About Us

Excellence is our single focus.

Excellence in service, experience, and value—that's our promise to every organization, individual, and author.

This purpose goes back to 2005 when Tony DiCostanzo first started the company as Centurian Health. Its reputation in bulk book sales grew rapidly among business, education, and other markets. We changed our name to BookPal in 2008 to reflect our expansion with these customers. Today, we are an international business that has sold millions of books, inspiring individuals and organizations to connect, learn, and grow through new ideas.

Highlights of our journey include:

  • Accolades for our innovative model by Publishers Weekly in 2010
  • Prestigious contract from the Army Corps of Engineers in 2011, where we shipped thousands of books to Afghanistan as part of their humanitarian program
  • Debut as #350 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies in 2013
  • Custom journals offered to personalize an organization’s events in 2015
  • Launch of The OWL Award program in 2017
  • Launch of our AuthorConnect Chat program in 2018
  • Accolades for our innovative model by Publishers Weekly in 2010
  • Prestigious contract from the Army Corps of Engineers in 2011, where we shipped thousands of books to Afghanistan as part of their humanitarian program
  • Debut as #350 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies in 2013
  • Custom journals offered to personalize an organization’s events in 2015
  • Launch of The OWL Awards program in 2017
  • Launch of our AuthorConnect Chat program in 2018

People always here for you.

Meet our team of book experts—people who are as passionate about the power of books as you are. As avid readers ourselves, we can personally guide your organization on choosing the best books based on our deep knowledge across categories. For authors and publishers, BookPal's Business Services gives you creative and effective ways to connect your books to more organizations and audiences.

Tony DiCostanzo
PRESIDENT

Originally from Nome, Alaska, Tony has since become a thoroughly Southern California family man. He enjoys golf, photography, and CrossFit—almost as much as he's passionate about helping his staff realize their full potential.

Favorite Book:

Stefanie Gordon-Lim
SALES MANAGER

Newly wed as of May 13, 2016, Stef and her husband have a stage five clingy puppy named Simba, whom they adore. She is obsessed with podcasts and listens to Criminal, TED Talks, Anna Faris is Unqualified, Sword and Scale, and the Tough Girls Podcast.

Favorite Book:

Lynette Washington
MANAGER, OPERATIONS

Lynette is a rookie coffee drinker, who only started liking the drink a year ago. Her favorite football team is the Green Bay Packers and the first thing she does when she wakes up is reach for her phone.

Favorite Book:

Jessie Garcia
ACCOUNTANT

Jessie is a driven mother of two who loves dogs and believes in aliens.

Favorite Book:

Ireland Duvall
CHIEF OF STAFF

Ireland is originally from Brooklyn, NY. Her favorite things in life consist of lemons, coffee, Nat King Cole, and her dog named Little Dume.

Favorite Book:

Kayla Brown
MANAGER, MARKETING & ECOMMERCE

Kayla is a fitness enthusiast whose favorite activities include working out, yoga, and playing tennis. Her favorite TV show is New Girl (shout out to Winston Bishop, her favorite character). She is also a firm believer in the Law of Attraction and positive thinking!

Favorite Book:

Mary Hy
OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Mary is a fraternal twin, she was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, is a DIY craft queen who lives to hike and be outdoors, and is slightly obsessed with her dog, Winter and cat, Stormy.

Favorite Book:

Ryan Groves
SHIPPING & RECEIVING SPECIALIST

Ryan is originally from the Bay Area and new to Southern California. His favorite sports team is the Golden State Warriors and he has a love for reading and writing.

Favorite Book:

Sophie Butler
MARKETING ASSOCIATE

Sophie joins us from the Bay Area. She studied film in college after winning a Flip Video Camera in a Go-Gurt contest and has pet a penguin!

Favorite Book:

Joelle Shusterman
MARKETING INTERN

Joelle is an aspiring author that loves all things dystopian and fantasy! One of her favorite shows Black Mirror scares and entices her at the same time. When she’s not questioning the world around her you can find her lost in a new book by Haruki Murakami.

Favorite Book:

Lauren Horn
SALES SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Lauren is a certified yoga teacher who loves watching her two kids play sports. Her favorite things are nature, hiking, yoga, and cars.

Favorite Book:

September Phoenix
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SPECIALIST

September is our resident concert goer having attended over 40 concerts! When she's not at concerts you can find her taking care of her 3 cats that run her life. She is also left handed!

Favorite Book:

How we live and work.

The BookPal team holds itself to the highest level of personal and professional behaviors. These six values inspire and guide our relationships with each other—but most importantly, with our customers: