BookBub gets a lot of questions from authors about everything from how to get a BookBub Author Profile to how to choose which deals to show in Featured Deals. But some questions come up over and over, so we thought it would be helpful to put together a list of the answers to the questions we get asked the most.
BookBub has become the most important search engine and advertising platform for digital books. BookBub has a huge effect on book sales because they have millions of active subscribers who depend on their personalized suggestions. So, getting a job at BookBub means becoming part of a group whose mission is to help readers find books they’ll love.
The interview process aims to assess if you’ll be a good cultural and strategic fit. It typically involves multiple rounds of interviews including both behavioral and technical questions. With competition high for open roles you need to showcase why you’re uniquely qualified. That’s why thoughtful preparation and practice are key.
In this comprehensive guide we’ll explore 10 of the most common BookBub interview questions with tips to help you craft winning responses
1. Why do you want to work at BookBub?
This is your chance to demonstrate your knowledge of and enthusiasm for BookBub’s mission. Emphasize how your values and goals align with the company’s vision for transforming book discovery. You can reference specific initiatives or policies that resonate with you. Share relevant experience and skills that will enable you to contribute. Convey a passion for books and reading while highlighting your relevant background in technology, data science, marketing, etc.
Example response: “I’m drawn to BookBub because of your success revolutionizing how readers discover their next favorite book. As an avid reader myself with a background in data science, I’m inspired by BookBub’s use of recommendation algorithms and AI to match books with the right readers. I’m constantly learning about new titles through BookBub’s curated selections. With my analytical skills and passion for enhancing user experience, I believe I can help BookBub continue to innovate and connect even more readers and authors.”
2. What do you know about BookBub’s company culture?
BookBub prides itself on its collaborative, transparent culture that empowers employees. In your response, touch on qualities like:
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Passionate about books
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Commitment to diversity and inclusion
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Cross-functional collaboration
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Fast-paced but supportive environment
Example response: “From my research, it’s clear BookBub has fostered a dynamic culture where employees feel energized by the mission yet also supported to do their best work. The passion for books shines through. I also appreciate the commitment to transparency, diversity and cross-team collaboration. Coming from a similarly fast-paced but close-knit company, I think I would thrive in the BookBub environment.”
3. How do you stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices?
Demonstrate proactivity, curiosity and commitment to continuous learning here. Ways to stay current:
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Reading industry publications
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Following thought leaders/influencers
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Taking online courses
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Attending webinars and events
Share 1-2 recent examples of trends/skills you’ve added to your repertoire.
Example response: “I make learning a daily habit, whether it’s reading industry newsletters, taking online courses or attending virtual events. For example, I recently completed a class on conversational AI and machine learning trends to strengthen my knowledge. And I try to put these skills into practice – I just implemented chatbots in our customer service system to make interactions more seamless. I’m passionate about constantly improving.”
4. Tell me about a time you influenced cross-functional teams or stakeholders to reach a business objective.
Share a specific example that highlights your collaboration, communication and influence skills. Describe the scenario, your actions and the result. Emphasize how you built alignment and got buy-in across different groups to achieve a shared goal. Quantify the impact if possible.
Example response: “As the lead on a website redesign project, I needed to get all department stakeholders aligned on priorities, from marketing to product and engineering. I organized workshops where each group presented their goals and concerns. Identifying shared objectives helped us reach consensus and set clear success metrics. To maintain alignment, I had bi-weekly sync-ups with team leads. My proactive communication ensured the launch went smoothly and traffic grew 10% in the first month.”
5. How do you balance new feature requests from different teams or customers?
Demonstrate your structured approach to prioritization. Emphasize gathering input, evaluating impact vs effort, and guiding teams toward high value features. Share examples of how you’ve worked cross-functionally to make difficult prioritization decisions.
Example response: “I use a RICE model to objectively score features based on reach, impact, confidence and effort required. But I also gather qualitative insights through 1:1s with different teams to understand context and value from their lens. I then coordinate collaborative sessions where we align on priorities using the RICE framework. This balances data with the human perspective. For example, I once facilitated the product and engineering teams successfully compromising on an MVP feature set that balanced impact and expediency.”
6. Tell me about a time you solved a technical challenge. What was the result?
Use a specific example that highlights your technical expertise, problem-solving approach and the impact of your solution. Describe the technical challenge, how you diagnosed the issue, steps you took to address it, and the quantitative/qualitative results. Emphasize improvements to the user experience.
Example response: “On a recent project building a reactive web app, our lead times were being throttled by slow API calls to external services. I performed load testing to isolate the problem. Instead of just optimizing queries, I proposed caching API responses using Redis which led to 10x faster lead times. This improved both system performance and user experience.”
7. How do you stay motivated when faced with a mundane task or challenging situation?
Share a time when you powered through a boring or difficult task successfully. Emphasize any tactics/mindsets you used – focusing on users, leveraging strengths of team members, keeping the end goal in mind, etc. Demonstrate perseverance, creativity and a positive attitude.
Example response: “When I was tasked with overhauling a convoluted wiki full of outdated processes, I knew it would be tedious but also high impact. To stay motivated, I focused on how much easier it would be for new hires to onboard once it was streamlined and accurate. I also enlisted colleagues to review certain sections which helped distribute the work and boosted morale. Keeping my eyes on the benefits fueled me through to the finish line.”
8. Where do you see your career in 5 years?
Share goals aligned with the role and realistic growth at the company. You can mention skill-building, expanding responsibilities, managing teams, etc. But ground your response in a desire to meaningfully contribute and develop professionally at BookBub.
Example response: “In 5 years, I hope to be leveraging my skills as a senior product manager at BookBub, having expanded my capabilities through working on diverse projects. I aim to be leading high-priority initiatives, delivering significant value through both technological innovations and strategic decision-making. I’m excited by the growth potential at BookBub and look forward to becoming a respected leader driving the company forward.”
9. Why should we hire you over other candidates?
Summarize your most relevant qualifications, experiences and soft skills. Focus on what makes you uniquely suited to excel in the role and contribute to company goals compared to others. You can mention specifically how your background aligns with the role’s requirements.
Example response: “With over 7 years of experience in digital marketing including spearheading customer acquisition efforts at a major online retailer, I have the proven track record to fulfill this role’s responsibilities. Beyond the job requirements, I bring deep passion for connecting readers and books as an avid fiction reader myself. My colleagues also praise my creativity, collaborative spirit and resilience under pressure – qualities that enable me to thrive and make positive impact. Given how closely my skills and values align with BookBub’s goals, I’m confident I’m the right fit for the team.”
10. Do you have any questions for us?
Always close with 1-2 thoughtful questions based on your remaining knowledge gaps about the role, team or company culture. This demonstrates your engagement and interest in the opportunity.
Example questions:
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“Can you tell me more about the structure of the product team and how collaboration happens across departments?”
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“What are the most immediate priorities or challenges facing the marketing team that I would focus on initially in the role?”
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“How will my performance be measured in the first 30/60/90 days if I join your team?”
With preparation and practice, you’ll feel confident tackling BookBub’s interview questions. Research the company’s mission, culture and initiatives so you can express genuine enthusiasm. Reflect on your past experiences and skills so you can make connections between your accomplishments and BookBub’s goals. With your passion for books and relevant expertise, you’ll be well on your way to landing your dream role driving book discovery and delighting readers.
How do I discount my book on retailers?
The process for discounting your book depends on whether you are running a free or paid promotion.
- Read about how to discount your book to free here.
- Find out here how to change the price of your book to any other price.
- You can read about the most common mistakes people make when they try to discount things internationally here.
How can I increase my chances of being selected for a Featured Deal?
Before a book goes through our editorial review process, it must first meet our minimum requirements. Those can be found here.
After making sure a submission meets our minimum standards, there are a few things you can do to improve its chances of being chosen:
- Read reviews, get praise, and write descriptions. Getting reader and critic reviews is one of the best ways to make a submission more competitive. Don’t forget to list any awards or honors, like being a bestseller or getting a blurb from another best-selling author in the same genre. When choosing retailers, our editorial team also looks at the product descriptions, so it’s important to make sure these are as good as they can be before sending them in.
- Cover Design: Make sure the cover of your book or box set looks good and is professionally made for people who like books in that genre.
- We only have a certain number of spots in the daily email, so the more flexible you are about the date of your promotion, the more likely it is that we can find a feature date that works for you. The books our editors choose are also ones that can be bought in many places and by many people. So that our deals reach as many BookBub subscribers as possible, we make sure that if a book isn’t available in a certain area or on a certain store, those subscribers will miss out that day.
For more tips, check out this post on optimizing your submission.
I GOT A BOOKBUB DEAL! What is BookBub and how does it help sell books? A less known advertising opt!
FAQ
What are the best answers for interviews?
How do you answer a book interview question?
“If you genuinely like reading, explain what book you read and why you prefer to read that genre or author in your free time,” he says. No matter which approach you decide to take, Painter stresses that this question is an opportunity to tell the interviewer about who you are outside of work.
What is BookBub and how does it work?
For those who haven’t heard of Bookbub, it’s the one sponsorship site out there that pays off for most authors who use it, meaning you’ll often make your money back and more on Day 1 or 2 of the ad if you’re doing a 99-cent title.
How do I get reviews for my book?
If you’re struggling to get reviews, consider doing a free run and using some of the smaller and less picky sponsorship sites to get some exposure to your book at the same time. Also, in the back of the book, politely ask your readers to leave a review. Believe it or not, that does make people more inclined to do so.
Can I run a BookBub AD with a Ku title?
Tip: it’s tougher to get a Bookbub ad with a KU title, but if you can, you’ll probably do really well running it as a Countdown Deal, since you earn 70% on that 99-cent book instead of 35%, and you’ll also get a lot of extra borrows.
