At the heart of any marketing campaign are three key questions:
- Have we embraced the idea of the book? (i.e. how do we best express it in one line)
- Who is the audience for the book?
- How do we reach them?
Answering these questions is a combination of instinct and insight. I believe that good marketing is a team sport, and we work closely with the editorial, sales, advertising and analytics teams to ensure that we deliver the right message to the right people at the right time. Authors and readers are at the heart of everything we do. Authors have entrusted us with their incredible work, and our job as marketers is to get their books into the hands of readers who will love them as much as we do.
While one day we might be putting the finishing touches on our book proofs (early copies of the book), the next day we might be setting up an installation in Waterstones, and the day after that we might be brainstorming campaign ideas with our colleagues around the world or working with one of our authors to find out how to make the most of their social media channels. It certainly never gets boring!