• The ECC Questionnaire

Jason M. Wells, Executive Director, Abrams Books for Young Readers | Amulet Books | July 1, 2011

JASON M. WELLS executive director, publicity and marketing Abrams Books for Young Readers | Amulet Books

What was your first job in children’s publishing?
In 1992, as a junior in high school, I started as an after school intern at the now defunct coffee table reference book publisher PBC International, Inc., based in Glen Cove, Long Island. I worked there for two full years, full-time in the summer. It was a wonderful place to learn the ins and outs of both marketing and editorial. I was lucky enough to experience book design BEFORE computers-wax, boards, slides, transparencies, and all of the glories of old school, full-color printing.

What was the first children’s book you worked on?
It was the last book I worked on before leaving PBC to go to college—Children’s Book Illustration and Design, edited by Julie Cummins. It was a survey of the best children’s illustrators in the field and a fascinating introduction to the world.

How long have you worked at Abrams Books for Young Readers?
9 years as of June 2011.

What is your favorite word?
It changes, at the moment it is pontificate.

What is your favorite industry-related website or blog?
This also changes. Since BookExpo I’m hooked on Shelftalker. There something so real about it.

Can you describe your typical day?
I get up (try to, sometimes) at 6:10am and go to the gym in my building; then bike to work. I’m usually at my desk by no later than 7:55am. I read the Wall Street Journal. Then the juggling begins. As my department is both publicity and marketing, parts of the day involve different aspects of both. I love the variety. I usually wrap things up at 6:50pm, before the freight elevator closes at 7pm (have to get the bike back out of the building!).

What do you think is the most important aspect of your job?
Communication. Whether I’m talking to the media, librarians, booksellers, or simply passing information along in-house, the message has to be clear and presented with courtesy (no matter how bad the news is).

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
When I worked in publicity only at a previous job at a larger house, my very wise boss told me that my talents would be best used by a smaller publisher who could fully appreciate my interests in both marketing and publicity. She was right.

What are you reading now? Or what was the last book you really enjoyed?
I just finished Jack Gantos’s new book. For a while I’ve been reading We are the Drowned by Carsten Jensen, and I love it. It is a fantastic epic best read in pieces.