ECC 2023: Department Spotlight
Brief publishing department overviews from the Early Career Committee
JUNE NEWSLETTER
Name: Maggie Salko
Position: Marketing Coordinator
House: Little Bee Books
MARKETING DEPARTMENT
The marketing department at any publishing house is always evolving and growing as opportunities arise. While marketing used to just mean creating and sharing print advertising, it is now so much more, thanks to the age of the internet. Today, marketing departments not only handle the publication of print advertising but also digital marketing through avenues such as Google Ads, social media, newsletters, and more. If you are at a smaller house, marketing may also include library and educational outreach as well. This involves submitting books to awards and promoting the title within educational spheres at conventions and librarians’ conferences. Overall, marketing is responsible for making sure the right audiences hear about your publisher’s titles.
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
Name: Lois Evans
Position: Editor
House: Random House Children’s Books
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Editorials may be the most visible part of the publishing machine, and the alleged glitz and glam of the job lends itself to fictionalization (see Younger, The Bold Type, The Proposal, etc.). Editors get to work with authors and have a hand in manuscripts, participate in auctions, and talk about trim size with Design (my personal favorite department). The reality of editorial, in my experience, is less glamorous, though the challenge of things like deal negotiation, author care, and being elbows deep in edits make the job worth it.
There’s nothing quite like getting a revision in your inbox, reading it, and thinking, “wow, this author NAILED it” after however many tries. Or holding a physical copy of a book that was acquired ages ago (this is where I plug My Grandfather’s Song, one of the first picture books I worked on at Make Me A World, out on 10/17). This makes the other, less glitzy, parts of Editorial–sending payment requests, filling out Contract Info Sheets, tagging manuscripts, catching up on submissions, the colossus that’s a P&L–worth it. I love seeing a book from submission or ideation through to production, making sure that the author’s vision is executed as close to perfect as possible, and supporting them (and the artist, in the case of a picture book or graphic novel) on their journey.
