Catching Up With Hal Leonard’s Diane Levinson

Diane Levinson grew up in Forest Hills, but she left New York City to go to college in California and then wound up working at Publishers Group West for a dozen years, then switched over to run marketing and publicity for Cleis Press for another four years. But then, she says, “I just needed a big life change,” and though she didn’t have any job prospects immediately lined up, she returned to Queens last fall. Three months later, when Hal Leonard marketing and publicity manager Jenna Young decided to set up shop as an independent publicist in Berlin, Levinson was back in business.

“I’m really glad to be back here,” she says of the transition. “I’m a native New Yorker, and I feel comfortable here in a way that I don’t anywhere else.” She’s also excited about the opportunities at Hal Leonard: “The press is in a great position because it’s so well-known already among professional and serious amateur musicians,” she says. “I’m looking forward to building on that reputation for a larger audience.” The recently released The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists is one example of books intended to have greater trade appeal without skimping on critical substance, and “at the other end of the spectrum,” she quips, “as far as glitz is concerned,” is At the Grammys!: Behind the Scenes at Music’s Biggest Night, a memoir by producer Ken Ehrlich. When Levinson points out that many of the Hal Leonard staffers are themselves musicians, I ask if she has any talents in that direction. “Nope,” she smiles. “Just a fan.”

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.