Marketing & #Pit2Pub Q&A with European Geeks Publishing
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Is there a particular genre or sub-genre you plan to look for in 2016?
European Geeks Publishing is strictly focused on Science Fiction & Fantasy as it is – however, in 2016, we will be really looking to add a body of work revolving around vampires, as we do not yet have one in our current or future catalog. EGP’s general fiction imprint, Eleventh Hour Literary Press, will be on the hunt for all aspects of the Gen Fic genre.
Have you had any #Pit2Pub success stories in the past?
Yes! We managed to connect with author Branden Johnson at the last #Pit2Pub. His debut novel, Heaven’s Forgotten, launched on October 12th through European Geeks Publishing. It is a beautiful, dark fantasy novel that we have great expectations for.
When do you start planning an upcoming release’s marketing?
Every book has a unique marketing plan created and tailored for that specific body of work. We begin marketing discussions with the author immediately upon contract completion.
How valuable are book reviews for your authors? How do you leverage them?
Book reviews are one of the largest keys to a book’s success. No matter how great the work is, if people aren’t reading and talking about it, it won’t get noticed. Book reviews on both large and small book blogs are vital, in addition to customer reviews on Amazon, which help propel the book into a larger audience’s hands. The more people talk about a book, the more new people will hear about it. The purpose of a book is to touch readers, to move them. It’s only natural for them to discuss it afterwards, verbally and written – and this is the greatest form of marketing a book can have.
How frequently do you post to social media? Do you have a method to increase engagement and interaction?
We post to social media several times throughout the day. In addition to promotional posts, we post blog articles written by our authors, and quotes about reading, writing, and the publishing industry. EGP tends to favor the hashtags #readmore (because, let’s face it, who doesn’t need to read more?) and #mustread. #indiebooksbeseen is another great hashtag/movement aimed at driving the focus towards the indie book market, and pulling obscure authors out of the shadows of the Big 5 and into a more public perception.
What is #Pit2Pub?
A Twitter Pitch Party (“TPP”) is an opportunity for writers to tweet a 140-character pitch for their completed and polished manuscript(s) directly to publishers. Make sure to leave enough room to include the hashtag #Pit2Pub and the category (#YA, #MG, #A, #SFF, #W, etc.) in the tweet. The next event is scheduled for February 3, 2016.
Keep up to date on #Pit2Pub information by visiting Kristin’s Blog and Ann’s Blog.
European Geeks Publishing is a new, exciting, small press that believes in the support and promotion of its authors. They specialize in science fiction and fantasy – in Children’s, Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult genres. Stemmed from a book blog, European Geeks in Rural America, in June of 2015, EGP has since launched a General Fiction imprint, Eleventh Hour Literary Press.
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