Connie Briscoe Presents–
Book Marketer Lee McDonald

When Lee McDonald– director of marketing and events at Karibu Books–contacted me shortly after Karibu closed to let me know that she and Charlotte Reid (also of Karibu Books) would be taking on clients to help them with marketing, publicity, events and scheduling, I knew that I had to get the word out. If you’ve worked with Karibu, you know Lee McDonald and the excellent work she did for the bookstore and the many authors who appeared there over the years. No matter what the book market was doing, I could always count on a big crowd showing up–sometimes numbering in the hundreds–whenever I appeared for a book signing at Karibu. This woman knows her book marketing stuff.

For Connie Briscoe Presents, Lee shares what it takes to succeed in the book marketing and publicity business and what’s next for her after the closing of Karibu Books.

Connie Briscoe: How long did you work as director of marketing and events for Karibu?

Lee McDonald: I started Karibu in 2001. I dabbled in all areas of the business–sales, buying, warehouse, et cetera–and became the director of marketing and events sometime in 2002.

CB: Before we get into your new venture, can you tell us a bit about why Karibu closed?

Lee McDonald: Well, I don’t really want to speak on the behalf of either of the owners but I will say that there were differences in the vision and growth of Karibu, therefore the business suffered.

CB: Do you think it will ever reopen, and if so, when?

Lee McDonald: Connie, you know, that is a question I continually get! I do not know, but knowing the drive and passion that Karibu was built from, it would not surprise me to see a Karibu reappear in the future.

CB: Good. We’ve all got our fingers crossed. You handled book marketing and events for Karibu. For someone who might be interested in pursuing that kind of work, what kind of training and experience did you have?

Lee McDonald: Interestingly enough, my background is in hospitality/human resource and hotel management. With that said, I think if you have a background in selling, servicing and interacting with people that you can market and/or brand a product. The ability to effectively communicate with lots of people is very important. Many of the contacts you make will be about building relationships, so complete professionalism and timely follow up are also important. Lastly, of course, is results. You must have the numbers to compliment the relationships. I serviced approximately 600 events each year while working to market and brand Karibu as a household name, and with the help of the team we sold lots of books!

CB: Indeed you did. Tell us about this new venture you’re planning.

Lee McDonald: After the closure of Karibu, I started my own marketing and event consulting company, The Renaissance Group, LLC. My partner Charlotte Reid and I will service individuals and small business clients, including national and self-published authors. We will also service some of the literary events that are held each year. Currently, we are working with Harrine Freeman author of How to Get out of Debt, Dr. Leslie Browder, a life coach who is working on a new book, and Floyd Seymour a fitness expert who owns his own gym. And we’re working on programming for the Baltimore Book Festival 2008. We have some other pending clients and projects, so stay tuned for those. Lastly, we anticipate starting a newsletter, The Renaissance Review, very soon.