• The ECC Questionnaire

Ilsa Jule, Marketing Production Manager, Random House Children’s Books | July 14, 2015

What is your current role at Random House Children’s Books?
I’m the Production Manager in Marketing Production. I handle sourcing and producing promotional items for Trade Marketing and School & Library. This runs the gamut from POS (point of sale) displays to posters, bookmarks, brochures, tote bags, blow ups, event kits, t-shirts, sunglasses, buttons, etc.

What was your first job in production?
I was the Production Manager/Managing Editor of the Envoy, the student newspaper at Hunter College.

What is your favorite item that you’ve helped produce/print?
That’s a hard question to answer — since I’ve moved from print production (newspaper/magazine) and into the making of promotional items, things have been more interesting. I’ve managed the productions of hundreds of giveaways. I’m super happy with the tote bag that we made for First in Line this year. They were handed out at BEA and they are really handsome.

What books did you enjoy reading as a kid?
My favorite books, in the order I read them growing up:

Curious George by Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer

Trouble After School by Jerrold Beim

The Three Investigators series by Robert Arthur, Jr.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Myra Breckinridge by Gore Vidal

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

What advice would you give to a young professional in the industry?
The reality of working in publishing is very different from the dream of working in publishing. If you can, get internships in a couple of different areas before leaping into the job market. You’re going to want to get a feel for what it really means to work in editorial, sales, marketing, etc., before you accept a job offer. Sometimes the choices made early on in a career have a [more?] lasting impact than expected. Always be professional in your interactions; publishing is a very small, specialized industry. Protecting your reputation should be a top priority.