One day we thought it would be interesting to introduce the readers to our team. So that you know the faces of those who work on books, a website, a social network, and their implementation. Meet Mykhailo Tolkachev - wholesale sales manager!

How long have you worked at Nebo?

Three years. And this time passed almost imperceptibly:) When I started, there were only 7 books in our publishing house and in fact only I was involved in their implementation. Now we have many more books and we have a great team that works in a single rhythm to achieve the goal.

What skills should a sales representative possess?

First of all, a sales representative must feel the needs of the customer. Know what he needs and help him do it the right choice. The seller should be like a friend to the client who will always listen and advise.Of course, at the same time you need to have high communication skills, know the market in which you work well and be able to search without fear new challenges and tasks. At the same time, he should not forget that he is part of the team and together with other departments (marketing, PR, etc.) to participate in the creation of global ways of development of the company.

Favorite genre of literature?

There is no such thing. I read everything in a row. I like non-fiction about physics, chemistry, biology, business, innovation. Except I also read a lot of fiction. For example, I recently finished the cycle "The Witcher" by Sapkovsky, I love it counterculture, as well as books by modern little-known British authors, such as Darren King.I am very big a fan of John R.R. Tolkien, I reread his "Lord of the Rings" about once a year, the film adaptation in the director's watched the version probably a hundred times. Now I'm reading two books in parallel - Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series and Richard Shepherd "Unnatural reasons" about the everyday life of a forensic medical expert. I like both of them very much.

What do you find inspiration in? what is your hobby

I can find inspiration in anything, in hiking in the mountains, in movies, in literature. But the biggest inspiration for me music brings She constantly plays in my head and I can't see my life without her. That is why, in addition to sales, I also I play in a rock band, they say it's not bad. :)

How do you see an ideal client or an ideal relationship with a client?

An ideal customer is one who buys a lot and pays on time. :) In fact, they play a very important role interpersonal relations. As I said before, you should be a friend to the customer and he should be a friend to you. Then together you you can succeed.

Favorite book from the publisher?

"Van Gogh's Starry Night". And not even because it is our main bestseller.:) This book is extremely interesting and informative. As a person who is quite far from artistic art, it was very useful for me to read it. Now I discovered for myself many new interesting names and became a slightly more experienced person.

What do you see as market trends?

I agree with Anton Martynov here. Publishing houses should not compete with each other, but with other forms of leisure. We should make a person want to read a book instead of watching a series or a game on a console. If you look looking at the statistics of the purchase and reading of books among Ukrainians, a very sad picture emerges. Of course, there are people who read and a hundred books a year, but there are very few of them. Even among my acquaintances there are people who have not read a single book in recent years 5. That's why the TV is stronger than us so far. There is also an opinion that the younger generation cannot concentrate for a long time focus on one thing. They live in constant motion, and it is easier for them to read an article or watch a video on Youtube, rather than forcing yourself to look at a book for an hour. But we, as Ivan Franko's stonemasons, will continue to chip away at this rock and we want to believe that our efforts will not be in vain.

What formed your love for books?

First of all, a book is a source of knowledge, and I believe that a person should constantly develop and become better. Therefore without there are no books here. But in order to start reading, a person needs to find "his" book, which will captivate him so much that it will not be possible break away, and then you don't even notice how you read books one after another. For me, literature has become such a guide to the world Stephen King. It was from his books that I began to read, as they say, binge.

Why are you doing this?

Because I believe that I bring benefit to society. Because selling books means carrying knowledge itself, carrying culture and to make this world and our country a little bit better.