Library & Institutional Partnerships Sales Representative — Commission-Based

About Us

We are a book distribution and cultural content company with access to a wide range of book resources, with a primary focus on U.S. books. We also have access to selected international book resources from China, Japan, and Korea to support libraries, schools, universities, and cultural institutions in building diverse and globally focused collections.

As part of our expansion, we are seeking a Commission-Based Library & Institutional Partnerships Sales Representative to help us grow in the Washington State library market.

Job Summary

The Business Development Manager will be responsible for developing new business opportunities with libraries and educational institutions across Washington State. This role will focus on building relationships with public libraries, academic libraries, school libraries, community colleges, library systems, and cultural organizations.

The ideal candidate has experience in business development, institutional sales, publishing, education, library services, or public-sector partnerships. This person should be comfortable identifying prospects, conducting outreach, presenting solutions, managing proposals, and building long-term customer relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a business development plan for the Washington State library and education market.
• Identify and engage public libraries, university libraries, school libraries, community colleges, library systems, and cultural institutions.
• Build relationships with library directors, collection development librarians, acquisition teams, educators, and procurement contacts.
• Promote our book resources, especially U.S. books and selected international titles that support diverse library collections.
• Understand customer needs and recommend suitable book collections, curated title lists, or purchasing programs.
• Manage the sales process from prospecting and outreach to presentations, proposals, negotiations, and closing.
• Support vendor onboarding, procurement requirements, pricing discussions, and institutional purchasing processes.
• Maintain a pipeline of prospects and provide regular updates on sales activities, opportunities, and market feedback.Attend relevant library, education, publishing, and community events in Washington State.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure accurate catalog information, order fulfillment, and customer satisfaction.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in business development, sales, account management, publishing, education, library services, or institutional partnerships.
• Experience working with libraries, schools, universities, nonprofits, public agencies, or cultural institutions is preferred.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work independently and develop new institutional accounts from the ground up.
• Strong interest in books, libraries, education, publishing, and community-based cultural services.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Based in Washington State or able to regularly meet with local institutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Existing network with libraries, educational institutions, or cultural organizations in Washington State.
• Knowledge of library collection development, acquisition processes, public procurement, or book distribution.
• Experience with U.S. book distribution, publishing sales, library vendors, or educational content sales.
• Experience using CRM systems, sales tracking tools, or institutional sales pipelines.
• Ability to manage long sales cycles and build lasting institutional partnerships.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to lead market expansion in Washington State.
• Access to strong U.S. book resources, with additional international book resources available when needed.
• A mission-driven business focused on education, libraries, and community access to books.
• Flexible working structure depending on experience and location.
• Competitive compensation with potential performance-based incentives.

Compensation

Competitive base salary plus performance-based commission or bonus. Final compensation will depend on experience, local market knowledge, and existing institutional relationships.

Work Location

In person. This role may require regular local travel to meet with libraries, schools, universities, and cultural institutions throughout Washington State.

Pay: $25.00 - $35.00 per hour

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Willingness to travel:

• 25% (Required)

Work Location: In person