Help wanted: Oni Press is hiring a Sales Manager

Via email, if you have what it takes to sell comics to comics shops and bookstores, Oni is looking for a dynamic individual to fill that role.

ONI PRESS, INC. — SALES MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION

The Sales Manager position at Oni Press is a dynamic and multi-faceted role with key responsibilities that span sales to the direct, book, and library markets, maintaining and developing vendor relationships, and working to formulate appropriate sales strategies by channel. The successful candidate will be:

• Self-motivated, yet able to work as part of a team;
• Excited about the Oni Press brand, including its erotic and sex education comics imprint, Limerence Press;
• And, most importantly, be able to translate that excitement into an ongoing sales strategy that results in a net increase in the sales of our comics and graphic novels.

Apart from the key responsibilities of conducting sales calls and emails, this position will also be our primary point of contact for with our distributor, and other digital, direct, and mass market partners. Reports to the VP of Marketing and Sales.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Direct Market (Comic Retail Shops) sales
  • Research, develop, and execute a variety of sales programs including exclusive variants, discount incentives, and returnability.
  • Cultivate and maintain relationships with comic book store direct market retailers. Conduct regular calls and emails to retailers (approximately 500 a month) to retailers to assist them in placing aggressive, but appropriate, orders for our new and backlist titles.
  • Compile and maintain a list of retail partners, their purchasing preferences, and their preferred method and frequency of contact.
  • Compile and maintain a rotating list of retailers and press to send a monthly package of promotional materials (posters, buttons, etc.) and sample pages to.
  • Provide PREVIEWS catalog information to Diamond Comic Distributors.
  • Provide Diamond PREVIEWS ad pages work order to Design & Production.
  • Work with editorial to facilitate Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) and previews.
  • Work with individual and groups of retailers to craft custom promotional and sales opportunities.
  • Work towards expanding Oni Press market share in the North American direct market.

• Mass Market (Bookstores, etc.) and Library sales
  • Establish and maintain relationships with libraries, in particular librarians with purchasing authority.
  • Establish relationships with bookstore and entertainment store chain buyers.
  • Provide bookstore catalog information to Diamond Book Distributors.
  • Coordinate Advance Reader Copies (ARC) dispersion through physical copies, PDFs, and NetGalley.
  • Compare orders to sales (according to Bookscan) and returns develop tailored sales recommendations.
  • Identify product lines appropriate for specialty retailers and boutiques and secure orders for appropriate products and lines.

• Digital Sales
  • Work with Publisher to oversee vendor relationships with comiXology, Amazon, Apple, and Google Play.
  • Develop promotions and sales appropriate to these platforms.

SECONDAY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Analysis, Execution, Evaluation: Act as an adviser to the VP of Marketing and Sales and the Publisher on ways to better manage sales and increase profitability.
• Set Goals: Work with VP of Marketing and Sales to set quarterly and yearly budgets, include goals for purchase orders based on comparative titles, and market trends.
• Event Planning Support: Work with our Director of Logistics to support in-store events and trade shows, including creator signing and appearances. Work as part of the team that determines company presence and attend industry trade shows and conventions.
• Conventions: Attend all major North American comic conventions. Travel is roughly 15% of the job.
• Other duties: As assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Three to five years in a sales representative role; within industry preferred.
• At least one year of prior management experience or demonstrated willingness and ability to learn management basics.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with data analysis and reporting.
• Hardworking, persistent, and dependable.
• Positive and enthusiastic.
• Willingness to travel for trade shows and conventions.

Additionally, the ideal candidate will possess:

• Bachelor’s degree; business and marketing majors preferred.
• An interest and empathic response to individual needs and points of view.
• A willingness to spend time and devote thought to analyzing attitudes, and their impact on emerging trends.
• A sense of justice or fair dealing in their interactions with retail partners.
• Respect for others’ unique personalities and experiences.
• Prior knowledge of the book and/or comic markets.Experience with MailChimp.
• Prior knowledge of Diamond Comic Distributors, Diamond Book Distributors, and their sales system.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Qualified applicants should send an email with the subject line “SALES MANAGER APPLICATION” that includes all of the following: a cover letter (copied in the body of the email), resume, and salary requirements to[email protected]. No calls please.