Book Sales Representative – Job Opportunities

Book Sales Representative (3 needed)

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas seeks three sales representatives to support our fiction, nonfiction, and devotional books.  Book Sales Representatives are responsible for managing and maximizing sales growth within territorial boundaries.  This is a commissioned based, work-from-home position.

If you are an avid reader who enjoys talking about books, this may be the opportunity for you!

 

Book Sales Representative responsibilities:

  1. Sell titles into accounts and actively market direct to consumers
  2. Develop and implement territory strategies and sales plans for assigned titles
  3. Collaborate with LPC marketing team with regards to promotions and specials.

 

Please apply if you meet the following requirements:

  • Strong social media and networking skills
  • Adapt at problem solving
  • Excellent organizational, written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to collaborate with a team and work independently
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office, especially Word

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter with salary requirements to jobs@lighthousepublishingofthecarolinas.com.

Indicate “Book Sales Representative” in the subject line. No phone calls/agencies please.

An Open Letter From Your Publisher

An open letter from your publisherI remember your book. I recall when you pitched the idea and how excited you where when you emailed to announce you signed your contract. I often reflect upon the difficulty we had matching the cover and title to your pre-conceived ideas of how the book should look, the struggles with editing, proofing, and those way-to-many corrections.

I remember your book.

Daily.

In the past few months I’ve come to live by the words of Pastor Mark Batterson: “Pray as if your success depends on God and work as if it depends on you.”

Each day I review our marketing and production strategy and look for ways to improve both. Each day I seek God’s blessing for your book.  I will not give up on its success.

Ever.

Some question whether LPC publishes too many books. We know our staff is stretched thin, ill-equipped to handle the workload, and quite frankly, not always as professional as we should be. We do the best we can but that’s no excuse for shoddy work.

And so I pray for your book and ask God to look past my flaws and bless your words.

My ministry partner, Cindy Sproles, and I started Christian Devotions Ministries because we believed certain authors deserve “the chance” to see their words in print. As the book publishing industry continues to consolidate and shrink, we still feel called to advance – called to publish more books, take greater risks, and expand our boundaries with great faith.

Launching your book was an act of faith.

This is why LPC seeks authors who are eager for “a chance” to do all they can to make their book a success.

LPC works hard to give authors as many tools as possible for the promotion of their book. We study market trends, take classes at writers’ conferences, connect with vendors, and recommend what we believe are the best marketing practices within the industry. But at the end of each day I know I haven’t done enough. Did all I could, but it’s never enough.

This is why we depend on you.

We need you to believe in your book as much as we do. We need you to pray for your book’s success the way we do. We need you to promote other LPC authors and their books the way they promote your book.

You have heard me say before that silo-platform-building (me, me, me promotion) is at odds with the message of Christ. Jesus did not say, “Do for yourself, as you wish others would do for you.” He calls us to help our neighbor, serve others, and fan the flame of encouragement in our brothers and sisters. In short, we’re to tweet, post, pin, and write reviews for others with the same enthusiasms we use to promote our own book.

I don’t know why you signed with LPC, I really don’t. I do know you took a leap of faith. And for that I am grateful.

I am now asking you to take another step of faith. I am asking you to believe in your book and believe that God is at work in LPC, spreading His Message through a variety of voices.

If you will do that, reply in the affirmative to this email and I will add you to a new Pay If Forward email list of LPC authors committed to supporting and praying for one another.

Thanks for listening.

And thanks for believing in the work of LPC and CDM.

###

(All typos are my own. Feel free to borrow and include in your next book.)

Below are a few of the books we’ve published this summer.

Paul's Letters To The Early Church Living Like Lions perf5.000x8.000.indd Chapel Springs Revival

Daddy, Can You Make Me Pancakes? America's Star-Spangled Story - Celebrating 200 years of the National Anthem Enduring Faith - An 8-Week Devotional Study of the Book of Hebrews Messiah to the Messed Up - Because I'm a mess, you're a mess, and we all need a Messiah

Every Writer Needs a Team – Build Yours at Maranatha Christian Writers’ Conference 2014!

Every Writer Needs a Team

Build Yours at Maranatha Christian Writers’ Conference 2014!

Join me September 15-18 at the Maranatha Missionary and Bible Conference Center in Muskegon, Michigan.

2014 Theme: Every Writer Needs a Team

It’s true! While writing is a solitary expression of your thoughts and faith, if you  want to grow in your writing  career, then you need a team to help you! Let us help  you build your team. We’ve designed the 2014 program  around these three goals

1. Chart Your Course Through Today’s Publishing Options

2. Build Your Readership

3. Grow in Craft and Creativity

Early Bird Registration ends August 15, 2014

Here’s a sneak peek at the 2014 program in store for you:

All new program features!

  • Witness “Experience it Live” sessions
  • See a mock Pub Board in action
  • Watch as a social media strategy is demonstrated
  • Speed-dating the experts
  • Building your social media strategy

 Favorite program features return!

1. One-on-one consultations with editors and faculty

2. Hands-on small group critique sessions

3. Premium sessions

4. Fun & fellowship with other writers and faculty

4 Enriching Days of…

  • Inspiring Keynote Speakers
  • Compelling General Sessions
  • Expert Panel Discussions
  • Music and Worship
  • Skill-building Sessions
  • Over 30 Small-group Workshops

Go to www.maranathachristianwriters.com for complete program, schedule, workshop descriptions, and to register.

 

 

 Conference Rates

Total Package – includes tuition, lodging, and meals (Monday dinner through Thursday lunch)

Single Occupancy $673 ($698 after Aug. 15)

Double Occupancy $651 ($676 after Aug. 15)

 

Don’t need lodging? Tuition and Meals Package: $510 ($535 after Aug. 15)

Coming for one day only? One-Day package: $189 ($199 after Aug. 15)

Bring a group of 5 or more and save $25 each!

 

Announcing New Leadership

The Maranatha Christian Writers’ Conference has a rich 37-year history as an informative, inspiring, and intimate conference. In 2014, Somersault Group

has partnered with Maranatha to design and implement a new program. Somersault believes that the evolving world of Christian publishing provides a playground of new possibilities for authors and publishing professionals alike.

 

Our 2014 theme verse: “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:16 (NIV)

 

We hope to see you there and we can grow together.

Register TODAY online at www.maranathachristianwriters.com

 

 Follow Maranatha Christian Writers’ Conference on Facebook.

 Follow Somersault Group on Facebook.

 

Questions? Email us at info@maranathachristianwriters.com

The Top Ten Mistakes Every Author Needs to Know before Clicking “Self Publish” – Eddie Jones

The Top Ten Mistakes Every Author Needs to Know before Clicking “Publish”Mistake #1 -Spend Thousands with a Self Publishing Firm

The average print self-published book sells about 100-150 copies – and most of these are to friends and family. Many self-pub companies will proof your manuscript but fail to do substantial edits. They sell you marketing plans that seem impressive but do not generate sales Again, most self published books sell 300 copies or less. “Rather than publish hundreds of thousands of copies of a few books, Lulu’s mission is to publish 100 copies of 100,000 books.”~ Publishers Weekly

Mistake #2 -Get a Friend or Family Member to Design the Cover

Sure, you know someone who is a graphic designer, but do they know the CreateSpace specs? Have they worked with a Lightening Source template? Do they know the top three colors that sell women’s books? Are they experts in font design, interior layout, and know what current book designs are trending?

Mistake #3 -Fail to Hire a Content Editor

Critique groups are great but you need two and possibly three editors on every book. If you are going to spend your money hire a content editor to give you macro and micro edits. (Preferably one that has actually worked for a publishing house.) Follow up with a proof editor to catch all the grammar and odd phrasing. Enlist sharp-eyed friends to be your beta readers. Only then are you ready to consider self-publishing.

Mistake #4 -Think the Book Will Sell Itself

No book sells itself.  As the author, you are responsible for the care and feeding of your book. No one else cares for your book the way you do. If God placed this story on your heart then do not abandon it at birth. This is your baby; care for it!

Mistake #5 -Try to Sell to Bookstores

Bookstores do not want your self-published book. They want income, and lots of it. That’s why they sell items other than books. If a bookstore agrees to carry your book or allow you to hold a book signing they are doing YOU a favor. Be gracious, thank them, but do not expect a bookstore to make your book a best seller.

Mistake #6 -Price Your Book to High

You are not Nicholas Sparks or John Grisham so do not expect the consumer to pay top dollar for your book. You may think your book is worth $14.95 but the consumer determines the perceived value of your book. Create an attractive entry-level price, grow legs under your book, and increase the price only after your book has sold hundreds.

Mistake #7 -No Kindle Version of Your Book

You will make more money selling Kindle copies of your book than you ever will selling print. Kindle copies cost less to produce and produce more income for you. Once you understand this you are miles ahead of most authors.

Mistake #8 -Think a Major Publisher Will Want  Your Self-Published Book

They will not. You gave birth to a book. It is yours. A large publisher does not want your book unless it has sold thousands – as in twenty to thirty thousand.  And if you self-published and sold thirty thousand copies and made $1.50 profit on each sale why would you WANT to give a publisher 70% of that profit?

Mistake #9 -Publish a Poorly Written Book

Sometimes an editor cannot fix a manuscript and some books should never be published. First novels, even second and third, are seldom ready for publication. But the allure of self-publishing remains. Fight the urge to see your name in print. Instead, learn the craft. Go to conferences. Sit under faculty who have sold to major houses. Learn from their mistakes – not yours.

Mistake #10 – Ignore Mistakes 1-9 and Think Your Book is the Exception

It is not. The Shack was an exception – and still needs a good content editor. Writing, publishing, and selling a book is hard work. You want it to be hard. Otherwise, all books – even great books – would sell for a penny. Accept that you will have to write a great book, market it, hire editors, cover and book designers, beg for Amazon reviews and be satisfied selling 20 Kindle copies a month for a long time before readers recognize your book is worth $3. Accept that truth and you might be ready to self-publish.