As the Marketing Manager for IVP Academic, I was responsible for coordinating the launch of 40-50 new titles each year. This included drafting a comprehensive marketing plan, and incorporating the input of colleagues from editorial and publicity to ensure a seamless execution of each plan. I provided creative direction for the design and copy of all web and print advertisements, and prepared content for inclusion in the seasonal Academic catalog. Leading up to and throughout each book’s launch, I served as the marketing liaison for all IVP Academic authors, providing guidance and feedback.
Book Launch Case Study
The First Thanksgiving by Robert Tracy McKenzie
“As a teacher, I am always on the lookout for brief, well-written models of historical thinking that I can immediately thrust into the hands of undergraduates. I absolutely loved the chapter on why it took Thanksgiving so long to take root. This work models historical thinking with incandescent lucidity.”
—Sam Wineburg, Stanford University
One of my favorite titles to work on was The First Thanksgiving by Robert Tracy McKenzie (IVP Academic, 2013). It’s narrative history at its best and we wanted to give this book the best shot at being picked up by educators for textbook adoption. To that end, our team worked to build a suite of supplemental items to add appeal, including several digital resources to coincide with the book’s release.
Working with the author, as well as my colleagues in editorial, our team created an instructor’s guide for each chapter that included:
- brief chapter synopsis and list of main ideas
- key quotes, suitable for discussion-starters
- key concepts relevant for developing students’ historical thinking
- questions for consideration designed to help students identify and grapple with the book’s core argument.
This book quickly surpassed all sales goals within the first month of its release, and became a successful textbook adoption title, ensuring repeat sales year after year.
Below are several promotional videos I commissioned for the book launch:
Robert Tracy McKenzie, author of The First Thanksgiving, on Thanksgiving Dinner from InterVarsity Press.
An animated short inspired by the book, created by Nate Baker-Lutz