- A. The enclosed plan explains our mission and serves as the tool to engage Original Publishers, such as yourself, in a close business relationship.
B. Examine the spreadsheet chart to compare and contrast the various plans.
II. Exercise:
A Simple Test for Publishers:
Directions: Please answer each of the following yes-or-no questions. If you answer "no," then proceed to the next question. If you answer, "yes," then stop taking the test. A "yes" answer means we should not do business together.
A. Does your company presently employ book trade sales reps?
- No - Next question please.
- Yes - Are you happy with their results? -- If you are happy, exit test. If you are not happy with the book trade sales reps results, then go on to the next question please.
B. Are you a publisher in North America with 50 or more titles?
- No - Next question please.
- Yes - Your company is too large and would over power the SSS catalog at this time. Please wait one year and allow for SSS growth, then reconsider. Exit test.
C. Are all of your titles presently in multi-media formats?
- No - Next question please.
- Yes - Exit test. Our priority this year is to deal with smaller and medium sized publishers.
D. Are you a publisher that already has its own, in-house, internet server with a T1 line?
- No - Next question please.
- Yes - Exit test.
E. Does your company already exhibit at more than 10 different book trade shows?
- No - Next question please.
- Yes - Exit test.
F. Are your titles bland like rule-books and written by faceless authors who just sit and are only spectators?
- No - Next question please.
- Yes - Exit test.
G. Do your backlist titles go out of print after a season or two?
- No - Exit test and continue reading this plan. The Sports Support Syndicate is please to welcome you into the examination process with the hopes you'll join and fully understand our publishing team and its mission of cooperation and outlook for increased successes.
- Yes - Exit test. We need to sell titles that are continually available as our customers preserve our catalogs and order for years to come.
III. Exercise:
Written Goals help in understanding one another.
A. The Unique Selling Slogan for the SSS
Intelligence Products and Progressive Publishing Sales, Distribution & Development
B. Long Term Goals for the SSS
1. To help others reach their goals by providing cutting-edge tools and information that impacts upon performance in and beyond the athletic arena.
2. To organize and construct number of sport-publishing projects that generate sales into the millions of copies.
3. To publish more than ten new titles each year.
C. Short Term Goals for the SSS
1. To build relationships with 10 to 30 different publishers and grow the SSS sales catalog to 80 pages.
2. To fully support book-trade reps in all regions of the world.
3. To enter the sporting goods markets with commissioned sales rep groups and strategic alliances if possible.
D. The Unique Selling Slogan for:
(company name) ________________________
-
-
E. Long Term Goals include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
F. Short Term Goals include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
IV. Benefits & Highlights for Selling with the SSS
A. The SSS catalog and sales team can be another outlet for the sale of your titles and create another revenue stream for your business.
- 1. Make More Money
2. Sell More Books
3. Get onto the Internet
4. Get Multi-Media Title Development without Charges
- 1. Share Customer Referrals
2. Get Business Leads
3. Play upon and influence the Sports Publishing Trends by joining an organization with additional clout
- 1. Get increased purchasing power by using shared resources and proven vendors.
2. Utilize others in our team for consulting and sharing of ideas.
V. How to Use This Plan
A. Don't read everything enclosed in this plan. Many points are repeated within each option enabling that option to serve as a stand-alone document.
B. Read the sections that apply to your situation.
C. Everyone should read:
- 1. Cover letter
2. The Call to Participate
3. Executive Summary
4. Read one or more of the following solution options: Exclusive Alliance, Non-Exclusive Relationship, Imprint Program, Life-Sustaining Title Program
- 1. Benefits
2. Goals
3. How to Begin
4. Background Info
F. In the near future, this plan will be available in electronic media formats and accessible via the internet. Call, write or send e-mail to get the latest versions. The Hyper-Text presentation works for this plan.
VI. A Call for Participation with the Sports Support Syndicate
A. The SSS seeks original publishers with interesting titles to join our mutually-beneficial sales activities. The SSS welcomes other independent publishers and organizations to consider these plans. Putting your titles in the the SSS selection could become the pathway to increased sales and more-profitable, long-term successes.
- 1. Titles from original publishers enter the SSS sales process through one of the four solutions presented in this business plan.
2. The four solutions are diverse and each is designed to serve the specific needs of a select set of businesses. We hope you find the one, perfect solution that is most appropriate for your company and its titles.
3. The four solutions options for increased sales are:
- a) The Exclusive Alliance
b) The Non-Exclusive Relationship
c) The Imprint Program
d) The Life-Sustaining Title Program
- 1. Small-publishers in the United States and Canada with valuable messages for cutting-edge, sports participants.
2. Large or small publishers from around the world with sports titles that might have an appeal with some US customers.
- 1. Preferred subject areas included:
a) how-to sports, fitness, health, wellness, recreation, education, travel, psychology, technical
2. Acceptable subject areas include:
a) spectator sports, business, lifestyle, children, outdoors
VII. Executive Summary
A. Universal Components of the SSS sales mission:
- 1. The SSS produces a catalog.
2. The SSS hires, communicates and pays commissions to independent trade sales representatives.
3. SSS titles are shown at book trade-shows.
4. The SSS maintains and develops an internet presence.
5. The SSS develops multi-media titles.
6. The SSS markets the speaker's bureau for author presentations and lectures.
7. The SSS maintains sales activities for consumers and the trade.
a) 1-800 service for USA and Canada
b) voice-message system
c) every-day UPS service
d) UPS hundred-weight shipping
e) credit card payments for VISA, MasterCard & American Express
f) warehouse
g) shipping center
h) computerized sales reports and order processing
i) internet sales
j) 24-hour fax communications and fax broadcasting
k) credit limits, invoicing and account receivables
l) return authorization
m) publisher's showroom
n) trade-show displays
o) postage meter mailings
p) customized 3-part order forms printed
q) e-mail on demand system
8. All parties participate in a lead-generation and follow-up program conducted by the SSS to coordinate and further disseminate the mailing of the semi-annual catalogs.
9. Each player is expected to do one service project each year for the benefit of the group.
- 1. The SSS purchases titles from the Original Publisher at a 75% discount.
2. The SSS sells the titles in the Exclusive Alliance just as vigorously as its own titles.
3. The SSS sells titles in the Exclusive Alliance option to all markets, including other wholesalers, distributors, book-clubs, and specialty markets.
a) With the full-range of sales outlets, some re-sellers can demand the highest of possible percentage discounts (exceeding 60% off the cover price plus sales commission payments).
b) For the sake of comparison, the maximum possible discount for re-sellers never exceeds 40% under the Non-Exclusive Relationship. Hence, the Exclusive Alliance facilitates sales to wholesalers.
4. The barter for front-list, full-color, single-title catalog display space averages 200 free books.
5. Other stipulations are rare.
- 1. The SSS purchases titles from the Original Publisher at a 60% discount.
2. The SSS sells titles from the Original Publishers to: bookstores, specialty stores and consumers; and does not cater to wholesalers, distributors, book-clubs, and premium markets.
a) This limited-range of marketing outlets puts the re-seller discount to 40% off the cover price, and still allows for commissions to the independent trade-sales reps.
b) In the SSS catalog, the titles in the Non-Exclusive Relationship option are marked with a "short discount" symbol.
3. The barter for front-list, full-color, single-title catalog display space averages 200 free books.
4. Other stipulations are rare.
- 1. Present imprints include:
a) Sports Support Syndicate
b) Support Syndicate for Audiology
c) Cooperstown Review
d) Water Polo Consulting
e) Other imprints are probable for the future.
(1) Sports Language Outfitters
(2) Sports Mind Outfitters
(3) Monongahela Rapids Uni Press
(4) A is for Athlete
(5) Spittsburg Sun
(6) Getout Sports
2. Most likely candidates for the Imprint Program
a) Authors with manuscripts or outlines ready for consideration
b) Expert coaches who want to work with the SSS editors and publisher to further promote their ideas
c) Self-published authors
d) Authors or organizations with a title(s) that has gone out-of-print and if that title is not scheduled for re-printing in its prior arrangement
e) Original Publishers that want to form a joint-venture with the SSS with terms and scope beyond the boundaries of this business plan
f) Publishers from outside of North America that want their titles sold in the USA for the increased exposure and profits
3. The SSS pays all costs for the title’s printing, promotions and sales.
4. The author(s) supply the manuscript and get royalties based upon sales.
- 1. The SSS obtains existing inventory along with the publishing rights to titles that, for whatever reason, are not expected to yield lucrative returns at their prior home.
2. The SSS takes over the title, re-establishes goals for the title and keeps the ideas, project and/or titles alive in a viable presence.
3. Depending upon the existing surplus of inventory, location,
4. Other stipulations are rare.
- 1. Testing new services, products, formats, price-points and countless of other elements in a sales organization such as ours is one way to continue our growth.
2. One area of testing just about to begin deals with the re-sale of college text books in the SSS catalog.
3. A few college text book publishers with interesting titles are considering options at this time. We might put these titles into the SSS catalog on a trial basis, and the exact terms of these interactions are not fully explained in the scope of this plan.
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