BOOK LAUNCH Q&A: THE CALL HOUSE BY C.P. STILES

C.P. Stiles lives and writes in Washington, DC. The Call House: A Washington Novel is her first published novel, but she has a drawerful of new novels just waiting to be published.  

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About the Book:

Title: THE CALL HOUSE: A WASHINGTON NOVEL
Author: C.P. Stiles
Publisher: Bacon Press Books
Pages: 204
Genre: Literary Fiction

A war on vice In Washington, DC—a city constantly awash in scandals? Hard to believe, but it really happened.  Only not exactly the way it’s told here.

All Mattie Simon knows is that she want adventure and her hometown doesn’t have any. She wants independence, maybe some romance.

All Andrew Stevens wants is to do his job as a newly-elected congressman.

But Washington has a way of changing people—even when they get what they want.

Fast-paced and funny, The Call House takes you back to a time of relative innocence, when people flocked to Washington, DC, in the 1940s to do good works and instead got caught up in sex, money, and politics. What else would you expect?

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After your book was released, what was the first thing you did when getting ready for your book launch?

I know there’s a lot of good advice about making the actual launch a standout – fortunately, my publisher has some experience and she believes in taking a longer view. Especially with a new book from a new author. She thinks it takes at least 3 - 6 months to get the word out. The first thing she did, before the release, was book a book blast tour for release day and then a month later, she booked this tour.

She also signed up for a few places that will promote a book before it has any reviews.

Did you do anything different to spice up your website in lieu of your upcoming book release?

I found someone on Fiverr to create a banner.

I tried to create one myself but I just couldn’t get it right.

Did you ever consider using a PR agency to help you promote your book or did you prefer the DIY route?

Again, this is where it helped to have a publisher with some experience. Also a limited budget. We decided to do it all ourselves.

What are your views on social media for marketing your book?

I think social media is great for getting the word out, getting the cover seen by a lot of people without spending a lot of money. As a reader, I don’t usually buy a book when I see it on Twitter or Facebook, but I will look twice if that book shows up again on some of the free and bargain sites. 

What social media has worked best for you?

I like Twitter and Pinterest. I know Instagram is supposed to be great but I haven’t gotten up to speed on it yet.

Did you write a press release and do you think it worked for you?

Again, here’s where good advice from my publisher helped me decide. She’d done a few press releases on other books. Only one got any notice. And even that one didn’t result in sales. Unless there’s something really newsworthy about a book, I’m not sure a press release makes any difference.

Did you time your book launch around a certain holiday?

I admit, this is going to sound weird. I do pay attention to when mercury goes retrograde.

I know a lot of people think it’s all made up. And maybe it’s all coincidence that things go wrong and communications get messed up. But why take a chance? I scheduled my launch after mercury went direct.

What was the best money you ever spent on your book launch?

I definitely think it’s worth doing blog tours. It gives me a chance to learn about people, like you, who are helping authors reach readers. It also gives me a chance to share what I’ve learned.

Any tips for those authors wanting to set up a successful book launch?

So much depends on the genre and the reading audience. I’d say try everything the first time and see what happens. Do a blog tour. There are lots of lists you can find for sites that help authors promote their books. Sign up for as many as you can without spending too much money. What I’ve learned from other authors is that it’s a good idea to spend half your budget on a launch and save the other half to promote your book when you offer it for free or at a discount.