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SelfPublishing.com

Is this your company?

Commission-only SDR? Run for the hills! - Sales Development Representative (SDR) SelfPublishing.com Employee Review

1.0
21 Sept 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexibility due to remote work

Cons

Selfpublishing.com markets itself for future employees as follows. I will be copy and pasting from the job posting and adding my own perspective on each point having worked for Selfpublishing.com “-we work remotely” Yes it is a remote job. This offers flexibility and I’m my experience is the best part of this job. It should be stated that there are mandatory company off sites that require travel and a week of time twice a year. As a commission only role, SDRs are not paid for their time during offsite travel and work. Expect to make $0 while giving them your uninterrupted time and energy. Your flight is paid for and so are a few meals. As to compensation for work during company offsite meetings, $0. “-we move fast (you'll grow a ton)” By move fast they mean, you’ll be required to make 100+ cold calls per day. If you don’t, expect to be chastised and talked down to, even if you are successful in setting meetings (your actual job) As to growth, I have seen a few cases of people growing in their role, but that is primarily those who have been with the company for over 5 years. The SDR role is not a closing role, so You have no control over a deal closing. This means you should enter this role with the real understanding that even if you work hundreds of hours in a month, you have the real possibility of making $0. This isn’t hyperbole. You can work a standard 160 hours (expect to be pushed to work more) and still make $0. “-the team is awesome & a lot of fun to work with” The SDR team is filled with great people this is true. Most are disgruntled because they are making way less than should be legal, but they are really kind and fun. The manager is not fun however, and tends to condescend frequently and try to “put you in your place.” He will minimize the fact that nearly everyone on his team is making well below minimum wage, and basically say “well there needs to be more hustle.” “-the sky is the limit earnings wise if you're willing to put in the work” This is laughable. They changed the compensation plan and stripped SDRs of their base salaries without consent. After transitioning to a commission only compensation structure, many SDRs are now making less than $1000 per month while working full time and frequently putting in extra hours. This is due to the fact that even if you set 60 meetings in a month. There is a real possibility that only 1 or 2 close. I left Selfpublishing.com due to this compensation structure. They promised a 1 month ramp period to me and said “you can expect to make $4500 your first month.” This was a blatant lie. When you put in hundreds of hours of work and receive a check comparable to $4 per hour, you lose faith in a company. I hadn’t made such little money since I was a small child cutting grass. If you have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and want a steady income, this is not the place to work. If you enjoy working for free, hop aboard!

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SelfPublishing.com Response
1y
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed the remote work flexibility and the team. We hear you on the offsite travel and compensation issues, and we’re committed to improving clarity and fairness there. We’ll also reassess our performance expectations and management approach. Your insights are valuable, and we've recently put things in place to enhance the experience of our employees and customers. Thanks again for your input.

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5.0
18 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of focus on sales development, great team culture, environment. Opportunity to travel for conferences

Cons

Not much work from home flexibility.

4.0
24 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you want to be surrounded by people who will push you to the next level and invite you into a higher standard, then this is your dream team.

Cons

Not much flexibility in time off / work remote since some people have abused it.

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