Tom Woll, who worked in several executive positions in publishing before establishing a successful consulting firm, died December 25 from Parkinson's disease. He was 76.

Woll began his career as VP and general manager of Vanguard Press, which at the time was owned by his family. After Vanguard, Woll served as VP and general manager of the professional and trade division of John Wiley & Sons; publisher of Storey Communications/Garden Way; and as VP and publisher of Rodale Press's book division. In 1993, Woll formed Cross River Publishing Consultants based in Katonah, N.Y., which worked on projects for both large and independent publishers.

Woll was also a longtime adjunct professor at New York University, as well as at British Columbia's Simon Fraser University. Woll's Publishing for Profit: Successful Bottom-Line Management for Book Publishers was published by Chicago Review Press in 1998, and subsequently went through five editions and was translated into 10 languages.

Woll is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; daughters, Rebecca and Hannah; and granddaughters Etta, Shea, Leni, and Wren. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity.