Welcome back to AuthorSource!
In our ongoing commitment to educate authors, we are writing a series of blogs that will help you deal with everything from the initial sales contact through to printing and marketing. Today, we’ll look at the sales process.
When you’re dealing with a salesperson we’re sure you can guess what their priority is—that’s right, making the sale! The problem? Oftentimes, sales people don’t understand the editing, proofreading, production, printing, or marketing process of their own company. Why? Because they are salespeople, and are not directly involved the daily operations processes. (Hmm, now here’s a thought: Why doesn’t someone within the company explain these processes and answer any questions they may have?).
Over the next few blogs, we’ll suggest questions to ask regarding the different aspects of self-publishing, so you can make informed decisions. Here are a couple of questions to ask a salesperson upfront that will let you know if he/she really understands the self-publishing world:
What is your background regarding the self-publishing industry?
Have you held any positions besides sales?
Answers to questions like these will give you either confidence working with that particular company or will tell you to run for the hills!
If your confidence is building, the next questions to ask concern editing and proofreading.
If you don’t have a book that reads well, your reader will lose interest in the first few pages. That’s why editing and proofreading are so important to your book. Be sure to ask the following questions:
What does your editing and/or proofreading process entail?
Do I receive an MSWord doc, a PDF, or other file?
What method will your company use to send me necessary changes, i.e., MSWord track changes?
What is your turnaround time for sending me changes to my manuscript?
Will I be charged for additional changes? If so, how much?
Does your company follow a style guide? If so, which one(s)?
Finally, here is an extremely important question to ask:
Does your company use overseas contractors or North American contractors?
Sadly, most companies outsource editing and proofreading so they can save a few bucks and make more money. The answer to this question alone should be a deciding factor in whom you will hire.
Until next time,
The AuthorSource Team
Get Published. Be Heard.
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