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. 

Vic deBouchel joined W. W. Norton in 2015 as Media Specialist covering the Texas and Gulf South Region. He’s been in publishing since 2001 when he was a sales rep for Addison Wesley/Benjamin-Cummings (Pearson), based in New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, he moved to the Houston, Texas, area, where he still resides today as an Educational Technology Specialist for Norton. 

How did you end up at Norton, or what enticed you to apply?  

I started in the industry as a sales rep for Pearson in New Orleans and, after several good years there, I became a Marketing Consultant for Thomson/Cengage and eventually an Institutional Account Manager. From there, I became the Global Product Manager for Late Nite Labs, which was part of Macmillan. Then nine years ago, I got a call from a former colleague who was a “Nortonian,” and they let me know about the open Media Specialist position in Texas. Norton had phenomenal content, but what attracted me to the position the most was how people talked about Norton. The effusive praise for the employee-owned culture and the leadership—that was hard to ignore. After a few interviews with Jordan Mendez, Mike Wright, and the interview committee, the rest is history.

What is your current role, and what part do you play in the book publishing process? 

I am an Educational Technology Specialist. The Ed Tech Specialist role is pretty diverse—we work on campus with our sales reps to help them strategize to win business and train them to communicate about Norton technology resources effectively. We also work with adopters of our resources, training them via in-service, professional development, or implementation best practices for utilizing our technologies to achieve their desired outcomes in the classroom. The Ed Tech Specialist team also works closely with Learning Management System Admins and Inclusive Access Coordinators in our regions to make sure that the framework is in place for successful use of Norton products at each institution.

For your current role, what does an average day look like? 

If I’m on campus working with a sales rep, my day is their day. Because the Ed Tech Specialists are generalists, we can go into any department and present Norton resources. We can start the morning calling on a potential History adopter and discuss InQuizitive, our adaptive online learning tool; go into a Psychology professor’s office to show them the new interactive Norton Illumine Ebook; and then go see some Economics or Geology adopters to discuss how they can better utilize the online homework tool Smartwork to improve their outcomes. When I’m in my home office, I’m usually on Zoom or Teams collaborating with colleagues or working with instructors to help with tech questions.

I think the Ed Tech role is one of the coolest jobs in the company. We get to work with very smart people every day and help them be successful…it’s definitely NEVER boring.

What skills do you need to succeed in your job? Did any previous work or life experience help you in your role? 

People skills and a service mindset are key. You need to be a strategic thinker and a problem solver. Obviously, technical acumen is helpful and you must know the ins-and-outs of our resources. A strong understanding of the various learning management systems and how our resources function within those LMSs is important. You also need a consultative mindset to help understand what our customers want our technologies to do and then be able to articulate how that will work inside the customer’s course. I’m a former educator so it’s helpful to have that background when it comes to understanding what instructors need to help improve their course outcomes and retention. 

How has your current job/role changed while you’ve worked at Norton?  

The Pandemic year was honestly the busiest I have been in my entire career. Prior, an instructor having an online presence was cutting edge. When Covid hit, having a course online was a requirement. Those instructors who had pushed back or simply not used online resources now had to bring their courses online. The Ed Tech team spent many weeks and months helping our adopters understand not just how to use the resources but why to use them to achieve their goals.

Since then, online courses are ubiquitous so a good portion of my time is spent in “next level” conversations about how using certain resources can help that adopter improve their class outcome and student retention.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in publishing? 

Publishing is a great career. There are lots of moving parts in publishing so take a look around at all the roles in the process – Editorial, Marketing, Digital Product, Media Editorial. If you are in a sales role, don’t forget your secret weapon in sales: asking the question of “Why?.” We call on educators and their default mode is to educate, so if you are looking for a breakthrough it always helps to be inquisitive and ask, “Why do you teach this that way?,” “Why is that important?,” “Why do you not do x?” Be genuinely curious.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of an art or music department to help you refocus or recharge if the day isn’t going as planned. Just sitting in an art or music department for 10 minutes, listening to student solos or seeing student works of art, can do wonders.

What excites you about the future? 

While I do feel that we can always keep expanding features in our resources, we are well positioned to respond to how instructors are utilizing resources within their LMS. I think that our forward-thinking strategy in Inclusive Access/Equitable Access is tops in the industry. Across the region, bookstore managers and IA/EA coordinators rave about the ease of integration and delivery of Norton.

What does Norton being independent and employee-owned mean to you and your work? 

Norton has a culture unique in the publishing industry, and really in corporate America in general, and I value that. The employee ownership aspect allows for a pretty positive work environment. It also allows us to be thoughtful when it comes to responding to changes in the market. 

Lastly, what do you like to do outside of work? Any fun hobbies or recent reads you would recommend?  

Outside of work, I enjoy painting (which I took up during the Covid year). I also enjoy going to the gym and running the occasional Tough Mudder race. I’m also a rabid fan of Louisiana State University and you can find me in Tiger Stadium a few times a year. Geaux Tigers!

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