Marvelous Marketer - Krista Marino (Sr. Editor/Delacorte Press)

Marvelous Marketers: Krista Marino, Senior Editor
Delacorte Press (Random House Kids)

Hi Krista! Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to be with us today. Before we get into your marketing advice, can you tell me a little about yourself and publishing house.

I am a Senior Editor at Delacorte Press—an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Delacorte publishes middle grade and young adult fiction, so I’m only looking to acquire books that fall into those categories. The genres I work on are far-ranging, though. Lately I’ve been acquiring darker projects. I think it’s a reflection on where our world is today. Teenagers just aren’t really looking to read light, happy books--and I guess I’m not, either. One of my upcoming books perfectly encapsulates this world anxiety. THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan is a story about hope set in a post-apocalyptic world.

In your opinion, how important is social networking? Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, GoodReads etc.

At Random House we’ve found that this is a HUGE part of an author’s success. You can quietly build a solid fan base by keeping (and maintaining regularly) a blog and website. And the more authors you connect with, the better your networking tools become. You can follow Random House . Facebook seems to be the social networking site of choice these days, but a personal blog could be even more useful in creating a feeling of intimacy with your readership.

How important is technology to an author’s marketing plan?

Because teens are on the internet more and more, we’ve really turned our marketing focus toward this venue. I think it’s very important you are out there—that you have a presence—on the internet.

Do you feel it is beneficial for authors to team up and promote books as a group? Why?

Yes. It’s very beneficial. And the more authors you have out there talking your books up the better. Any champion you can get with a venue that reaches the public is useful. The internet seems to be the most cost-effective venue out there these days and there are several groups that are taking advantage of this, organizing online, and pooling money for group marketing projects.

What things do you expect an author to do on their own?

We expect an author to do anything they can to support their book. These days, a website is a basic necessity. Then you can build up from there to Facebook and Myspace and other online communities. Not only for marketing, but for building connections within the industry. Librarians, teachers, other authors—the more people you know, and the more friendly you are, the better off you’ll be. Many of my authors have parlayed their relationships into blurbs for their debut novels. That’s something that goes far.

Thank you again for sharing your marketing advice!