Sales
PGW’s sales and marketing staff provides valuable counsel
for client publishers on acquisitions, contract terms, pricing, format, promotion
strategies, as well as with art/design/production and cover copy. Sales projections
from PGW help client publishers determine print runs and plan their seasons.
PGW’s 30+ person sales staff includes national accounts coverage in New York and
Berkeley, a house field force, and a 4-person in house special sales group. Many
specialty accounts are handled in house while commissioned groups are used for gift
and gourmet accounts.
PGW field reps have twice won Publisher’s Weekly’s “Rep
of the Year” award in recent years. PGW’s sales and marketing organization is highly
respected throughout the trade, and has a knack for choosing breakout titles as
well as for building bestsellers. PGW has had numerous national bestsellers in the
last ten years, five of which were million copy sellers.
New York Office Sales (Worldwide)
The New York office manages approximately 50% of all U.S. sales generated by PGW.
This office has strong, direct sales relationships with Barnes & Noble (including
bn.com and Barnes & Noble College), Borders Group Inc. (Borders Stores and Waldenbooks),
Baker and Taylor and Brodart. PGW is a top-ten vendor at these accounts. Also located
in the New York office is PGW’s International Sales department. Academic Sales markets
client publisher’s titles to faculty members across the United States for University
and College adoption, primarily through thematic print and electronic catalogs and
academic shows.
Berkeley Office Sales
The Berkeley Sales Department manages nearly half of all U.S. sales generated by
PGW. This team manages sales to Ingram Book Company, Advanced Marketing Service,
and regional retail chains (ie. Books-A- Million and Hastings), regional wholesale
and ID accounts (ie. Partners, Koen, Levy), independent bookstores, children’s bookstores,
mass merchandise accounts (ie. Target) and airport stores. PGW is a top ten vendor
in many of these accounts. Special Markets is also run out of the Berkeley Sales
office, which by combining an in-house sales team and a network of commission sales
representatives, manages sales to gift and specialty stores, outdoor stores, art
stores and other non-book accounts.
Each individual in the New York and Berkeley offices has
extensive experience in sales and marketing. They have frequent, direct interaction
with client publishers and are available to discuss all aspects of the publishing
process including competitive sales analysis, new product acquisition, market trends,
packaging, etc. Located throughout the United States is a group of very experienced
field sales staff selling regionally to both the retail and wholesale markets.
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Marketing
The Sales and Marketing Department
of Publishers Group West is a dynamic and integral part of the distribution enterprise.
From publisher account management to chain, independent and special market sales,
the Sales and Marketing Department at PGW is designed to meet the complete needs
of client publishers.
The Marketing Department at PGW is designed, as the hub of activity for a client
publisher’s day-to-day needs. With primary publisher relations divided between five
account managers. Publishers receive the focused time and attention they need to
help them run their businesses.
Account managers act as consultants and advocates to the publisher clients. They
advise publishers on topics ranging from packaging and pricing issues to marketing
plans and sales trend analysis. They also work closely with the Sales Department
and its various divisions to assist them in the overall sales process.
In addition to daily contact with publishers by phone and
email, account managers coordinate seasonal marketing meetings with publishers (three
times a year). The agenda at these meetings includes a comprehensive year-to-year
review of the publisher’s sales in all channels, analysis of market trends, and
formulation of backlist sales goals and sales projections of new titles. For the
meetings, publishers craft their own individualized agenda items to discuss, give
new title presentations and lead a strategy session of their overall program. In
attendance at a typical marketing meeting would be some of the following people:
- Your Account Manager
- Senior Vice President, National Accounts
- Vice President, National Accounts
- National Accounts Manager (sales representative to
Waldenbooks)
- Director of Sales, PGKids, Mass Merchandise, Children’s
and Special Markets
- Director of Sales, Field and Key accounts
- Sales and Marketing coordinators and assistants from
various parts of the Sales and Marketing Department
Also part of Marketing is the following departments:
Catalog
The Catalog Department represents one of the most effective organizing tools
that PGW has. Each season the Catalog Department coordinates all of the new seasonal
titles announced by publishers and manages the writing, editing, graphics, and printing
of the main adult PGW catalog and various seasonal subject catalogs. A few large
publishers produce their own catalog and the catalog department manages the database
work and is in close contact with self-cataloged publishers to help them sculpt
their catalog to meet the needs of the PGW Sales group.
Advertising
The Advertising Department at PGW works closely with the publishers, account managers
and the various sales divisions to coordinate book trade advertising and account
promotional activity. They advise publishers on the selection of appropriate advertising
vehicles and handle the booking and production for all ads. Publicity
The Marketing Department is responsible for administering and coordinating PGW’s
publicity programs and databases in addition to acting as a resource to client publishers
for publicity related areas.
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Advertising
The Advertising and Co-op Department at PGW works closely
with publishers, account managers and various sales divisions to coordinate book
trade advertising and account promotional activity.
Co-op
One of the Advertising Department’s main functions is obtaining approvals for co-op
requests. These requests include the following: in-store promotions, display ads
with wholesalers and/or in trade magazines, online promotions, author signings,
and newsletters. In most cases, either the account or the publisher requests approval.
Examples:
- A bookstore is having an author event and is asking for co-op money to support event
costs (advertising in local venues, window and in-store displays, newsletters, mailings,
postcards, flyers, etc.)
- A bookstore wants to feature a PGW title in a display or newsletter
- A national account wants to include a title in a nation-wide display promotion
- A publisher might want to find a way to promote book(s) at an account and may ask
Advertising’s help in realizing this
- A publisher wants to place a print ad in a trade publication and asks PGW to
place the reservation and to approve co-op participation
Author Events
Author event co-op requests can vary greatly, some accounts may ask for $700,
while others ask for $100. The average author event receives $150-$200 in co-op
support. PGW shares the expenses with the publisher. PGW receives the request from
the bookstore, and then contacts the publisher for approval. The exception would
be national account tours; these charges are typically combined with buys and static
fees, and are non-negotiable.
Pre-Approved Newsletter Co-Op
The newsletter co-op program was established in 1995. Generally, publishers
grant co-op to bookstores with store-produced newsletters at the levels of $50 (positive
review) and $80 (positive review with jacket). As an added incentive accounts do
not have to ask for the co-op in advance; the only requirement is that they send in the newsletter and the appropriate form. Not all publishers participate in the
program (currently we have approximately 40 publishers participating). If an account
claims co-op for a non-participating publisher, the requests is then treated as
a standard co-op request, and goes to the publisher for approval.
Advertising in Wholesaler Venues
Often a wholesaler will suggest an appropriate advertising venue for a title or
publisher. If the sales rep agrees, Advertising will ask the publisher if they would
like to participate. Anything agreed upon between PGW and the publisher is co-oped
by PGW. Sometimes the publisher approaches PGW, with interest in placing an ad in
a wholesaler venue. Unless the sales rep or account manager rejects the idea, the
ad is co-oped by PGW.
Wholesalers:
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