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AAUP 2016: Maximize Your International Sales (J. Lawrence-Hurt)
1. Maximize Your
International Sales
AAUP Annual Meeting
June 17, 2016
Jessica Lawrence-Hurt
The MIT Press
International & Institutional Sales & Marketing Manager
jclh@mit.edu
2. Where I’m Coming From….
MIT Press:
Publishes 200 books and 31 journals/year
London office since 1969 – focuses on marketing/publicity
40% book sales are export
Sales rep group with three other UPs for UK/Europe, ME, Africa
Commission reps on the ground throughout the world
I’ve spent 15 years in publishing; 1.5 in current role
3. “International sales” is not one-size-fits-all
Decide where you want to start and why
Some territories are already large, stable markets, but flat or declining
Others have high rates of growth, but are still small (and may require a lot of
work)
Some regions have multiple high-quality agencies, others have few
Every market has different opportunities: libraries, text adoptions, trade
books
Well-illustrated books are always a plus
You’re probably already selling some books internationally – global sourcing is
real! 50% of MITP sales through Ingram are international
4. UK/Ireland
Aside from Canada (you’re selling into Canada, right?), this really makes the most sense to
start with intl sales: 5th largest publishing market, speaks English (but don’t think you won’t
need to customize your marketing materials!)
Multiple, reputable options for rep groups
Cautiously optimistic growth: in 2015, for the first time in four years, UK sales of printed
books rose slightly, by 0.4 percent, from £2.748 billion to £2.760 billion. In 2015, total sales
in the British book and publishing industry rose from £3.311 to £3.314 billion
Digital sales flat, unchanged at 17%
In terms of categories, academic/reference books hold the lead with 32%, then children’s
(24%) and textbooks (17%)
Multiple reputable options for representation and distribution
Cautiously optimistic growth – as in US, indies are seeing slow growth, even as library budgets
continue to decline
Bertrams and Gardners largest wholesalers; export all over Europe
5. AUSTRALIA
Language is a plus! Strong ties to UK book market
Shipping hurts financially… POD can help
Currency in crisis
University bookstores (Coops) becoming like American stores
6. Europe
Each individual country has own language, culture, education systems – but
EU eases import/export
Many differences country to country: N. Europe typically reads a lot of
English-language books, sales are healthy in Scandinavia and Germany; S.
Europe dealing with more economic turmoil and smaller English-reading
audience
7. CHINA
Probably the most exciting market right now – but also the most daunting –
market grew 10% in 2014; totaled $8 billion in 2013
1.5 billion people; 300 million learning English; 32% under age 24
ESL, business, computer science, health, self-help most popular categories
Essential to have someone on the ground who speaks the language and can
travel
Have to work with an importer to get books into country: key ones are
CEPIEC, CNPIEC, Shanghai Book Traders are largest; will screen materials for
“appropriateness” prior to importing – this can slow things down
Textbooks still highly used and students will buy them – MITP has had adoption
success
8. JAPAN
Very traditional market, relationship-oriented
Relatively small % who buy English-language books
Translation of marketing materials a big plus – many buyers don’t speak
English
Amazon is big player here, but they’ve cut back in recent years
Maruzen and Kinokuniya are major bookstores
English-language textbooks rarely used at undergrad level
Art books work if heavily illustrated; linguistics and neuroscience does well
Libraries used to buy HC if both HC and PB available; now mostly buy PB –
library budgets being cut, aging population, universities are closing
9. SE ASIA
Small markets, but growing rapidly
English is one of four official languages
Malaysia smaller but some success with course adoptions
Many book dealers, not always scrupulous
Require very high discounts and free freight
10. Latin America, or, What happened to
Brazil?
Brazil was the B in BRIC – high hopes
200 million people
Poor infrastructure and book distribution channels
Require high discounts, free freight
Since World Cup, government not paying its bills – majority of education
spending comes from government
Mexico is where it’s at!
11. Middle East
MITP sells mainly through textbook adoptions, and in more advanced subjects
Some libraries have received massive amounts of funding to grow large
collections, which some UPs have benefited from
Continues to grow, although still relatively small
Many differences country to country: Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt all have
relatively stable book distribution infrastructures
Censorship is an issue
12. Africa
While book markets are more robust than many think – Nigeria’s is in the
billions of dollars – the distribution infrastructure if very different – sellers
will spread out their wares on sidewalks – and very low prices are required –
60-65% discounts
South Africa a small, isolated market
Libraries seeing modest budget growth
13. India
Large, and young, population with desire for education
Currently, library funds haven’t been released from central purchasing (new
government, desire to stem corruption), so core market for UPs is hurting
Require 60-65% discounts at least
Piracy and reimportation are significant issues
14. It’s a BIG world
Start small and build over time
Match your list to the country’s interest and English-speaking abilities
Ask questions of other UPs – we like to talk!
Contact multiple rep groups, if possible, to interview: you will learn a lot
15. Maximize your
international sales
- a checklist
Stephen Lustig: Business Development Director, Eurospan Group
stephen.lustig@eurospangroup.com
www.eurospangroup.com
www.eurospanbookstore.com
AAUP Conference, Philadelphia 17th June 2016
16.
17. Five key components of an international
sales strategy
1. International interest in my books
2. Marketing to end-users and resellers
3. Sales: end-users, resellers and sales reps
4. Distribution
5. Revenue
Contract everything out? – or do all, or some, of the above myself?
18. International interest in my books
1. Is the content too US-centric?
2. Benchmarking and comparisons
3. Co-editions and foreign language rights
19. Marketing – it’s all about discoverability
1. Promotion and publicity
2. Metadata
3. Authors
4. Reviews
5. Textbook adoptions
6. Conferences
7. Trade book fairs
8. Imprint profile
20. Sales: end-users, resellers and sales
reps
Resellers
1. Terrestrial and online
booksellers
2. Title information
3. Cross-border selling
4. When is a US sale not a US sale?
5. The “A” word
Sales reps
1. Title knowledge
2. Feedback to the publisher
3. Critical mass of titles in
a subject
4. Publisher’s expectations
5. Management
23. • The market for University Press titles can read English
• They will only buy my books if they know they exist
• The buying process for end users and resellers has to be easy
24. Maximize Your International Sales: How to launch or revamp
your international sales program
Brian MacDonald, University of Toronto Press June 17, 2016
25. My background / My press
University of Toronto Press
• Founded in 1901
• Largest and oldest university
press in Canada
• Publish 200 books a year in
humanities, social sciences, &
business
• US warehouse opened in
1968 in Buffalo, NY
• International sales = 63% of
total sales (13% overseas
sales)
Me – Sales and Marketing
Manager
• MBA grad majoring in
marketing and international
business
• Been working in marketing and
sales management for over 5
years (when hired)
• First job in book publishing
26. How to launch or revamp your international sales program
• How to evaluate current reps
• What to focus on – what territories?
• How to find sales reps
• How to evaluate prospective reps
27. How to launch or revamp your international sales program
• Replacing stagnant reps
• How to manage international sales reps
• Other resources – AAUP, Livres Canada Books
28. What we did
• Improved sales rep responsiveness
• Expanded sales coverage
• How your sales reps can help beyond presenting your titles
29. How well did it work?
• International sales results (2012-2016)
• International Sales – increased by 57%
• Overseas Sales – increased by 83%
• UK and Europe Sales – increased by 38%
• China – CNPIEC – sales increased by 3,700%!
• China – CEPIEC – sales increased by 44,000%!!
• What worked / what didn’t work
30. My Background/My Press
NYU Press
Founded in 1916 (it’s our centenary!)
Publish 120 titles/year in humanities and
social science
International sales = 10% overall sales in
print, 7% digital
Me: Sales and Marketing Director
With NYU 6 years
Previous international sales at OUP (10
years), CUP (3 years), Random House (3
years)
NYU international sales 2% in 2010
31. Unforced Errors
Titles matter
Price and discount do, too
Don’t forget about Canada!
Make your titles available
Find a good partner
32. Questions?
Jessica Lawrence-Hurt: jclh@mit.edu
Stephen Lustig: stephen.lustig@eurospangroup.com
Brian MacDonald: bmacdonald@utpress.utoronto.ca
Mary Beth Jarrad marybeth.jarrad@nyu.edu
Notes de l'éditeur
In this presentation, I would like to share my experience with revamping our international sales program, what I learned from it, and what came out of it. So I think this presentation will be most useful to anyone new in the role as sales or marketing manager, or for marketing managers at a smaller press that is looking to expand their international sales coverage.
First, for context, I thought I would provide you with some background information about me and my press.
University of Toronto Press was founded in 1901 and our US warehouse opened in 1968 in Buffalo, New York, so the press has been actively marketing and selling our books internationally for a long time, many decades before I started working at the press. As a Canadian publisher, international sales are very important. In fact, 63% of our total sales are international sales, if you include sales to the US. Not including sales to the US, 13% of our total sales are overseas sales (comprising sales to Europe, Asia, South America, and so on. So international sales is critical to the success and survival of University of Toronto Press.
As for me, I started this role as Sales and Marketing Manager about five years ago now. I came to this role with an MBA in marketing and international business, so I saw an opportunity when I started to increase our international sales. Although this was my first job in book publishing, I had been working in marketing and sales management for about 5 years at that time, and I was excited to apply my education and experience to overhauling or revamping our international sales program.
How to evaluate current reps – Sales performance – growing, steady, or shrinking? Check sales reports - getting orders for your new frontlist titles? Communication – how often do you hear from them? Once a week or once a year? Are they hard to reach? How long does it take for them to get back to you? Do they send you reports on their activity and the state of their territory?
What to focus on – If no international sales reps – start with biggest opportunities – UK, Europe, Canada/USA. Or, look for fill holes in current coverage – Asia, Latin America, etc.
How to find sales reps – Look at your peers, other university presses. Look in the back of their catalogues. Call or email other UP sales managers – ask their advice. Ask your sales reps for their recommendations. Go to international book fairs – Frankfurt, London, BEA – set up meetings with prospective reps.
How to evaluate prospective reps – What is their online presence? Do they have a website? – is it 10 years old or more? How long have they been in business? How big is their team? Check their references – talk to their client publishers. Are they are good fit for your list – other scholarly publishers? How many clients do they have – too many? Ask the sales reps how well they think your books will do in their territory. Most sales reps will be pretty frank and honest about the prospects for your books in their territory. Most reps will tell you if they don’t think your list in a good fit for their agency or that territory.
Replacing stagnant reps – Dig out their sales representation contract with you. Plan ahead – you may need to provide notice as per your contract – 4-6 months. Can you reach them?
How to manage international sales reps – Meet them in-person regularly, at least once a year. If you can’t travel to them, arrange meetings at an international book fair – BEA, Frankfurt, London, AAUP. Review the sales reports closely, by transaction. Keep them updated on publicity news, big ad placements. Supplementary materials – subject catalogues, etc.
Other resources – AAUP – guide to Hiring and Evaluating Sales Representatives, Livres Canada Books – guide to Exporting Academic and Scholarly Books, country guides, etc.
Finally, I’d like to give an overview of how we overhauled our international sales program at University of Toronto Press and how well it worked.
Before starting this initiative we had some international sales reps that had totally fallen out of communication with us. We couldn’t reach them by email, by phone, they had no online presence at all. Our sales in those territories were very low. Those reps were listed in our catalogue but we knew that they were basically not making any efforts to promote our titles. All of those stagnant reps are gone now. we added new sales reps in China, new distributor for India, and replaced reps for Australia and Southeast Asia.
All our international sales groups now are actively promoting our titles and stay in regular communication with us. Our best sales reps we hear from on a regular, almost weekly basis. In my experience, the best sales reps do more than just present your titles to their local accounts, rather they work to solve problems that may be impeding our sales in that territory. For example, help with setting up local POD, metadata feeds, publicity, delinquent accounts, etc. In our case, …
International sales results – Overall, from 2012 to 2016, our international sales increased 57% and our overseas sales (not including the US) increased 83%. Over the same period, our sales to the UK and Europe increased 38%. In China, our 2 biggest customers are CNPIEC and CEPIEC. Over that period, our sales to CNPIEC increased 3,700% and our sales to CEPIEC increased 44,000%!!
What worked – focusing on China. Hiring a new sales rep for China providing a big boost to our international sales. In addition to regularly meeting with my China sales rep at Frankfurt and BEA, now I regularly meet with representatives from CNPIEC and CEPIEC. This year, we will be exhibiting our books at the Beijing International Book Fair for the first time (through our local sales rep).
What didn’t work – our Australia sales rep fired us as a client. We were left with no representation there for over 6 months. Australia is still a market that’s a struggle for us. Our Middle East sales rep fired us as a client. The Middle East is still a territory where we don’t have any sales coverage. We’ve put a lot of time and effort into boosting sales in some international territories and didn’t see much return.
So, overall, focusing on our international sales was totally worthwhile. I strongly recommend focusing more effort on this, particularly to the huge and growing Chinese market.