We’re offering readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the bookmaking process—the people behind the books and the products we create! Through our “Behind the Book” blog series, discover who plays a role in creating a book, what daily life looks like at Norton, and what being part of an independent and employee-owned company means.
Stacy Loyal joined W. W. Norton in 2011 as a Science Marketing Manager and is now a Senior Marketing Research and Strategy Director. She is based near Santa Barbara, California, and loves visiting Norton’s New York City office for Szechuan lunches and strolls through the public library on Fifth Avenue.
What is your current role, and what part do you play in the book publishing process?
As the Senior Marketing Research and Strategy Director, I lead research projects to help our team make informed decisions when planning their marketing campaigns and strategies and help them better understand our markets. I also work to make marketing processes efficient and research the best ways to reach the right instructors with our marketing activities, such as emails, instructor and student workshops, and blog posts like this one. I also directly market our chemistry and environmental science titles.
For your current role, what does an average day look like?
The first thing I do is scan my inbox and Teams chat. Working remotely from the West Coast means I’m catching up on emails from the New York office first. I then respond to sales requests and plan for the day’s priorities. I review my tasks, which we keep track of in Wrike, our project management app. Tasks might include reviewing a final video project, promoting an author workshop, or analyzing survey results. Between those chunks, I walk my dog, Everest, and sip lattes. It’s hard to get out of the office and take breaks, but it really helps to get some fresh air and sunshine to clear my head.
What skills do you need to succeed in your job? Did any previous work or life experience help you in your role?
I believe to succeed in higher education publishing, you need empathy for college instructors and their challenges. Studying journalism helped me learn to ask questions to get to the story, ask the right questions, and listen. I also work on a number of teams, and being in a team sport definitely helped me both manage and enjoy the collaboration.
How did you end up at Norton, or what enticed you to apply?
I first learned of Norton as a competitor when I was a sales rep at another publisher. Norton had an opening for a Science Marketing Manager; I loved selling science and knew I wanted to do marketing to dive deeper in my content knowledge and tell impactful stories. It’s definitely special to be at a 100-year-old publisher and get to tell the story of our employee ownership and independence.
What have been some of your favorite projects?
It must be a postcard I created with kittens fighting with lightsabers. We asked if instructors were tired of battling for the best price. The goal was to get their attention, and I think it did! Cute kittens are always good marketing. I also love working on our environmental science text and getting to talk with instructors about topics like regenerative agriculture and environmental justice.
Were there any projects or moments that surprised or challenged you?
I’m surprised I have been at Norton for 12 years, but it’s the smart team members I get to collaborate with and the exciting new projects that have kept the job interesting.
How has your current job/role changed while you’ve worked at Norton?
We have evolved to better meet the needs of our customers and the sales team. In marketing, we are always pursuing improvements in our processes and how we can bring quality marketing-qualified leads to the sales team.
What has kept you at Norton? What excites you about the future?
The interesting new projects, smart colleagues, and fulfilling work have kept me here. The last year was a special time as we celebrated 100 years and had a couple of star-studded events in New York (Neil DeGrasse Tyson was my favorite guest). In the future, I am looking forward to helping instructors and schools navigate through the changes that AI will bring to the classroom.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in publishing?
Don’t be afraid to try different jobs to see what you’ll like. I started out as a production editor, moved to sales, and now I’m in marketing. If you see someone in a position you think you’d like, ask them if they’d consider mentoring you. Most of us are eager to talk with new talent—it keeps us optimistic about the future.
Lastly, what do you like to do outside of work? Any fun hobbies or recent reads you would recommend?
Outside of work, I coordinate my two young kids’ lives, play tennis, and plan my next trip where I can drink wine and read in a new place. My favorite podcast is We Can Do Hard Things and my last favorite read was Lessons in Chemistry.
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