- Announcements should be made in the trade press in the UK and if possible in the relevant territory
- Key customers should be notified by email
- All agents and distributors should be listed with territories and contact details in catalogues, both print and digital, and on the publisher’s website
- If UK-based an agent should be invited to the publisher’s office for a briefing/induction into the publisher’s titles, lists and systems, and to meet key contacts. NB Online video-meetings such as have increased exponentially and to great effect during the Covid-19 pandemic work well within a framework of existing acquaintance, between face-to-face meetings. They are markedly less useful and effective in the context of building new relationships
- It can also be useful to arrange a visit to the distribution centre for introductions to key customer- and credit-services personnel, who will be critical contacts
- In the case of a key overseas distributor, an opportunity should be created on a visit they may be making to the UK, e.g. at the time of a book fair, to offer a similar induction
- If the new partner is building on an existing base of business, all available title and customer sales data relating to that business in the territory concerned should be provided.
