As a part of the Audience Insights team at Simon & Schuster, Senior Manager Anna Hall supports all departments throughout the company. The team is often involved in all steps of the publishing process from acquisition to launch to backlist strategies. Their primary function is to provide data and insights so colleagues can make informed decisions about pricing, formats, release strategies, and more. The data can include regular reports, bookish social media trends, broader trends, reader survey findings, or custom research requests based on business needs. Specific requests might include Influencer research, identifying potential authors, analyzing audience demographics, or reviewing reader sentiment. The overarching purpose of collecting and analyzing this data, she says, is to connect books with the readers who will most like them.