D2C Isn’t Just About Selling, Says Hachette, Perseus & Rodale. It’s About Great Content.
"You have to think about your job as trying to put books in the path of people," said Joyce. "Not just books, either, but ideas, content, authors. If it's Mother's Day, readers need something for Mom. That's the perfect context to offer a great book to readers."
Hachette's SVP and director of marketing strategy Heather Fain views D2C marketing as a conversation. "For a long, long time the direct-to-consumer communication was: we tell you about a book, and you go buy it. Now we're really trying to use online marketing and social media marketing to have a genuine conversation and listen to what the readers says back." Fain emphasized that to do this, book publishers need dedicated staff to "tend the garden," and nurture these relationships.
Ellen Harvey is a freelance writer and editor who covers the latest technologies and strategies reshaping the publishing landscape. She previously served as the Senior Editor at Publishing Executive and Book Business.