Oxford Australia Blog

Sharing our love of education, language, and books

Spotlight On: Troy Alexander, Territory Manager

We’re very proud of our books here at Oxford Australia, and we’re even more proud of the hard work that goes into creating the perfect textbook or digital product. There are a lot of different people involved in getting a book from conception to consumer; today in Spotlight On we introduce you to Troy Alexander, a Territory Manager with our Higher Education division.

TROY1Name: Troy Alexander
Title: Territory Manager (Higher Education)
When did you start at Oxford: April 2005
Sum up your job in 3 words: Selling university textbooks

What are your day-to-day tasks?  
Meeting with university lecturers to discuss new and forthcoming titles.  Building relationships and growing the Oxford brand at university faculty level.  Working with campus bookshops regarding ordering and the maximising of sales.  Responding to lecturer inquiries and generally sorting out any issues that might arise.

What product or project are you most proud of working on?
Helping to put together a customised text for a Health subject at Curtin University with 2500 students.  Also finally winning the first year Chemistry adoption at Melbourne University with 1200 students – the result of five years’ work.

What is your favourite thing about working in publishing?
Meeting and talking with a wide variety of interesting people who all share a passion for books and education.

What advice would you give to someone interested in a role like yours? 
Make sure you are self-disciplined and enjoy working autonomously.  You can spend a lot of time by yourself in this role – on campus during the day, travelling interstate, and working from home.  Some people enjoy that but it’s not for everyone.

What are you reading right now?
Journal articles on positive psychology and boys’ literacy for a uni assignment.  For fun I’m reading “The Watch Tower” by a great but under-read Australian author, Elizabeth Harrower.

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