AMP associate receives industry honor

Andrews McMeel Publishing (AMP) is excited to share that Publishing Sales Director Emily Folks has been selected as a Publishers Weekly (PW) Star Watch 2019 honoree.

Folks began at AMP in 2011 as a publicity intern and from there has built a rising career in the industry. A true star, Folks’ contributions drive AMP sales and make an impact in the publishing industry, as she continues to make a name for herself among e-commerce, mass market and wholesale retail channels and accounts, in particular Amazon and Walmart.

One of Folks’ primary efforts involves positioning AMP to succeed in a retail market that continues to shift from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to e-commerce retailers. Proven examples of her accomplishments are driving improvements in AMP’s metadata strategy and asset creation for content to adapt to the on-site shopping experience. She also advises on how best to maximize e-commerce sales during new product acquisition discussions and product launch strategies.

Folks has a natural ability to identify and champion trends, collaborating with the AMP team to transform them into new products or formats that will appeal to both retailers and end-consumers. For example, she was part of the product development team for AMP’s line of Posh: Organized Living planners, which launched in 2017. Folks has gone on to sell the new planner format to major retailers, including Sam’s Club, BJ’s, Fred Meyer and Amazon. She is also a leading champion for content that appeals to millennial audiences, consulting with internal and external stakeholders on how best to capitalize on trends and translate digital experiences into tangible, authentic, profitable products.

Folks joins 49 other honorees across the publishing industry in the United States and Canada. Now in its fifth year, the annual Star Watch program chooses up-and-coming publishing and bookselling professionals who demonstrate “trailblazing spirit, innovative problem-solving and leadership qualities.” The selection jury is made up of editors and managers from Publishers Weekly, Frankfurter Buchmesse and the American Booksellers Association.

Five finalists will be announced in early September, and then one “Superstar” will be named at the PW Star Watch congratulatory event later that month. The winner will receive a sponsored trip to the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2019. Last year’s winner was the creative force of Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli, who founded Timbuktu Labs and the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series, of which AMP publishes the annual wall calendar.

See the full list of the PW Star Watch 2019 honorees here.