If spreadsheets, bookstores, and bestsellers all make you smile, we should talk!
We're looking for a Sales Assistant to support our sales team that works with Independent bookstores. If you’re someone who loves supporting Indie bookstores, staying organized, solving problems, and joining a fast-moving sales team then we’d love to meet you!
In this highly collaborative role, you'll provide operational, analytical, and administrative support that helps our sales team build successful partnerships with independent bookstores across the country.
From preparing sales reports and coordinating author events to managing Edelweiss catalogs and supporting preorder campaigns, you'll be an essential part of ensuring our books reach readers through one of the publishing industry's most important channels.
This is an hourly non-exempt position with a pay range of $22.00/hourly. We determine starting pay based on a thorough evaluation of job-related factors, including geographic location, market conditions, relevant experience, training, and education. This process ensures a fair and competitive salary that aligns with both the company and the candidate’s qualifications.
This position is based full-time in our Naperville, Illinois office. Remote or hybrid work is not available for this role.
What you’ll do:
Support the Independent Sales Team
- Prepare weekly and monthly sales reports and analysis for field and inside sales representatives, including frontlist, backlist, reorder activity, promotional participation, and sales trends.
- Respond promptly to requests from sales representatives and independent bookstore customers via email and Microsoft Teams.
- Order monthly new release samples for field representatives.
- Maintain field representative contact information and seasonal ARC allocations.
- Produce the weekly sales roundup for the sales team featuring:
- National and regional bestseller lists
- Frontlist and backlist sales opportunities
- Upcoming releases
- Starred reviews
- Curated Edelweiss collections
- Assist in preparing customer presentations and sales materials, including presentations for key accounts.
- Serve as the primary sales contact for author events, partnering with Marketing, Customer Experience, IT, and Operations.
- Track event orders from submission through warehouse fulfillment.
- Communicate order updates and shipping information to bookstores and internal teams.
- Follow up with participating stores to ensure timely order submission.
- Help manage preorder campaign workflows and maintain tracking systems across departments.
- Coordinate onboarding for new independent bookstore accounts.
- Ensure all required account documentation is submitted and processed.
- Partner with Sales and Marketing to ensure book club orders and promotional materials are processed accurately and on schedule.
- Build and maintain seasonal Edelweiss catalogs and themed collections.
- Coordinate seasonal title markups across the sales team.
- Monitor title metadata, comparative titles, covers, catalog copy, and marketing assets.
- Identify incomplete title records and communicate updates to the sales organization.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
- 1+ years of experience in sales support, sales operations, customer service, publishing, retail, or a related field.
- Exceptional organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret sales data and communicate insights clearly.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities while meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- A proactive, collaborative approach and a passion for providing exceptional internal and external customer service.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Office.
- Experience in publishing, bookselling, or retail sales.
- Familiarity with Edelweiss and Edelweiss Analytics.
Why Sourcebooks?
As Newsweek’s #2 Most Loved Workplace in 2024 and a recognized leader in innovation by Fast Company (2024 Most Innovative Companies, 2023 Best Workplaces for Innovators), we use a mission-driven, data-centered approach to drive success for our authors and their books. We’re a thriving entrepreneurial company that creates books that transcend categories and defy odds, and we’ve been honored with hundreds of national bestsellers and awards. We are passionate book lovers dedicated to connecting books to readers in innovative ways. Story by story, book by book, we have changed more than 300 million lives. Join us as we change 300 million more!Ready to Apply?
Please submit your resume, salary requirements and cover letter detailing your relevant experience and interest in this role. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Show us your passion and creativity — we’re looking for someone who’s as enthusiastic about this opportunity as we are!
Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care, Dependent Care, Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, & generous paid time off.
Sourcebooks values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
- 1+ years of experience in sales support, sales operations, customer service, publishing, retail, or related field.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Office.
- Exceptional organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret sales data and communicate insights clearly.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities while meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- A proactive, collaborative approach and a passion for providing exceptional internal and external customer service.
- Experience in publishing, bookselling, or retail sales.
- Familiarity with Edelweiss and Edelweiss Analytics.
- Cover letter required with application.
Sourcebooks Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Sourcebooks and has not been reviewed or approved by Sourcebooks.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous PTO, paid holidays and sick days, and a sabbatical program are highlighted, with additional closure between Christmas and New Year’s. These elements collectively indicate a wide range of time‑off options.
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Parental & Family Support — Generous parental leave includes six weeks paid for both parents that can be combined with FMLA, alongside family medical leave. This reflects structured support for caregiving needs.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision coverage are provided along with life insurance, short‑ and long‑term disability, FSAs, and mental‑health benefits. The package spans core health protections and ancillary supports.
Sourcebooks Insights
What We Do
“Sourcebooks, a legitimate contender for the title of ‘most innovative company in book publishing.’”—Mike Shatzkin, Idealog Innovators. Always looking for ways to bring new experiences to our readers, data is the backbone that gives direction to our creativity and informs our innovative spirit. Put Me In The Story, now the #1 personalized book platform in the U.S., is one of three e-commerce businesses we operate. We are committed to innovative publishing and to exploring new publishing platforms and models. Owners and Entrepreneurs. We take pride in being pioneers. Each of us is a leader invested in creating breakthrough for ourselves, our company, and readers everywhere. Starting with just one book in 1987, we now publish more than 300 new titles each year. With millions of books sold and more than 80 New York Times and USA Today bestsellers—and more—Sourcebooks publishes authors, not books. Constantly Learning. Not content to rely on yesterday’s knowledge, we know tomorrow’s opportunities can be discovered only with a passionate desire to explore new ideas. We Create Amazing. Every book and product we create and every life we touch is an opportunity to deliver the unexpected and the extraordinary. Our award-winning books earn accolades from Parenting Media Awards, YALSA Lists, Texas Bluebonnet, state awards, the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal Award, and more. Book Business Magazine named Sourcebooks 2013 Publishing Innovator of the Year. From children’s, young adult, fiction, and memoir to personalized books, inspirational gifts, reference, poetry, and beyond, we believe books change lives. It is the heart of all that we do. We are excited to work with passionate authors, booksellers, librarians, designers, media, brand partners, and others to create a vibrant future for books. FIND US ONLINE www.sourcebooks.com www.putmeinthestory.com www.simpletruths.com www.123magic.com
