How do small presses onboard a new author?
- Good onboarding sets expectations before production starts.
- Four pillars: contract, timeline, assets, and communication cadence.
- A shared timeline shows the author what happens and when.
- An asset list tells the author exactly what to provide.
- A set communication cadence prevents anxious check-ins.
Small presses onboard a new author by establishing four things up front: the signed contract (terms, rights, royalties), the production timeline (what happens and when through to publication), the assets needed from the author (bio, photo, dedication, marketing input), and the communication cadence (how and how often you will be in touch). Setting these at the start replaces a hundred ad hoc questions with a clear shared understanding of the road ahead.
Chapter i·Why it matters
A new author does not know your process and will either flood you with anxious questions or go silent and miss what you need, unless you set expectations early. Clear onboarding — contract, timeline, asset list, cadence — turns an uncertain author into an informed collaborator. It saves the press dozens of one-off emails and prevents the late scrambles that happen when an author did not know a deadline or deliverable existed.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A signed contract with clear terms, rights, and royalties.
- A shared production timeline through publication.
- An asset checklist: bio, photo, dedication, marketing input.
- A communication cadence and primary point of contact.
- An overview of who does what on the team.
- A welcome document collecting it all in one place.
Chapter iii·Example
When a small press signs a debut novelist, it sends a welcome packet: the countersigned contract, a timeline showing edit, design, and launch milestones, a checklist of assets due by certain dates, and a note that they will meet by video monthly with email in between. The author knows exactly what to expect and what to deliver, and the press fields a fraction of the usual first-timer questions.
WriteLoom gives each new author a shared timeline, asset checklist, and workspace, so onboarding is one place instead of a hundred emails.
See WriteLoom for teams