Description

Title:
Sales Account Manager

Reports to:

Publisher

Compensation:

$100,000 + Earned Potential (Commission Only) based on an Established $1 Million Territory

About Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly (PW) is the leading international news platform for the publishing industry, offering trusted reporting, analysis, and pre-publication book reviews for more than 150 years. PW reaches decision-makers across the global book ecosystem, from major publishing houses to indie presses, booksellers, educators, librarians, agencies, technology partners, and other industry leaders.

Position Overview

We’re seeking a driven, people-oriented Sales Account Manager who thrives on building relationships, spotting opportunities, and working closely with clients to build thoughtful advertising portfolios. This role is ideal for a go-getter who is equal parts strategist, connector, and modern prospector—someone who understands the publishing landscape, moves quickly, and loves bringing creative advertising, sponsorship, and partnership solutions to clients.

The Sales Account Manager will manage and grow a defined portfolio of accounts while actively prospecting for new business opportunities across PW’s print, digital, newsletter, social, event, webcast, custom content, and marketing channels. This person should be equally comfortable building relationships in person and using modern sales tools, CRM systems, audience insights, LinkedIn, industry databases, and AI-assisted research to prospect smarter, personalize outreach, and uncover new revenue opportunities.

You’ll collaborate closely with editorial, marketing, events, production, and PW Content Studio teams to deliver high-impact advertising and sponsorship solutions that help clients meet their goals while supporting PW’s broader growth strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Account Management & Growth

• Build, manage, and nurture relationships with publishers, agencies, nonprofits, technology partners, industry service providers, and other key players across the book business.
• Proactively identify client needs and develop tailored, multi-channel advertising, sponsorship, and marketing solutions.
• Consistently meet or exceed quarterly and annual sales goals through strategic account growth, renewals, upsells, and new business development.
• Identify emerging market segments, advertiser categories, and innovative partnership opportunities to expand PW’s reach and impact.
• Deliver compelling sales presentations, proposals, and recommendations to senior-level decision-makers.
• Collaborate with PW Content Studio to develop custom advertising, branded content, and sponsorship packages.
• Negotiate contracts and pricing to maximize revenue while maintaining strong client relationships and satisfaction.
• Provide regular reporting on revenue progress, account activity, pipeline health, trends, risks, and opportunities.

Prospecting, Pipeline & Sales Technology

• Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of qualified leads through outreach, referrals, networking, industry events, digital prospecting, and targeted account research.
• Use CRM tools to manage pipeline activity, track outreach, maintain account history, forecast revenue, and surface new opportunities.
• Leverage modern prospecting tools, industry databases, email platforms, audience insights, and AI-assisted research to identify qualified leads and decision-makers.
• Develop targeted outreach strategies using data, account signals, client news, industry trends, event participation, competitive activity, and campaign performance insights.
• Maintain disciplined follow-up cadences across email, phone, LinkedIn, virtual meetings, industry events, and in-person client meetings.
• Keep prospect and account records clean, current, and actionable so PW can track opportunities, forecast accurately, and strengthen long-term client relationships.
• Use sales and marketing performance data to inform client recommendations, renewals, upsells, sponsorship opportunities, and new product ideas.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Market Insight

• Work closely with editorial, events, marketing, production, and operations teams to ensure seamless campaign delivery and exceptional client experiences.
• Partner with marketing to understand PW audience segments, newsletter and digital performance, lead-generation opportunities, campaign metrics, and advertiser ROI.
• Stay current on publishing industry trends, the competitive landscape, media buying behavior, event sponsorship trends, and new marketing technologies.
• Contribute client feedback, prospect insights, and market intelligence to help shape new advertising products, sponsorship opportunities, webcasts, events, and custom marketing offerings.
• Represent PW professionally at client meetings, industry conferences, trade shows, and networking events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 2+ years of B2B sales experience, preferably in media, publishing, advertising, events, sponsorship, technology, or a related industry.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills—you’re a natural networker, relationship builder, and consultative seller.
• Strong presentation and negotiation abilities, including comfort selling to senior executives and multi-stakeholder teams.
• Comfortable using CRM systems, prospecting platforms, LinkedIn, email outreach tools, spreadsheets, and digital sales reporting dashboards.
• Ability to use research tools thoughtfully to prepare for client meetings, personalize outreach, identify prospects, summarize account intelligence, and spot market opportunities.
• Strong understanding of how advertisers evaluate digital, print, newsletter, event, social, webcast, custom content, and integrated marketing opportunities.
• Highly organized and metrics-driven, with the ability to manage a healthy pipeline, prioritize accounts, maintain consistent outreach, and follow through on details.
• Curious, resourceful, and proactive in identifying new categories of business and emerging client needs.
• Knowledge of the book publishing ecosystem is highly desirable.
• Ability to travel for key client meetings, industry events, and conferences.

What Success Looks Like

• Strong client relationships that lead to renewals, referrals, and expanded advertising portfolios.
• A consistently active pipeline with clear next steps, accurate forecasting, and disciplined follow-up.
• Smart, personalized outreach that reflects a strong understanding of each prospect’s business, audience, and goals.
• Creative, consultative proposals that connect PW’s platforms and partnerships to client objectives.
• A modern, organized, and data-informed approach to sales that helps PW grow revenue across existing and emerging channels.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate combines classic relationship-driven sales instincts with a modern, data-informed approach to prospecting and pipeline growth. They are curious about the publishing industry, energized by client conversations, comfortable using technology to work smarter, and motivated by building creative advertising and partnership solutions that deliver value for clients and revenue growth for PW.

Excellent cafeteria-style benefits: Health Insurance, Dental, Vision, LTD, STD, Life & AD&D Insurance, Supplemental Life Insurance, FSA Transit, 401k, and generous vacation, holiday and personal time in a 3-day/week hybrid work environment.

Please submit a cover letter, résumé, and compensation requirements to Nathaly Rivas at [email protected] under the subject line heading “Sales Manager." Applications without compensation requirements will not be considered. 

Publishers Weekly, familiarly known in the book world as PW and “the bible of the book business,” is a robust news platform focused on the international book publishing business. In addition to ten eNewsletters, live events and extensive social media PW includes a magazine published weekly for 150+ years. It offers feature articles and news on all aspects of the book business, bestsellers lists, in a number of categories, and industry statistics, but its best-known service is pre-publication book reviews, of which it publishes more than 8,500 per year.

Publishers Weekly wholly embraces diversity and delivers equal opportunity.  We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and we encourage our employees to bring their authentic, original, and best selves to work.