Books Forward is celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, and one of the ways we’re celebrating is by showcasing 25 people you should know in the book world. There are many unique roles in the book world, and the many kinds of people who play a part in the community we love.
Today, we’re getting to know Bezi Yohannes (she/her), assistant marketing manager at Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Stay up to date on other industry professionals by reading our Lit Happens blog throughout the year.
A note from Bezi
I work from the office two days a week, so this is a typical Tuesday when I go into the office! But of course, some weeks have more meetings, and some have less like any corporate job.
7:15 a.m.
Slowly get out of my cozy bed and make breakfast. I’m someone who definitely needs food in my stomach to start the day, but that doesn’t mean it has to be fancy. Usually whole wheat toast with sliced bananas and scrambled eggs does just fine.
7:30 a.m.
Do my morning journaling: a few sentences to set my intention for the day. I’m working on reducing my screen time in 2025, which can be tough when I work in marketing and I’m already chronically online for work and for fun. But journaling has helped me step away for longer periods of time while still feeling creative and productive, especially since I do a mix of regular daily journaling, scrapbooking, and junk journaling.
8:15 a.m.
Leave to take the train to the office. Last year The New York Times ranked the B train as the train with the most delays relative to its number of trains and how frequently it runs (or is supposed to run). So it shouldn’t be surprising that once again, it’s delayed this morning. Fun!
9:10 a.m.
Arrive and get settled! Before I can really dive into my inbox, I have to open the packages that are waiting for me at my cubicle. These are a variety of physical promotional materials for my titles — stickers, postcards, etc. — and they need to be sorted and stored in our promo room.
9:45 a.m.
First “meetings” of the day, both about the marketing and publicity campaign for Oathbound, the third book in the Legendborn Cycle series by bestselling author Tracy Deonn (on sale March 4)! I visit the office of the publicist on the campaign to discuss a few updates and pass along materials, and I also swing by the office of the senior digital marketing manager to confirm the status of an influencer mailing.
10:15 a.m.
Answer a variety of emails from authors, sales, and the corporate promotions team about my titles and campaigns. This includes reviewing campaign budgets and giving feedback on early designs for various social advertising graphics and upcoming promotional materials, such as a postcard for one of my summer titles, A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury (on sale July 29). I also place orders with the warehouse for any books I’ll need to send from the office.
Noon
Lunch break! My co-worker and I also run over to the T-Mobile location a few doors down from our office for a cute free umbrella.
12:30 p.m.
First scheduled meeting of the day with one of the senior managers on our team, where we talk about everything from work project updates to journaling tips!
1:30 p.m. 
Answering more emails! I also update my Notion with my completed tasks and project statuses; I’ve been using this for my own project management since my co-worker (the aforementioned senior manager) introduced me to it two years ago, and it is so useful and customizable; I can’t imagine my workflow without it.
2 p.m.
My second and last scheduled meeting of the day, with my boss. I always come with an outlined agenda of materials that need approval and project updates for us to discuss, and we also went over my fall 2025 marketing plans. Publishing can feel like a bit of a time warp when I’m working in spring 2025, summer 2025, and fall 2025 all at the same time. (And we just had a launch for our spring 2026 titles last week, which means in the next couple weeks I’ll also begin brainstorming for next year.)
3 p.m.
Write copy for upcoming promotional materials and social ads, and finalize the collation for an advance copy mailing of one of my summer titles, Letters to Misty by acclaimed principal dancer and bestselling author Misty Copeland (on sale May 6).
4 p.m.
More emails, this time mostly me following up to get information and/or feedback I requested before EOD. I use that to inform what can be completed today vs. moved to tomorrow’s to-do list.
5:15 p.m.
Log off and head home! The rush hour commute is always a journey.
6 p.m.
Get home, eat dinner, and watch a few episodes of a comfort rewatch to decompress.
8 p.m.
End my evening junk journaling with some paper scraps and junk mail I’ve collected, as well as a bit of free-writing for a story idea.
And that’s the end of my day!
Bezi Yohannes is a content creator, writer, and marketer, and she currently works as assistant marketing manager for Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. After attending William & Mar for undergrad, she received her master’s from Georgetown University and her graduate certification in publishing from Denver Publishing Institute. She has been featured on Goodreads Spotlight, NetGalley’s “20 Black Women To Follow on Bookstagram,” and The Stripe’s “18 Cool Women in Publishing to Follow.” You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter/X @beingabookwyrm promoting new book releases by Black authors, discussing the latest fantasy adaptations, and re-watching her favorite early 2000s media.
Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.
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