Publish Bestselling Frontlists on Time While We Run Your
Metadata Feeds, Slush Pile Triage, ARCs & Royalty Ledgers
Stop losing your high-level acquisitions and editorial hours manually typing BISAC codes into Bowker, vetting thousands of unsolicited Submittable manuscripts, packaging NetGalley ARC campaigns, and calculating bi-annual author royalty statements. Sagedoer provides Managed Publishing House Virtual Assistants supervised by a dedicated Project Manager at $0 management fees.
Why Independent & Trade Publishers Partner With Sagedoer
Your publishers and senior editors should dedicate their craft to discovering breakout voices, negotiating book rights, and mentoring authors—not wrestling with ISBN registries, printer proofs, and reviewer spreadsheets.
Metadata, ISBNs & ONIX Feed Governance
Eliminate title discovery drop-offs. We allocate ISBNs/SANs in Bowker (MyIdentifiers), assign granular BISAC/Thema subject codes, write search-optimized jacket blurbs, and sync ONIX 3.0 title feeds across Ingram, Edelweiss+, and Amazon.
Slush Pile Triage & Submittable Screening
Protect your acquisitions editors from inbox exhaustion. Your VA screens incoming queries and sample chapters in Submittable against your house guidelines, flags commercial matches, and issues polite, on-brand form declinations.
ARC & NetGalley Reviewer Campaigns
Build launch momentum 4 to 6 months pre-publication. We upload digital galleys to NetGalley and BookFunnel, approve verified trade reviewers, dispatch physical ARC mailers to trade outlets (Kirkus, PW, Booklist), and archive early quotes.
Prepress Proofing, Vellum & InDesign QC
Ensure pristine print and digital interiors. We conduct strict pre-flight checks on PDF printer proofs, format eBooks in Vellum/InDesign, audit running heads, front/back matter, copyright pages, and eliminate orphan/widow typesetting errors.
Royalty Ledgering & Distributor Statements
Never get bogged down at royalty season. We extract monthly sales figures across Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and KDP, log net receipts against author advance thresholds, and generate clean royalty statements via MetaComet or custom ledgers.
Dedicated Project Manager ($0 Fee)
Zero press micromanagement. Your dedicated Sagedoer Project Manager oversees daily VA execution, conducts secondary QA reviews on title data and distributor uploads, and guarantees strict turnaround SLAs at no extra charge.
Publishing Portals, Metadata & Production Tools We Master
We integrate natively into your title management databases, submission managers, digital ARC hubs, and book production pipelines.
What Your Publishing House VA Executes Daily
We handle the grueling administrative legwork, metadata synchronization, reviewer communications, and royalty tracking so your editors focus on creating enduring books.
Acquisitions, Slush & Metadata Ops
- Submittable Inbox Management: Triage unsolicited manuscripts, log genre, word count, author credentials, and route prioritized queries to acquisitions editors.
- ISBN & Barcode Allocation: Registering unique ISBNs for Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, and Audiobook editions in Bowker MyIdentifiers with accurate imprint details.
- BISAC & Thema Classification: Assigning targeted subject codes, age ranges, and search keywords to maximize discoverability across trade channels.
- Edelweiss+ Catalog Population: Uploading jacket covers, author biographies, comp titles, publication dates, and marketing hooks for seasonal sales reps.
Prepress, Proofing & ARC Campaigns
- NetGalley ARC Administration: Listing forthcoming titles, reviewing reader requests, managing digital DRM settings, and tracking early review feedback.
- Trade Review Mailout Logistics: Generating media review mailout lists, preparing advance review packet labels, and tracking delivery status to major trade outlets.
- Interior Formatting Preflight: Formatting clean manuscripts in Vellum or InDesign, checking front/back matter, and generating valid EPUB/PDF proof files.
- Printer Proof Collation: Reviewing digital bluelines and printer proofs for alignment errors, trim lines, barcode verifications, and color registrations.
Author Care, Royalties & Distribution
- Author Onboarding & Questionnaires: Dispatching author marketing questionnaires, collecting high-res headshots, and tracking contractual asset deadlines.
- Distributor Portal Audits: Auditing active listing status, inventory stock alerts, and wholesale discount schedules across IngramSpark, KDP, and Gardners.
- Royalty Statement Preparation: Reconciling distributor sales reports against contract royalty percentages and preparing itemized author statements.
- Backlist Inventory & Reprint Alerts: Monitoring sell-through velocities, warehouse stock alerts, and flagging print-on-demand re-orders before stockouts occur.
A Frictionless 4-Step Process
From onboarding your publishing seasonal schedules and distributor tools to autonomous daily execution with zero management overhead.
Submit Requirements
Share your publishing calendar, current title count, software stack (Bowker, Edelweiss, NetGalley, Submittable), and administrative backlog.
Finalise the Deal
Your dedicated Sagedoer Project Manager reviews your press SOPs, signs comprehensive bilateral NDAs, and tailors your onboarding roadmap.
Expert Execution
Delegate metadata entry, ARC administration, slush pile triage, and author packets. Your dedicated PM monitors formatting quality and turnaround speed.
Pay Only for Output
We track and bill exclusively for the VA's actual productive hours. Your dedicated Project Manager's continuous supervision and QA reviews are completely free.
Traditional Freelance Portals vs. Sagedoer
Why trade publishers, independent press founders, and academic imprints choose our managed model over unvetted solo contractors.
| Feature | Traditional Freelance Portals | The Smart Choice: Sagedoer |
|---|---|---|
| Platform & Management Fees | Up to 40% hidden markups, job bidding fees, and monthly platform tiers | 0% Hidden Fees. Pay strictly for productive hours. |
| Daily Team Management | Publishers must personally train, supervise, and inspect solo contractors while managing tight release seasons | Dedicated Project Manager acts as your single point of contact |
| Publishing & Book Trade Literacy | Generic VAs unaware of ONIX feeds, BISAC codes, Edelweiss+, NetGalley, or trade discounting | Internally vetted talent trained in publishing workflows, title metadata, and distributor logistics |
| Hiring & Deployment Speed | Weeks lost sifting through resumes while seasonal catalog deadlines rapidly approach | Rapid deployment. Matched with an experienced VA in 24-48 hrs |
| Billing & Invoicing | Disjointed multi-contractor invoices with foreign exchange markups | Simple, centralized, transparent USD invoicing |
| Staff Turnover & Disruptions | Start over completely when a solo contractor vanishes right before a high-profile book launch | Seamless internal bench backup coverage with zero production halt |
Simple, Predictable Hourly Pricing
No lock-in contracts or agency placement commissions. Dedicated Project Manager included at zero extra charge.
Est. $560 USD / Month (4 Weeks)
- Pay only for hours of pure work
- Dedicated Project Manager included
- Free management supervision
- Zero setup or onboarding fees
- No monthly membership charges
Est. $960 USD / Month (4 Weeks)
- Pay only for hours of pure work
- Dedicated Project Manager included
- Free management supervision
- Zero setup or onboarding fees
- No monthly membership charges
What Publishing Directors & Press Owners Say
Real experiences from independent publishers, university press directors, and trade publishing managers.
"We publish 28 trade fiction and non-fiction titles a year. Managing metadata across Bowker, Edelweiss+, and IngramSpark was eating up 15 hours a week of our managing editor's time. Our Sagedoer VA handles all ISBN allocations and ONIX updates flawlessly."
"Our NetGalley and BookFunnel review campaigns are now 100% automated. When our fall frontlist dropped, our VA approved over 400 verified reviewers, tracked Kirkus and PW submission deadlines, and gathered blurbs for our second print run."
"The dedicated Project Manager is invaluable. At royalty period, extracting distributor reports and matching net revenues against author advance schedules used to cause immense stress. Our Sagedoer PM ensured 65 author statements went out on time."
"Hiring a full-time publishing production coordinator in New York costs $65,000+ plus benefits. At $6/hour for full-time support, Sagedoer handles our Submittable queries, Vellum eBook prep, and printer proof inspections with zero errors."
"We publish 28 trade fiction and non-fiction titles a year. Managing metadata across Bowker, Edelweiss+, and IngramSpark was eating up 15 hours a week of our managing editor's time. Our Sagedoer VA handles all ISBN allocations and ONIX updates flawlessly."
"Our NetGalley and BookFunnel review campaigns are now 100% automated. When our fall frontlist dropped, our VA approved over 400 verified reviewers, tracked Kirkus and PW submission deadlines, and gathered blurbs for our second print run."
Questions Publishing Directors & Editors Ask
Direct, realistic answers addressing manuscript confidentiality, metadata standards, NetGalley setups, and royalty systems.
Deploy Your Publishing VA in 24-48 Hours
Submit your press requirements below or connect directly to review your upcoming title releases, ARC campaigns, and metadata backlog.