Farrar, Broccardo and Derkacz discuss importance of sales as a function of publishing at FutureBook

A panel led by women in sales explored the importance of relationship management, remaining attentive and selling books without having an emotional attachment to them at this year’s FutureBook conference. 

Anna Derkacz, director of group sales and rights at HarperCollins UK, and Kathleen Farrar, managing director of group sales and marketing at Bloomsbury, were joined by Diana Broccardo, managing director at Swift Press. The panel was chaired by Emma Lowe, head of business development at Glassboxx.

The group discussed the qualities that are required to be successful in sales within the UK publishing industry and spoke about the things that the industry can learn from sales directors. 

Farrar discussed the importance of building relationships and said that working in publishing means you are "not just selling a product" but also someone’s "ideas" and "creativity". Meanwhile, Broccardo spoke about how working in sales "is about energy" and showing that you believe in the potential of the books that you are publishing. Derkacz added that the reality of sales departments differ from the expectations people have before they join a publisher, and that sales teams benefit from the skills of both extroverts and introverts. 

The panel covered the benefits of in-person working for sales teams and the importance of meeting face-to-face. Moreover, Broccardo highlighted the importance of "listening to your buyers" and remaining attentive.

"Sometimes there’s something- a little surprise- that comes along, and you’ve got to pivot," Broccardo said. "You might have been focusing on something which you’ve had to pay a lot of money for and then you suddenly start listening to your buyers and your sales team or other people in the company and you think, ’hang on, we’re missing a real opportunity here’." 

The speakers were asked to consider whether liking a book is a requirement in order to be able to sell it effectively. Derkacz said that it is easier to sell a book that you do not have an emotional attachment to, while Farrar explained that liking a book on a personal level is irrelevant; what is important is to see the potential of a book to find its readers. Broccardo echoed Farrar but added that personal taste plays a more significant role in a smaller publisher such as Swift Press, where a director is more directly involved with buying the books they publish. 

The sales directors also spoke about motivating teams and junior team-members, highlighting the role of culture and morale. Responding to a question from the audience, Broccardo said that she has been involved in the Independent Alliance mentorship scheme launched by Canongate’s publisher and commercial director Jenny Fry, which has matched more than 100 mentors and mentees since it launched five years ago.