Caroline van Erp - Faces of Brill

Position: Marketing Manager Short job description: Caroline is responsible for the marketing activities for the publishing units Classics and Philosophy, as well as History. She is also responsible for author and community marketing. Caroline has been working at Brill since 2005. She previously worked as an assistant editor for the publishing unit Classical Studies, before she started in the marketing department. Caroline worked as a production editor prior to that.

What is your favorite part of the job?

“I really like this job, because you are in contact with so many different people,” Caroline says. “I still work closely  with the publishers and their  assistants.” She also likes that, when it comes to marketing campaigns, you get direct results and feedback, from statistics like open- and click-through rates, Facebook likes, customer queries, or comments from your own sales team. “The view is internal and external as well,” Caroline explains. “You are involved with the market place and you often can see a result of your efforts.”

Thoughts about Publishing:

During her studies, the e-book development was not a big issue and everything was paper based. “Something has changed in the last few years,” Caroline notes. “When I started this job I often received complaints about e-books, but you can see a real transition in mentality. Now, you can find quite a lot of customers  who are used to the online products. We had to change the way to work – it is a brand new world.” Caroline thinks that both e- and print formats are useful, both inside and outside of the office. 

Caroline, have you witnessed any special experience during your time here at Brill?

“To have contact with so many different authors is incredible,” Caroline says. “You establish a relationship with those people and you get positive feedback, which is rewarding.”

Do you have a favorite Brill-book?

Caroline thinks that you need a specific educational background to be able to read most of the books. She really likes a selection of books on cooking and food. Not just recipes, but the whole culture behind it is outstanding. The books Pizza and Pizza Chefs in Japan and Slurp! A Social and Culinary History of Ramen - Japan's Favorite Noodle Soup are her favorites. Slurp! shows historical and political relations which is really interesting.

Caroline remembers another book, which is very special to her. “There is one book in particular, to which I have fond memories because of the author, the late Professor Juynboll, who was a very learned and also very witty man,” she says. “I’ve had the privilege to work with him on the production of his Encyclopedia of Canonical Ḥadīth. He lived in Leiden and came by our office often, on an unsteady bike, his bags stacked with corrected proofs. He always told the funniest anecdotes and it was a very nice experience to work with him. I’m happy that he lived long enough to see this magnum opus in print.”

Why do you think is Brill special?

“Brill is a niche publisher and we publish a lot of different subjects and products – all in a specialized field, “ she explains. Caroline feels that we need those books for the further development of specialized research areas.

Question for Caroline van Erp:

Caroline used to be an assistant editor for classical studies – Why did you move to the marketing department?

The work in this department is different  and Caroline wanted to learn something new and switch her carrier. When she had the opportunity to do this within the company, she was very excited. Marketing was new for her, but not completely. She has a lot of experience working with authors, which is an advantage for her task in author marketing. Now, she can use her knowledge in a different way and has the possibility to be more creative.

A Question you pass on to the next person – Tom Weterings, Production Editor:

Tom has published articles himself in the Journal of Early American History. What is it like to be on two different sides of publishing? Did your work as a production editor benefit from your experience as an author and vice versa?