Lightning Source Global Newsletter

Andrea Mansell
Client Services Manager EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa)

Andrea Mansell, Client Services Manager EMEA , runs the UK Client Services team at the Lightning Source UK plant in Milton Keynes, England. The UK Client Services team consists of Andrea and eight Client Services representatives. The Client Services groups in both the United States and the United Kingdom work closely with the publishers that have entrusted Lightning Source to print and distribute their titles (Over 8,000!). Andrea has just surpassed the three year mark of working with Lightning Source.

The Client Services department, sometimes referred to as the lynch-pin of Lightning Source, liaises with every department in the organization – Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, IT, Distribution and Pre-media. The knowledge base this team must be familiar with to provide the very best customer service encompasses a huge amount.

Every publisher that works with Lightning Source has a specific Client Services Representative (CSR) assigned. CSR’s help publishers with questions on the submission of new titles, and the most advantageous method of ordering copies of those titles. CSR’s answer questions on items such as distributing titles, returnability options, the revision of titles and offering guidance on setting industry standard discounts. CSR’s at Lightning Source on a daily basis, review proof copies of new titles to be certain the copies that are being manufactured are in line with strict Lightning Source quality control guidelines. CSR’s are also in tune with our pre-media and operations groups assuring titles are processed smoothly and efficiently.

“The people I work with are just the best bunch of people anyone would want to work with and they make what is sometimes a very challenging job worthwhile. Everyone at Lightning Source are great, and even though our organization has grown very quickly in the short time I’ve been here, we have still managed to maintain the “family” feel.”

Andrea is originally from the north of England (near Liverpool). She lives close to the Lightning Source UK facility in Milton Keynes with her husband Roy – Andrea and Roy recently celebrated their 20th Wedding Anniversary. Andrea and Roy have a 13 year old daughter Sophie Louise. Joining Andrea, Roy and Sophie Louise are two Guinea Pigs, Fred and George, to round out the family.

When not at work, Andrea loves to watch Cricket, Rugby and Football. Her husband Roy has always been a huge fan of all three and it’s been a case of join in or become a Cricket/Rugby/Football Widow. Andrea plays golf when she can – but admits that while she is pretty rubbish at it, she enjoys it thoroughly.

Music? Andrea is fan of both Pink Floyd and the Beatles. Being firmly stuck in the 80’s, she loves what’s happening with the 80’s revival and old bands reforming. She tries to keep up with new age music in order to keep up with her daughter, and tends to like most of it – unless it is R&B or Rap.

When Andrea was asked for a surprising fact that might be included in this newsletter write up, she did not disappoint! When Andrea was 20 years old, she worked for six months on an Oyster Farm in Pembroke, South Wales. Living in a caravan, each day at the crack of dawn she and the team went down to the oyster beds to ‘turn’ and shake sacks of oysters. In order to protect themselves from the sharp edges of the oyster shells, they had to don a pair of hip high, rubber boots and a pair of long rubber gloves which reached almost to her shoulders. Fortunately there was no photographic evidence of this attractive ensemble she could share, so we’ll have to take her word for it.