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. 

In 2018, Heidi Balas joined W. W. Norton as a college sales representative, or “traveler,” which is how we fondly refer to the role here. After two and a half years in that role and representing the Pittsburgh territory, she was promoted to the marketing sales and development specialist role covering the Northeast/Midwest. Still based in Pittsburgh, she travels across territories from Boston to Kansas to support the sales team in her region and gather market feedback from instructors.  

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

My current role is sales and marketing development specialist, specifically in the humanities. These disciplines include art, communication, composition, film, literature, music, philosophy, and religion. My work with the sales team and the information I gather from instructors helps inform discipline teams on revisions, new editions, and sales strategy.  

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

Every day is different in sales, publishing, and in this role, which makes my job a reliable adventure. On an average day on campus, I help sales reps connect with instructors in the humanities disciplines by providing additional information about the book content and resources; on an average day in the office (typically my home or a local coffee shop), I often fill the time by collaborating on projects with my fellow specialists and marketers and meeting virtually with instructors to explore our humanities books and resources more deeply.  

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

Skills in the family of creativity, ingenuity, and resourcefulness are important. Strong time management, organization, and intuition are key as well. Friendliness, approachability, and authenticity are useful every day too! Likewise, my background in education and experience as a teacher, coach, mentor, and department chair have provided skills that I use every day, such as being a strong speaker/presenter; creating great slide decks and informational products/messages; knowing when and how to pivot; being unafraid of reflection and receptive to constructive input; and being open to and effective through collaboration.  

What have been some of your favorite projects? Are there any projects or initiatives you introduced to your department or Norton? 

In the specialist role, I enjoy creating sales tools and slide decks to help sales reps tell compelling stories and emphasize the superior quality of our books and resources. That creative piece never gets boring for me! This year, I introduced a virtual “coffee chat” approach to my department to have more informal yet meaningful conversations with professors in small groups across the miles. It has been rewarding to see how this approach shook out and to have so many enlightening conversations with instructors! I look forward to having more in the future. 

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

I was looking for a position that would be a new adventure with more flexibility and opportunities for professional growth. I saw the job posting, and almost instantly I fondly remembered the Norton Anthologies that I used in college. Honestly, I imagine that it’s difficult to have a humanities background and not know Norton. My Anthologies have always been displayed on my bookshelves prominently, as they should be! Thankfully the demands of the position and my goals, qualifications, and experience coincided. I applied, and the rest is history!  

What was your first job at Norton, and since that first job, have you changed roles or departments? If yes, what motivated the changes, and what was the transition process like? 

Yes! I started at Norton as the college sales representative, or “traveler,” for the Pittsburgh territory. I am an alumnus of three of the schools I covered, so they were familiar to me, but I also loved exploring the schools in my territory with which I was unfamiliar. No matter where I visited, every day was an adventure, and I enjoyed the challenge of learning as much as I could about each one and their programs, students, and instructors. Making connections and building relationships with instructors allowed me to then explore solutions to increase student achievement, confidence, and comprehension with Norton’s books and resources. It was a great introduction into the publishing world for me as I transitioned out of teaching!  

One of the aspects I loved most about the traveler role was giving presentations and taking deep dives into our content with instructors, so when the specialist role in the humanities became available, I thought it might be a great way to combine my background in education, my creativity, and my love for the traveler responsibilities into something new. And here I am, embarking on my third year as a specialist.  

Were there any projects or moments that surprised or challenged you? 

When I was a traveler, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed selling in the science disciplines, because my background is almost exclusively in the humanities. Who knew I would love working with chemists, despite barely making my way through high school chemistry?  

What has kept you at Norton? What excites you about the future? 

There is an environment of genuine kindness here at Norton—we celebrate one another through our successes as much as we support each other through our challenges. Norton is the unicorn of workplaces in that regard. As for the next 100 years of Norton’s history, I am most excited about contributing to the continued legacy of “books that live” through the work that I do each day.  

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

Our independence and employee-ownership are the bedrock of what we do every day—that foundation supports us as we tell our books’ and authors’ rich stories and how they fit into the W. W. Norton story. How often do we get to work for a company that values what we do and each other this way? When we close messages with “Thank you for supporting independent and employee-owned publishing,” we mean it.  

Have you participated in any extracurricular programs at Norton? 

I have been on the service committee for a few years, specifically working on our internal holiday book drive to provide Norton Young Readers books for preschool children in New York. I have also had the wonderful opportunity to mentor new travelers, new specialists, and even a Norton intern; mentoring is an important part of professional growth and development, and I am grateful that Norton trusts me to help new members of our flock during the beginning of their journeys in publishing.  

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

You will learn something new every day because college publishing and higher education are dynamic, evolving fields. Be ready to adapt and go with the flow. Also, working in publishing is so worth it . . . especially when you can end up sitting in a book club discussion on The Overstory and Richard Powers answers one of your questions! 

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

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends (including my dog, Mojito, who just celebrated his eleventh birthday). I am a voracious reader and podcast listener, and I attend as much live theater as my schedule will allow. I also seek to visit museums, historical landmarks (“World’s Biggest Teapot?” I have been there!), and the works of Frank Lloyd Wright whenever I can! If there is a gift shop at any of those places, you can bet that I exited through it and purchased a souvenir. I am currently reading Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet and rewatching all of the Harry Potter movies as I introduce them to my son for the first time (building the corresponding LEGO sets as we go).  

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