• The ECC Questionnaire

Caitlin Sweeny, Digital Marketing Manager at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group | October 1, 2013

What was your first job in children’s publishing? How did you come to your current position in digital marketing?
I’ve had a longstanding love/love relationship with the Internet but started out as an editorial assistant at a small educational and children’s publisher on Long Island. I was there a year before I moved into marketing at Scholastic Media, where I worked on integrated marketing campaigns for brands like Goosebumps, The Magic School Bus, and Clifford the Big Red Dog. I was always so interested in the digital components of those campaigns and social media strategy overall that moving into digital marketing felt like the perfect move at the time — and it definitely was. I joined MacKids as an associate digital marketing manager and was recently promoted to digital marketing manager, overseeing all of our digital campaigns. It’s a lot of fun!

How long have you worked at MacKids?
I’ve been here since June 2012!

Can you describe your typical day?
It’s usually very Swoonworthy! What I love most about digital marketing is that there really isn’t a typical day. I spend a lot of time working with outside vendors on brand and title-specific projects like website development, book trailers, special digital promotions, and anything else Internet-related that we can come up with. I’ve had the opportunity to really become involved and help shape new digital initiatives at MacKids and to try new things — whether it’s working more closely with Tumblr, expanding social media strategies, explaining the wonders of analytics to the larger MacKids team, or doing really goofy blog posts about why I love Katherine Applegate — all are projects that I love and get excited about.

You have a handy flowchart on your office door that explains the digital marketing process. Can you put that into words for us?
Yes! Someone looked at my flowchart! It took me three tries to print that thing.

Digital marketing is so much more than tweeting about a book or creating a Facebook page. In order to have a viable digital marketing strategy that is not only impactful but also something that you’re able to measure and really build on, you need to craft a strategy that takes SEO, content strategy, cross promotion across digital platforms (website, blog, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.–the list continues to grow!), goals, analytics to measure progress, e-mail, and more into account. The circle of life is true in the digital world also — you need to take the bigger picture into account.

What’s your number one tip for working in digital marketing?
I would steal a line from Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now: “Embrace the weird.” The best and worst thing about the Internet is that it’s always changing so you should too, and so should the way you’re trying to reach teens, parents, librarians, etc. to tell them about the awesome books you’re working on.

What is your favorite industry-related website or blog? Why?
I try to read as much publishing-industry and digital marketing-industry focused content as possible. Digital Book World has a lot of great information about the publishing side of digital but my heart really belongs to Mashable, which reports a lot of digital news and recaps a lot of great campaigns across industries.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Always have a notebook and pen with you. Always ask questions. Always know what your role is in a project and be prepared to speak to that in a meeting, even if you might not have a chance to speak. You never know when you might have an opportunity to present a new idea or shine so you should always be ready to sparkle brighter than Edward Cullen on a sunny day.

What is one of the worst mistakes you’ve made? How did you get beyond it?
When I first graduated from college I interviewed for a lot of different positions and I was so focused on saying “I’ve done this, this, and this!” that I hadn’t taken time to research this company’s imprints and make sure I remembered specific books to talk about. I didn’t get the job — I think in large part because I froze when asked about the imprints specifically — but since that day I’ve never gone into an interview, meeting, anything without doing my best to be completely prepared. Knowledge is power!

Any funny, interesting, surprising anecdotes (about your own experience or publishing in general) you want to share?
I have been a dedicated Animorphs fan since the tender age of 9 and have a laminated poster I won in the 5th grade hanging in my office. When I first started at MacKids one of my coworkers saw my poster, laughed at my unbridled enthusiasm for shapeshifting teenagers, and told me I should talk to Jean Feiwel, publisher of Feiwel & Friends and editor behind every book you ever read as a child. I immediately sent her the nerdiest email about my undying love for Animorphs and how I wouldn’t be in publishing if it weren’t for those books. She forwarded my email to the authors and Katherine Applegate sent me The Best Email Ever (it is still printed & hanging in my office). I almost died right on the spot. My mission in life since has been to become BFFs with Jean, because who doesn’t want to be Jean Feiwel when they grow up, really?

What is your favorite word?
Choices. I recently rewatched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and, since finishing, have decided that Choices is the key word. Actions speak louder than words or wishes, fortune favors the brave — there’s a reason why they’re clichés. To quote Buffy: “This isn’t about wishes. This is about choices.”

What was your favorite book as a child?
Animorphs! The Witch of Blackbird Pond! Harriet the Spy!

What are you reading now? Or what was the last book you read you really enjoyed?
I am absolutely, mind-blowingly obsessed with Love Letter to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. It’s on our winter 2014 list and it blew me away. Our ARCs just came in so I’m rereading it right now, and openly weeping on the subway as a result. It’s everything a YA book should be—it’s beautiful, bold, and about the beauty and hardships of life. OBSESSED.