Every now and then, we sales reps are asked to sell books about which we have no information. Seriously, we're given an ISBN (international standard book number for those of you not in the book business), a price, and an on-sale date. Perhaps it goes without saying that these situations produce a less-than-ideal selling experience. Buyers hate it because they are buying blind, and reps hate it because if the book turns out to be a stinker, we're the ones who receive the complaints. There are times when this sort of selling is necessary, such as back in the golden days of Oprah's Book Club when part of the deal with Oprah was that no one find out what the book was until the show aired. Less successfully, several years ago Judith Regan basically lost her job after pulling an Untitled by Anonymous stunt for the book If I Did It by O.J. Simpson. So here's the conversation that Gianna and I had via text this evening, as today I had the (fun? privilege?) experience of selling an Untitled by Anonymous book today. Whatever it is, the book goes on sale on December 6th.
Place your bets. And feel free to offer your own ideas.
Liz and Gianna are two of a dying breed--traveling sales reps for book publishers--who sell books in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and the Deep South. Since we're constantly on the road hawking books, we must find ways to amuse ourselves. So here we've decided to share our anecdotes, adventures, favorite books, and efforts in making the world (or at least these few states) a more literate place to inhabit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
funny oneeeee !
ReplyDelete