As part of the changes made recently at Workman and Algonquin, Craig Popelars, Algonquin's director of marketing, a job he continues to hold, has also been appointed Workman's director of marketing for the retail book trade, a new position.
As the company put it, he will act as Workman's "voice to independent retailers--drumming up support, enthusiasm and high-octane merchandising program through e-newsletters, staff presentations, galley mailings and trade shows." He will be based in Chapel Hill, N.C., where Algonquin offices are, and spend time in Workman's New York City office every other week.
"My role will be to convey to booksellers and readers the excitement and energy that Workman brings to books," Popelars told Shelf Awareness. "We have a really strong sales force--what I'm doing directly with retailers supports the sales reps' efforts. They go in and sell and champion the lists while my job is to sell them off the shelves."
Not surprisingly for anyone who knows him, Popelars said, "I want to have fun with it," particularly considering the differences between the Algonquin and Workman lines. For example, he said, "I'm not expecting Potty Caddy [a toilet training kit for parents and toddlers] to be a top 10 Indie Next pick. But there are many fun ways to promote it, maybe using a Joe the Plumber angle."
Happily for fans of his informative and entertaining newsletter, Algonquin Annotations, Popelars plans to launch a newsletter for Workman that will have "a different look and feel" and may make its debut in January.
He called visiting stores "the most exciting part of the job" and said he enjoys "getting to know the front line booksellers, who are the movers and shakers. My philosophy is to go beyond the buyers."
He added that in a time when many publishers are cutting back, "It's great that Workman is making an investment in and commitment to retailers."