Field Account Manager (San Francisco), Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster, Inc. is a global publishing company with prominent imprints, celebrated for publishing award-winning books for children and adults in multiple formats and categories. 

We are looking for a Field Account Manager for the independent sales team based in the San Francisco Bay Area to sell our complete list—Wholly-Owned Children’s, Adult, Audio, and Distributed Client titles—to an account base of 40 independent bookstores in the Bay Area.

The Field Account Manager is responsible for maximizing sales exposure for frontlist and backlist titles by performing analysis and using independent judgment to make recommendations on product selection and quantity to their accounts based on knowledge of both their customers and our titles.

Responsibilities include: 

• In-person seasonal sales calls, as well as frequent, regular in-person visits to stores to connect with buyers, events managers, and frontline booksellers
• In-person author care, including attending events, providing transportation and support for drop-by signings, hosting pre-publication dinners, attending Simon & Schuster Selects events
• Attend Regional Trade Shows and participate in in-person Rep Nights at bookstores
• Collaborate with marketing and publicity to help determine tour stops and promotional opportunities.

• Work with accounts to maximize promotional placement in-store and online
• Create seasonal markup notes in Edelweiss.
• Maximize backlist exposure through inventory reviews as well as seasonal, thematic, and regional opportunities
• Build strong relationships with accounts
• Enter all non-electronically submitted orders (including seasonal, backlist, event, B2B)
• Handle account inquiries (including publicity contacts, stock checks, events orders, and tracking) and provide support to ensure customer satisfaction
• Actively participate in seasonal sales conferences and weekly team calls, as well as share feedback to sales management and publishers about activities and opportunities in the territory

Qualifications:

• Minimum 5 years sales experience in a mid-size or large publishing company, or equivalent experience
• Must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Strong understanding of the publishing industry, including market trends, key players, and distribution channels
• Strong ability to persuade and negotiate, with a focus on building relationships with accounts
• Capability to assess market data and sales metrics to identify opportunities for growth
• Efficiency in prioritizing tasks to meet deadlines and handle multiple accounts
• Excellent verbal and written communication for presenting books and effectively conveying information.
• Independent bookstore experience a plus
• Edelweiss savvy
• Avid, passionate reader
• Flexible, self-starter