In today’s Inside Harlequin post, we chat with marketing extraordinaire Andrea Seto, one of our colleagues at Harlequin.
Read on to find out more about what she does in the marketing department while working on series romance!
What does a typical day look like/What are the overall duties of your job?
I work in the marketing department for Harlequin series. I work specifically on Special Edition, Intrigue and DARE, which means I get a lot of variety in terms of the types of stories we’re publishing. We work at least 6 months in advance, so right now I’m looking at what titles we’ll be publishing in June and July of 2019.
Where do you fit into the book publishing process?
I work very closely with our editorial and art departments. We have monthly calls to go over cover briefs – this is where we agree on titles and decide what we want to see on the cover of a book.
I also work on larger marketing campaigns such as the launch of DARE this past February. It was a fun challenge to introduce a brand-new series to readers and highlight what makes DARE unique. Because DARE is our first digital-only series, part of my challenge is thinking of new ways to reach readers in a digital environment.
What are some things you consider when working on a series book, or before you start a new marketing campaign?
What are readers telling us they like? (Yes! We actually read your reviews!) It’s important that our readers get the happily-ever-after they’re looking for when reading Harlequin books. I like learning about the different ways a story, whether it’s sweet or thrilling, leaves you feeling good and wanting more.
Do you have any funny/memorable/challenging moments you could share with our readers about working on Harlequin romance over the years?
My most memorable moment to date was visiting a photoshoot for one of our Special Edition covers as I had arranged for my friend’s dogs to be featured. Unfortunately, we were shooting outside that day and it was extremely cold and a little bit rainy. Our models were real troopers and cozied next to some wet dogs while wearing summer attire.
What upcoming Series books are you excited for or what have you worked on lately? (Maybe we’d keep this to released titles?).
I’m excited for Michelle Major’s Maggie & Griffin trilogy to come to a conclusion. The third book, A Stonecreek Christmas Reunion, is on shelves now! This is the first time we’ve had three books featuring the same couple in Special Edition and getting to spend that extra time with Maggie and Griffin really allows you to get to know the characters on a deeper level.
