Book Marketing Q&A with Bacon Press Books
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How important is social media to your marketing efforts?
Social media is very important – it’s where we focus most of our marketing efforts. As a (very) small press it’s much easier to gain attention and exposure through social media than it is through mainstream channels. Especially if we’re working with a tight budget – social media offers us the most book promotion opportunities at the lowest cost.
Do you have a favourite social media channel? Why?
Twitter. It’s great for exposure even if it doesn’t lead to direct sales. It’s less personal than Facebook, and for me, more interesting than Google Plus. Even though it’s vast, it’s also manageable. It’s easier to build relationships with others who can help spread the word to their followers. At least several times in a week, I learn about a site or a service I hadn’t heard of before.
In your opinion, what is the best way to communicate a negative review to an author?
Tricky situation. Fortunately, we haven’t run into it often. The first time, my instinct was not to tell the author. I wasn’t sure he would be able to see it in a larger context. But enough writers assured me they’d want to know about bad reviews, and I realized the best way is to just tell the author about the negative review and offer assurances that don’t sound too much like empty platitudes.
As a small publisher, what are the most difficult aspects to marketing your titles?
This can be two-pronged. On the one side, it’s gaining attention and exposure. On the other side, it’s convincing the author to get involved. If you’ve got the budget and you know which services are genuinely helpful in getting reviews and interviews, you can work your way through the first part. But, if you’ve got an author who still believes it should all happen magically, it may take some time to overcome that challenge.
With giveaways a popular form of marketing for publishers, do you find them successful? Why or why not?
Yes. I find they’re still successful. When we’ve been lucky enough to get a BookBub promotion, we’ve seen 20-30-35,000 downloads. This has led to follow-up sales and dozens of reader reviews. Even without BookBub, our free promotions have generated increased sales and reviews. For better or worse, a lot of readers would rather try a new author’s book when it’s available for free. And our main goal is reaching new readers.
Do you plan your social media posts far in advance or do you post as you see fit?
When we’re launching a book or running a promotion, we’ll use a schedule. Otherwise, I know I should, and I wish I did. But like going to the gym, I don’t seem able to stick to a schedule for more than a week or two. Even though I know that when I post on my blog regularly, the page view count goes up. I don’t always have enough interesting material.
About Bacon Press Books
Bacon Press Books is a small, independent publisher based in Washington, DC. We publish fiction and nonfiction from new and known writers. Our main focus is on helping authors release their previously published hardcover titles in paperback and digital.
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