Harry N Abrams, Inc.
Senior Director, Sales, Indies, School and Library & Wholesale
Harry N Abrams, Inc., New York, NY
About Us:
Founded in 1949, ABRAMS was the first company in the United States to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books. The company continues to publish critically acclaimed and bestselling works in the areas of art, photography, cooking, craft, comics, interior and garden design, entertainment, fashion, and popular culture as well as narrative non-fiction and new works of fiction for adults; children's books ranging from middle grade to young adult fiction to picture books to board books. ABRAMS creates and distributes brilliantly designed books with the highest production values under the following imprints: Abrams; Abrams ComicArts; Megascope; Surely Books; Abrams Image; Abrams Press; The Overlook Press; Cernunnos; Cameron + Company; Abrams Books for Young Readers; Amulet Books; Abrams Appleseed; and Magic Cat. ABRAMS also distributes books for Booth-Clibborn Editions, Bungie, Alain Ducasse Édition, Èditions de La Martiniére, Editions BPI, Global Golf Group, Lucky Spool, Milky Way Picture Books, The Museum of Modern Art, SelfMadeHero, Tate Publishing, V&A Publishing, and The Vendome Press.
Abrams is seeking a dynamic and strategic leader with a proven track record of driving revenue and guiding teams to success for the newly created role of Senior Director, Indies, School & Library, and Wholesale.
In this highly visible role, the Senior Director will develop and execute the revenue and retail marketing strategies to grow frontlist and backlist sales across the independent bookstore, school and library, and wholesale channels. They will lead the day-to-day management of our five commission sales groups that service the independent bookstores, and the Abrams' relationships with the American Booksellers Association, the regional bookseller associations, and Ingram. They will manage our in-house reps that call on School & Library and Wholesale accounts and serve as the leadership representative for this channel both with the accounts and with internal stakeholders.
The ideal candidate will be results-driven, collaborative, a creative problem-solver, and possess a passion for books and getting them into the hands of readers.
The Role:
Requirements:
The salary range for this position is $110,000-$120,000, depending upon experience. This position is eligible for annual profit award or bonus, subject to Company results. This position is preferred to be based out of the NYC office, and able to work in the office 3 days per week. Would consider remote for the right candidate.
Founded in 1949, ABRAMS was the first company in the United States to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books. The company continues to publish critically acclaimed and bestselling works in the areas of art, photography, cooking, craft, comics, interior and garden design, entertainment, fashion, and popular culture as well as narrative non-fiction and new works of fiction for adults; children's books ranging from middle grade to young adult fiction to picture books to board books. ABRAMS creates and distributes brilliantly designed books with the highest production values under the following imprints: Abrams; Abrams ComicArts; Megascope; Surely Books; Abrams Image; Abrams Press; The Overlook Press; Cernunnos; Cameron + Company; Abrams Books for Young Readers; Amulet Books; Abrams Appleseed; and Magic Cat. ABRAMS also distributes books for Booth-Clibborn Editions, Bungie, Alain Ducasse Édition, Èditions de La Martiniére, Editions BPI, Global Golf Group, Lucky Spool, Milky Way Picture Books, The Museum of Modern Art, SelfMadeHero, Tate Publishing, V&A Publishing, and The Vendome Press.
Abrams is seeking a dynamic and strategic leader with a proven track record of driving revenue and guiding teams to success for the newly created role of Senior Director, Indies, School & Library, and Wholesale.
In this highly visible role, the Senior Director will develop and execute the revenue and retail marketing strategies to grow frontlist and backlist sales across the independent bookstore, school and library, and wholesale channels. They will lead the day-to-day management of our five commission sales groups that service the independent bookstores, and the Abrams' relationships with the American Booksellers Association, the regional bookseller associations, and Ingram. They will manage our in-house reps that call on School & Library and Wholesale accounts and serve as the leadership representative for this channel both with the accounts and with internal stakeholders.
The ideal candidate will be results-driven, collaborative, a creative problem-solver, and possess a passion for books and getting them into the hands of readers.
The Role:
- Serve as the ambassador for the indies - with publishers and in-house stakeholders, with our client publishers, Ingram and Bookshop.org, the ABA, and the regional associations
- Supervise the team of Commission Sales Reps on day-to-day activities and maximizing indie channel and school & library sales
- Lead the in-house sales team that sells to school & library accounts
- Sell all frontlist and backlist core and client publisher titles to Ingram
- Collaborate with publishers to develop bespoke product offerings for the indie and school & library accounts
- Partner with Marketing to develop and execute indie and school & library focused marketing strategies. Manage co-op marketing budget for these channels.
- Responsible for conceiving and executing marketing campaigns to support indie bookstore tentpole events - such as Independent Bookstore Day, Indies First, Banned Books Week, etc
- Spearhead key Indie specific editorial programs includingIndies Introduce and Indie Next
- Collaborate with Marketing on executing the Edelweiss catalog and lead the strategy for marketing across the Edelweiss platform
- Partner with Marketing and Publicity on ABRAMS presence at key industry trade shows - Winter Institute, Children's Institute, Regional Indie Trade Shows
- Partner with Publicity on author event tours at bookstores
- Plan and execute the seasonal Field Rep Conferences
- Develop stock offer strategies for the indie channel, including seasonal picks
- Develop and mentor direct reports and department assistants
- Assist with title budget forecasting by providing estimates for indie, school & library, and wholesale channels
- Provide feedback to sales and publishing teams on sales channel market trends and account initiatives
- Identify process improvement opportunities between Sales and related departments
Requirements:
- 7+ years of experience in the book industry in a sales, marketing, or publishing management role
- Strong leadership skills with a passion for mentoring and building successful, collaborative teams
- Deep knowledge of the account base and overall selling process, with book consumer and industry trends knowledge a plus
- Exceptional analytical skills, with experience in title sales and inventory forecasting preferred
- Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external partners at all levels of an organization
- Ability to be a change agent and build consensus across departments
- Ability to work well under pressure and problem solve
- Proven ability to successfully plan and manage at both the strategic and operational levels
- Candidate must possess excellent time management skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills, with a strong attention to detail and timely follow-up
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, and comfort in learning new applications and proprietary in-house systems
- Proficiency with Edelweiss strongly preferred, and familiarity with Edelweiss 360 a plus
- Experience working with the indie channel or school & library channel preferred
- Prior supervisory experience required
- Must be able to travel to trade shows and select author events
The salary range for this position is $110,000-$120,000, depending upon experience. This position is eligible for annual profit award or bonus, subject to Company results. This position is preferred to be based out of the NYC office, and able to work in the office 3 days per week. Would consider remote for the right candidate.