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Book Taster

Instructions on how to handle Book Taster projects in editorial.

Last edited by Sam on 15th September 2026

What is a Book Taster?

A Book Taster (BT) is a sales product offered to customers who are unsure if writing a book is right for them. It includes a short interview and a sample chapter. When the customer decides to proceed with a full book project, editorial needs to incorporate the BT materials into the new project.

How do I get these requests?

Sales will transfer the deal to editorial once the customer decides to proceed with a full project. The deal will be labelled as 'Client Name - Taster Deal' in HubSpot.

What to check first?

  • Confirm the Google Drive folder link with Sales (or find it in the BT automation files folder) and check that it is included in the Sales handover HubSpot note.
  • Review the BT book strategy before the introduction call.
  • Check whether Sales has indicated if the client wants to stick with the BT writer. If not, ask the client their preference on the intro call.

Writer Search

Share the BT materials with the writer after selection so they are prepared for the intro call. Share the following before the first interview:

  • The BT proposal
  • The BT interview transcript

Writer Fee note: If the BT writer is not assigned to the full project, reach out to management to allocate an additional one-hour research fee for the new writer. This allows time to review the Taster PDF and interview transcript and avoid unnecessary repetition from the Taster interview.

Uploading the Book Taster to Bookmaker

STEP 1: Edit the Bookmaker project to add an interview hour

  1. Download the BT audio file from the Google Drive folder provided by Sales.
  2. Find the project in Bookmaker (BM) and click Edit.
  3. Take note of the current extension fee cost — the next step will zero it out.
  4. Change the Package Type to Bespoke/Custom. Note: The original package type should also be listed in the HubSpot handover note for records.
  5. Add one additional hour to the interview hours. This allows the BT interview to be uploaded without counting towards the allocated hours in the package.
  6. Update the extension fee cost back to what it was (note for future: a fix for this step has been requested).
STEP 2: Upload the BT audio file as an interview (can only be done once the writer is selected)
  1. Schedule an interview in Bookmaker.
  2. Use a past date for the interview — you can use the same date the BT was uploaded to Google Drive.
  3. Add a note clarifying this interview is for the BT recording.
  4. Important: Interviews added with past dates will NOT send out meeting invites to the customer or writer.
  5. Click Save and then continue to close out the interview.

HubSpot and project notes

  • Add the BT folder link to the pinned HubSpot note.
  • If the BT writer continues with the full project, the editor can proceed directly from the Intro Call to the Interview stage.

Project Editor responsibilities

  • Review the Taster PDF thoroughly before the Intro Call.
  • Upload the Taster interview and transcript to Bookmaker following the steps above.
  • Ensure the writer references the High-Level Outline from the Taster phase to refine the Outline generated in Bookmaker.
  • Include the BT proposal with all the other documents uploaded to Claude during the editorial assessment phase for the outline.