Question: Do you sell information on sales rep groups? We are looking for advice or information on which ones to go with.
Answer: Here's my short answer. If you need some feedback on which sales representatives to go with, start locally by talking to booksellers who could give you feedback on the reps they like best. Contact those reps and show them why they should be interested in your company's books. Once you've got a sales rep for your local area, ask that rep group to recommend rep groups for other areas of the country.
To hire sales reps, you need to have an active publishing program, publishing at least 2 to 3 new titles for the fall and spring bookselling seasons. Sales reps get 10 to 15% of net sales to bookstores and book wholesalers in their territory, whether they actually make the sale or not. There is some small room for negotiation.
