The Project Team
At Hol, every book published has a dedicated project team. With these small teams of individuals with specific talents, all key aspects of the publishing process are covered and each book gets the focused support it needs. Each project needs a complete team, one person for each role, before moving on in the publishing process. Anyone is welcome to apply to a team, and applicants are judged by existing team members.
Project Manager:
The Project Manager is the book project’s team leader. Often the person who initiated the project, the Project Manager is responsible for building the team and managing the publishing process and schedule from beginning to end. The Project Manager can also fulfill one other role on the team along with their management duties. Each team will be provided access to a Hol Basecamp account (an intuitive, project management web application) so they may work together regardless of individual members' locations. Hol will also supply outlines for scheduling, publication checklists, and everything else you may need to make a book, and to make it a success.
Author:
Along with writing the book, the Author’s other responsibilities may include publicity tours, interviews, and readings, as well as being a key source of professional contacts and other initial marketing leads. If a project book has been submitted as a project by someone other than the Author, the first step for the Project Manager and other team members will be to solicit the Author’s participation. In the case of works in the public domain or works where the author has transferred rights, there may be no Author on the team.
Editor:
The Editor is responsible for working with the Author to craft the manuscript into the best possible finished product. They also work with the team in writing any necessary marketing copy, author biography, or catalog material in preparation for the book’s publication. In the case of previously published works and in some instances of new work, the Editor will have a diminished role, but will still work with authors of support material (afterwords, readers guides) that may be included with the main text.
Publicist:
The Publicist is responsible for the promotion of the book through the press and other low- or no-cost means. The Publicist sets up and manages Author interviews and readings, they handle reviews, they work with the Editor to write press releases and other marketing materials, and they help define, find and capture the book’s best audience online and off. While Hol manages marketing functions for the list as a whole, it is the Publicist’s job to market the specifics of their individual book.
Designer:
The Designer is responsible for the graphic design of the book’s cover, as well as any other materials needed in support of the book’s publication. These materials might include ads, promotional items, PR kits, web sites, or fliers. The interior design of most Hol books are done on pre-designed templates, though in instances where the interior design of a book requires special treatment, the teams Designer could take on this increased role.
Bookstore Sponsor:
Rather than providing financial support, Bookstore Sponsors act in an advisory role, bringing an invaluable perspective to the team. Sponsors can be managers, buyers or other full-time employees of bookstores. They play a key role in developing the initial book proposal (defining the target audience and examining competitive titles) and they help ensure that the book the team produces is one that readers will want to buy. Sponsors often further support the publication by hosting a special event—such as an author reading, publication party, or other similar promotion.
An Important Note: Like other team members, Sponsors are involved in the publication process form the beginning. Unlike other team members, however, Sponsors are not paid a percentage of the book's sales, but rather are given a significant discount on copies to sell in their store, plus an additional discount on all other Hol books.
Other Roles:
Advisors may be brought in to act as mentors to specific team members, or to advise on a particular area of understanding critical to the subject of the book. They may be voluntary, or paid with a percentage of sales as with other team members. Literary Agents representing Authors may also be an active part of the team, again being paid with a percentage of sales in accordance with their existing contract with their represented Author. Translators play a unique, key role in the publication of foreign language works, and are paid in the same manner as other team members.
