What we do at Sand Dollar Press

Sand Dollar Press, Inc. is an independent publisher of novels for young adults and women. We specialize in quality books in the areas of science fiction, mystery and romance.
Our extensive background in the world of independent publishing and filmmaking gives us a fresh outlook on marketing our books. We have many resources for creating video book trailers and viral campaigns, coupled with expertise in marketing, public relations and social media strategy, that results in the unrivalled execution of book launches.

It is our goal to create books that entertain and empower readers, and to garner exposure with innovative promotional campaigns that are as imaginative as the books themselves.

Please feel free to contact us for more information about novels for young adults!

Independent Publisher Announces the Publication of Young Adult Novel Written by Renowned Author and Screenwriter Victoria Foyt

Santa Monica, California (PRWEB) September 16, 2011

Sand Dollar Press, an independent publisher of fiction for young adults and women, announces the publication of Save the Pearls Part One REVEALING EDEN, a groundbreaking Young Adult, fantasy-adventure/romance novel penned by Victoria Foyt. The book is scheduled for publication on January 10, 2012. It will be released as both a hardcover and e-book. This is the first time ever that one of Foyt’s novels will be released as an e-book.

In Save the Pearls Part One REVEALING EDEN, Foyt examines the themes of beauty, racism and the deteriorating environment in an entertaining fantasy/sci-fi plot with a romantic love story at its core. Geared to the Young Adult market, the novel is the first in a series and marks Foyt’s second novel for this burgeoning demographic. Foyt said of her new book: “I set out to write a futuristic beauty and the beast story and ended up tapping into deep-seated fears and fantasies of my own. I believe the themes of racism and beauty, while seemingly harsh, are universal and hopefully, enlightening.”

Sand Dollar Press Inc. Head of Marketing Chaton Anderson commented, "Sand Dollar Press is honored to launch such a compelling and creative project that will have a lasting impact on the way readers view the prevalence of racism, preconceptions of beauty and its distortion by the media, and ultimately, how they live their lives. We’re also thrilled that Victoria has decided to make this young adult fantasy book available in e-book format as it will avail her work to a new demographic.”

Foyt’s first young adult novel, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, garnered rave reviews and was recommended by the Center for Children’s Books. In addition, it earned a five-star, “must-read” rating from TeansReadToo.com. The success of this coming-of-age, mystery young adult novel inspired Foyt to write the Save the Pearls series. Foyt’s career also includes co-writing several critically acclaimed feature films, Going Shopping (2005), Déjà Vu (1997), Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995), and Babyfever (1994).

About the Author

Victoria Foyt is an author and filmmaker. Her debut novel, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, released in ’07 by HarperCollins, is a Young Adult coming-of-age mystery thriller. It achieved excellent critical reviews, including a five star, “must-read” rating from TeansReadToo.com, and was recommended by the Center for Children’s Books. During her film career, Victoria co-wrote and starred in four critically acclaimed feature films, Going Shopping (2005), Déjà Vu (1997), Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995) and Babyfever (1994), which were helmed by indie film director Henry Jaglom. She also co-wrote Festival in Cannes (2001) and has penned articles for O At Home, Harper’s Bazaar and Film & Video. For more information, visit VictoriaFoyt.com.

About Sand Dollar Press

Sand Dollar Press, Inc. is an independent publisher of fiction for young adults and women, specializing in quality novels in the areas of science fiction, mystery and romance. For more information, visit SandDollarPress.com.


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Chaton Anderson
Sand Dollar Press Inc.
310.546.1719

What Makes Young Adult Fiction So Compelling?

Writing books for young adults is a particularly fun brand of creation, and a favorite genre of our small publishing company, as well as for most in the independent publishing world. While readers of young adult novels tend to be in the 12-18 age range, YA fiction is popular amongst all age groups, especially Harlequin romance style books and those in the young adult fantasy genre. Readers tend to get drawn in by novels for young adults because no matter their age, the themes and issues in young adult fiction are always relatable.

YA readers tend to devour books from all genres: adventure, sci-fi romance, mystery, fantasy, humor, and mystery, among others—at a small publishing company like Sand Dollar Press, we are seeing a huge surge in those reading young adult fantasy adventure romance, romantic apocalypse and post apocalyptic books like Save the Pearls Revealing Eden. In addition, female readers still favor the style of Harlequin romance novels.

The diverse topics explored in books for young adults let readers learn about unfamiliar aspects of their world as well as other cultures, while examining deep issues in a nonthreatening way. Whether the book is a young adult fantasy adventure romance book or one about a romantic apocalypse, readers can empathize and learn the importance or relationships, coping with situations and tragedy, and personal evolution. As an independent publishing company, Sand Dollar Press looks for young adult books that are especially empowering to females, while another book publishing company may focus only on sci-fi or young adult fantasy novels.

While young adult novels generally run between 40,000-75,000 words, some run shorter or longer. In independent publishing, length will vary. It’s better for writers to focus on telling the story and then check the guidelines the book publishing company they are interested in sets forth. Sometimes a small publishing company will be more flexible with their specifications. It’s much more important to focus on telling a compelling story rather than the length. Often times, post apocalyptic books have so much ground to cover with detailed plots and many characters—therefore, it’s understandable why they may run much longer than other genres.

Visit www.SandDollarPress.com to learn more about working with an independent publishing company and to get information on Save the Pearls.

Writing YA books

Many aspiring writers write to our book publishing company to ask about the best route for writing young adult novels and getting them published, whether through a large or small publishing company or independent publishing. That’s a difficult question that really requires knowledge about the writer’s individual project, though we can definitely give you some tips on writing young adult books.

The elements that make books for young adults actually fall into the YA category are not what you think. It’s not necessarily about being hip or super trendy or writing a young adult fantasy that is specifically for teenagers. Though they may be called YA fiction, people from all ages read young adult novels. Whether you’re working on a harlequin romance novel, a young adult fantasy adventure romance or a series of post apocalyptic books like Save the Pearls, young adult novels should convey the essence of adolescence and coming-of-age, and involve themes of what teens relate to and experience. The reason almost everyone can relate is that the issues we faced during our teens are the same as what we face now, it’s just that it may be the first time the characters in books for young adults face those situations.

Working with an independent publishing company like Sand Dollar Press enables you to understand what makes a young adult fantasy adventure romance or book about a romantic apocalypse work. While many novels for young adults may focus on sex and drugs, it’s not always about the obvious—it’s about discovering who you are and where you fit in. Almost every YA book, evens ones from the young adult fantasy sub-genre, will take you on an adventure where the protagonist shares their triumphs, obstacles and mistakes as they discover who they are and where they belong.

Adolescence is a time of fun, confusion and emotions. It’s when you simultaneously dream of falling in love and experiencing a romantic apocalypse. We learn about humanity, suffering and the good in life during our teens—this is why the most successful novels for young adults are filled with such themes. Whether you’re writing a Harlequin romance or post apocalyptic books, YA fiction continues to inspire the reader’s journey to find out who they are. Perhaps the reason that young adult books appeal to all ages is because we, too, are all still continuing to discover ourselves.

The great thing about a small publishing company or independent publishing company like Sand Dollar Press is that it brings readers books like Save the Pearls that transcend age, gender and everything else. To learn more about independent publishing, visit SandDollarPress.com.