A reminder is a form of communication that prompts a person to remember something. Authors or literary agents in publishing often dispatch these messages to draw attention to a deadline, event, or outstanding commitment.
Within books and publishing, the term reminder denotes a notice requesting payment or action on an overdue account or subscription. Such messages are typically dispatched to customers who still need to make a required payment or meet another obligation. Occasionally, it may be sent as a courtesy to prompt those at risk of delinquency; for instance, a person two weeks behind on their subscription payment might receive a reminder in the mail.
The company itself only sometimes does the sending of reminder notices. Instead, a collection agency may sometimes be hired to send out these notices on behalf of the company. This is particularly true if a customer is significantly behind in their payments and the company has yet to get them to make a payment successfully.
Several different types of reminder notices are commonly used. The first type is known as a basic reminder notice. This kind of notice tells the customer that they have an overdue balance and asks them to take action to pay it off. The second type of reminder notice is called a final notice. Final notices are usually sent after customers have not responded to multiple reminder notices.
Reminder is also an essential tool for books and publishing. These messages allow authors to track their book sales, remind readers about upcoming events related to their writing (such as book signings or readings), and promote their work more broadly through targeted advertising and attention from literary agents and publishers. By using a reminder, authors can stay organized and efficient, increasing their chances of success in an industry that often depends on self-promotion.