 13-digit ISBN, aligning the book industry with identification standards for most retail products. She also oversaw discussions of identification requirements for digital products, supported closer engagement with other industry organizations, and hired four executive directors.
BISG board chair Joshua Tallent of Firebrand Technologies noted, “Dominique Raccah led BISG at a time when the nature of the business was changing. Online sales became the majority of all book purchases. Digital products grew from a footnote to almost a fifth of all revenues, and the expectations for metadata changed alongside that growth. Without her leadership over that time, BISG and the industry would have lagged behind where both needed to be.”
Asked about the award, Raccah welcomed this opportunity to celebrate Sally Dedecker. "I am beyond honored to receive the Sally Dedecker Award for Lifetime Service. Sally was a powerhouse—someone who made publishing better just by being in the room. I had the privilege of working alongside her in my previous role at BISG, and I loved that our work together embraced that the book industry never stands still—there’s always change, evolution, and new opportunities to make things better. Whether it was navigating the shift to digital, updating industry standards, or making sure we were always thinking ahead, this work matters so deeply. Sally Dedecker was someone who believed in this industry and put in the work to drive real change. I’m incredibly honored to receive this award in her name."
BISG executive director Brian O’Leary echoed that sentiment. “One of the best aspects of BISG is its connection to the people who have made a difference in the industry. Sally Dedecker embodied that spirit, and Dominique Raccah does, as well. We’re looking forward to celebrating Dominique at our annual meeting, both for her accomplishments at Sourcebooks and the many ways that she helped shape BISG and keep it a vital rudder for the industry.”
The BISG annual meeting takes place on April 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The meeting this year is hosted at The Times Center, a midtown venue close to Times Square. The meeting, whose theme is “Move Fast and Fix Things”, will feature updates on a range of topics BISG has been pursuing in its committees and working groups. Registration is now open, with early-bird pricing in effect until the end of March.