Sales Manager

Reports to: Assistant Director for Book Publishing/Marketing Director

University of Minnesota Press seeks an enterprising and forward-looking Sales Manager to sustain and grow domestic and international trade print and ebook sales, including management of commission reps, wholesalers, chains and retail accounts, catalogers, and specialty sales.

The Sales Manager is a core member of the marketing team and a leader in the sales and marketing of our more than one hundred new titles per year, as well as a large backlist. A successful candidate will be enthusiastic about the University of Minnesota Press book list, familiar with current publishing and bookselling trends, and eager to navigate the growth of digital books.

Responsibilities:

Account relations (35%):

• Call on and act as a liaison to national accounts, including Amazon, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and Barnes and Noble. Provide them with timely, complete, and accurate sales information.

• Act as sales representative to Minnesota retail accounts, visiting bookstores, wholesalers, and catalogers in the state on a regular basis.

• Manage U.S. and international sales representatives. Includes duties such as provide timely title information, conducting seasonal sales conferences, negotiating rep contract and commission, and monitoring the quality of their representation of our list.

• Act as liaison with U.S., U.K., and Australia warehouses, addressing problems with accounts, handling questions about customer service, and addressing concerns with the fulfillment operation.

Sales development (30%):

• Work to open new distribution channels for University of Minnesota Press books.

• Devise and implement special sales strategies for individual titles.

• Track general bookselling and publishing news, including the opening of new retail outlets, taking action to ensure the effectiveness of our sales operation in all markets.
• Manage the strategy and logistics of Press presence at regional and national trade shows and assess the costs and benefits.

• Establish and manage cooperative advertising and marketing with retail accounts, including online.

Inventory and data management (20%):

• Manage book and ebook metadata and insure the accurate, timely, and up-to-date provision of information to industry resources and sales partners.

• Manage ebook file distribution to digital partners upon publication.

• Evaluate and recommend reprint quantity on backlist titles, final print runs, and inventory levels.

Planning, analysis, and administration (15%):

• Participate in all aspects of marketing planning and strategy, including advising on book packaging, prices and discounts, and other related activities as assigned.

• Work with marketing director on annual sales forecasting and ongoing analysis.

• Monitor and develop sales policies, including discount schedules and returns.

• Develop and monitor related budget lines.

• Supervise assistant in execution of activities in support of above duties.

• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Marketing, or a related discipline. At least three years of experience in publishing and/or bookselling.

Preferred Qualifications: Excellent communication skills; the ability to manage many projects simultaneously; positive track record developing and maintaining relationships; desire to shape and implement creative sales strategies in a rapidly changing marketplace; superior attention to detail; database and data management experience; team spirit.

To apply please visit our university's employment page at https://employment.umn.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/search/Search_css.jsp and search for Requisition Number 184157.