Sales manager to book publisher
A sales manager already meets 28% of what the book publisher role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.5/ 100
1 How much of what a book publisher is expected to do is already part of a sales manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the book publisher role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A book publisher role treats 4 of its required skills as things a sales manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- develop professional network
- manage budgets
- manage staff
- perform market research
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A book publisher role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a sales manager background worth leading with.
- already held manage distribution channels management skills
- already held brand marketing techniques business, administration and law
- already held plan marketing strategy management skills
- already held supervise sales activities management skills
- already held content marketing strategy business, administration and law
- already held sales argumentation business, administration and law
All 11 carried skills, including the 4 the book publisher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn present publishing plan required
- still to learn select manuscripts required
- still to learn consult with editor required
- still to learn execute marketing plan required
- optional, not held apply grammar and spelling rules optional
- optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
- optional, not held attend book fairs optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held proofread text optional
- still to learn publishing market required
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- still to learn project management principles required
- optional, not held digital marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- still to learn read manuscripts required
- still to learn assess financial viability required
- still to learn consult information sources required
- optional, not held check correctness of information optional
- optional, not held conserve new media optional
- still to learn perform project management required
- optional, not held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns optional
- optional, not held grammar optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held literature optional
- optional, not held spelling optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a book publisher role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 present publishing plan practise this
- 02 publishing market study this
- 03 read manuscripts practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held perform market research skill
- already held brand marketing techniques knowledge
- already held content marketing strategy knowledge
- already held manage distribution channels skill
- already held plan marketing strategy skill
- already held sales argumentation knowledge
- already held sales strategies knowledge
- already held supervise sales activities skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held check correctness of information optional
- optional, not held conserve new media optional
- optional, not held digital marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held apply grammar and spelling rules optional
- optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
- optional, not held attend book fairs optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held grammar optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held literature optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns optional
- optional, not held proofread text optional
- optional, not held spelling optional
51 held skills the book publisher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role align efforts towards business development skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business plans skill
- not needed by the target role analyse consumer buying trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse customer service surveys skill
- not needed by the target role analyse external factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse internal factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse supply chain strategies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse work-related written reports skill
- not needed by the target role carry out sales analysis skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate in the development of marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role consumer goods industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate marketing plan actions skill
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role create annual marketing budget skill
- not needed by the target role customer segmentation knowledge
- not needed by the target role define geographic sales areas skill
- not needed by the target role define measurable marketing objectives skill
- not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate marketing content skill
- not needed by the target role forecast sales over periods of time skill
- not needed by the target role identify potential markets for companies skill
- not needed by the target role impart business plans to collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role implement sales strategies skill
- not needed by the target role integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations skill
- not needed by the target role integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy skill
- not needed by the target role integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- not needed by the target role international business knowledge
- not needed by the target role investigate customer complaints of food products skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage profitability skill
- not needed by the target role market pricing knowledge
- not needed by the target role market research knowledge
- not needed by the target role marketing mix knowledge
- not needed by the target role motivate employees skill
- not needed by the target role plan marketing campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role prepare visual data skill
- not needed by the target role present arguments persuasively skill
11 further entries not listed here
11 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn publishing market required
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- still to learn project management principles required
- optional, not held digital marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held grammar optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held literature optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held spelling optional
Other moves recorded from sales manager
- promotion manager 69% covered · moderate
- category manager 58% covered · substantial
- chief marketing officer 58% covered · moderate
- marketing manager 54% covered · substantial
- online community manager 51% covered · substantial
- business developer 37% covered · substantial
- client relations manager 29% covered · career change
- marketing consultant 29% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a sales manager become a book publisher?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A sales manager already covers 28% of what a book publisher is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 4 of which the book publisher role treats as required.
What skills does a sales manager need to become a book publisher?
11 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is present publishing plan.
How hard is the move from sales manager to book publisher?
Its learning distance is 70.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.