Lauren Hesse, Class of 2011, can’t resist the pull of the publishing world. Even when she worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she was called back to the industry. She’s currently the social media director at Little, Brown and Company, while serving as an adjunct professor at NYU’s School of Professional Studies.
A writing major at Ithaca College, Hesse concentrated in creative nonfiction and professional technical writing with a minor in integrated marketing communications. Her degree helped her find her way: “I knew after my five internships I wanted to try to work in publishing.”
As social media director, Hesse manages the company’s social media feeds by writing content and engaging with the online community. Her job goes beyond posting: “When books come in, I look at the authors’ audiences and their digital footprints to see how that translates into sales.” With authors who aren’t into social media, she discusses options for publicizing their work.
At NYU, Hesse leads a six-week seminar in advanced social media marketing. “Students come to this course to learn about community building, best practices, and interactive planning in social media,” she says. “It’s mainly focused on book publishing but also includes digital publications.”
Hesse values the program Girls Write Now, which helped her continue her writing practice once she moved to New York City. Girls Write Now matches women and nonbinary high school to college graduates with older women and nonbinary writers. The pairs meet for one-on-one mentoring and attend monthly workshops. “I think they are wonderful writing communities to join, and they’ve been really fulfilling,” says Hesse. “I highly encourage recent graduates in NYC to join!”