Marketing Q&A With Publisher Sands Press

With giveaways a popular form of marketing for publishers, do you find them successful?

Giveaways offer a fantastic opportunity to get the word out about your book! We encourage our authors to offer giveaways for their books on Goodreads, and they are always met with high levels of interest. Many winners are kind enough to post a review after receiving their books, but even apart from review generation, these giveaways increase exposure and place your book on many “to-read” shelves.

In your opinion, what is the best way to react to a negative review?

Every author has received or will receive a negative review some time over the course of his or her career. Not every book will resonate the same way with every person, and many reviewers are not as tactful as some may wish. We encourage our authors to first see if they can learn anything from constructive negative reviews, and then to put them behind them and focus on what they love – writing!

How important are book signings in your overall marketing plan?

Our authors love participating in book signings, and we enjoy setting them up! Signings are valuable on many levels: they increase exposure, allow connections with fans, and provide an opportunity for sales. We find that our signings are the most successful when authors are enthusiastic and excited to meet new people and talk about their books. These appearances are a major part of all of our marketing plans.

How do you prepare your authors for interviews? Can you share a few tips?

We encourage our authors to always go into an interview well prepared. Know the name of the interviewer and their show/column, and look into what they cover and who their audience is. Review questions beforehand such as why you wrote the book, the biggest challenge in writing the book, what you will be writing next, etc., and practice your answers. Finally, remember to bring along a brief summary of your book in case the interviewer has not read it, a number of passages from the book in case you are asked to read one, information regarding where the book is available, and any information regarding upcoming signings or appearances. There is no such thing as being over-prepared!

How important are literary awards for a title’s overall marketing efforts?

Literary awards can be exceptionally valuable! For example, we are very proud that The More Things Change, the second book in the “Ethan Tennant” mystery series by Perry Prete, recently won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award. We love bragging about our award-winning book, series, and author. Being able to tout your author as “award-winning” in pitches and on a front cover draws attention and generates interest. It is always a great feeling to know that your author is being recognized for his or her achievements, as well!

About Sands Press

Sands Press is at the forefront of a changing publishing industry. They recognize the uniqueness of the industry as it is now; writing is no longer restricted to who will publish your book, but has opened up to when and how will you publish your book. Sands Press can take care of Traditional Publishing, or can guide you along the way to Self Publishing.

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