Marcella Smith is a publishing consultant offering expert support to publishers and authors in strategic marketing and business development.
Marcella is known and respected in the industry for her knowledge of publishers, industry best practices, and in maximizing sales to the customer whether in a traditional bookstore, or in non-traditional outlets.
Prior to establishing her own business Marcella was a senior executive at Barnes & Noble who worked with publishers/suppliers to develop new business, expand the title selection, strengthen relationships, and drive increased profitability. Her career there spanned over 20 years, during which time she had many positions including Director of Vendor Relations, overseeing the management of all aspects of Barnes & Noble’s operations/logistics/financial relationship with its suppliers, including terms negotiations. As a Director of Merchandise, her buying teams expanded the representation of regional titles in the Barnes & Noble stores, and online at Barnes & Noble.com, with a concomitant increase in sales. In her early years at Barnes & Noble she established her commitment to the presence of the independent presses on the bookshelves at B&N through her participation in the Small Press Distribution Committee sponsored by IPG and PMA, and later by serving two terms on the board of the PMA (now IBPA), and she continues as a member of that organization.
She extended her reach into the independent press community as she participated on panels and workshops at regional publisher association meetings; was on the faculty of the IBPA Publishing University from 1994-2010, and was a frequent speaker at publisher and author seminars around the country. She was a charter member of the Small Press Advisory Council established by the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesman in NYC.
In early 2010 she participated in the BISG On Sale Date Task Force which established an best practice for the implementation of an On Sale Date for all new trade titles.
Before Marcella joined B&N in 1989, she was a freelance writer and agent. Earlier in her career she worked at Simon & Schuster as a Marketing Manager, and at St. Martin’s Press as the Special Sales Manager, where she developed her passion for selling books through non-traditional outlets.
She received her degree in English from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.