I know what you’re thinking. Uh oh, commercial headed my way. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t do that to you. (That’s why I bought ad space!) But as is the current promotional plan for the budding writer, I did plan out a blog tour for the first week of this month to celebrate the new release. Here we are, at the start of the new week–and indeed, I have one more stop tomorrow–and I’m going to take a second to reflect on what it is that Blog Tour can do for you.
1) Tours are also about being seen enough to make an impression. So be sure your tour has more than one or two stops. That’s not a tour, that’s a play date. It doesn’t have to be every day, but if you’re going to promo, make an impact. At least 4 stops, minimum.
2) Tours are all about exposure. You want your cover seen, the buy link available. You want your voice to invite people to like you. You want to come across as worth a reader’s time. That means, having something real to say. Not just a contest–though those do help–but something engaging. Invite the reader to interact with you. Be interesting, not pedantic.
3) Tours expand your reader base. Sure, guest blog in places where folks know you. Where they just need a reminder that your book is out, but be sure to always include venues where you’ve never been before. Asking author friendly bloggers to have you guest isn’t bad form–just be polite if they say no. And remember, the worst they can do is say no.
My thoughts is that a mid-list author should use every opportunity available to grow her reader base–with exception to anything illegal or immoral (which means, no, you cannot offer your kid to a lucky 100th buyer). There are people out there who despise video for books. Who never pick up a romance magazine. As the authors, it’s our job to reach as many as we can.
But, you ask, do blog tours really make that big a difference in your sales? How do they hold up against book trailers or print ads? Alas, that’s the question for the author ages, so I’m going to pose it to you. When you see an author on tour, what are your thoughts? Do you play along? Do you run for cover from the sales pitch?
No related posts.
I have to say blog tours haven’t convinced me to pick up an authors book quicker than a banner or cover ad on sites or ad in magazines like RT.
However what I do like about blog tours is that it gives me as the reader a chance to get to know the author behind the book. That’s the reason I personally like them.
I’ve discovered many new-to-me authors on blog tours. Blog posts give me a sense of the author’s voice and ability. If she/he can put a post together in an engaging way, I assume she/he can put a book together as well.
So only go on blog tours IF your posts are going to be the same quality as your novel.
The cover art is usually what I am drawn to first and foremost. However, once that has me intrigued, then it is up to the author to reel me in. If what she has to say is worthwhile, and not just another contest, then I read and if I like her style I check out the book. Next it depends on if the book is available in kindle format or pdf which I can transfer through mobipocket for my kindle.
I know I’m more apt to purchase a book if it is from a well known e-pub, like yours Dee, or a few others.
The more I see the cover and author, the more it tempts me to purchase if I was previously on the fence.
As long as the author does something other than talk about the book, I’ll follow a few stops on the tour. I think the best thing for the author is probably hitting readers that wouldn’t know about the book otherwise.
That being said, I have guests on my own blog every Tuesday, and my house rules are no religion, politics or BSP. I think there are enough other places where the author can do the book commercial thing.
I do tend to follow authors around on a tour–I do agree with Kimber and Terry that I enjoy getting to know an author and her writing style by her posts, so it *is* a plus when she mixes it up a little and doesn’t just use one or two posts again and again. Also, I really appreciate when an author takes the time to interact with commenters–I know you don’t have time to sit around and respond immediate to each comment, but I love checking back that evening or the next day and seeing the author’s comments back. It makes the entire experience much more like a conversation, and really creates more of a connection. And yes, seeing the cover and blurb and excerpts repeatedly DO burn them into my brain and bump them up the TBB!
Blog Tours are great. I’ve been out of commission a few months making a new baby, but we’re starting up such things again in September at Enduring Romance.
Anyway, in my observation, Blog Tours are great for authors who have a significant on-line presence or are good at and enjoy building an on-line presence. *Know your Readership.* If your readers are heavily on-line, like they are for Science Fiction Romance or Erotic Romance for example, then you better be too. If they’re not, you’re wasting your time. *Be where your readers are.*
I have done three blog tours for my last three books, and I do think it has helped expand my readership. I always write different posts with different topics for each blog. I don’t want to rehash the same thing over and over. I know I can reach more readers with a blog tour than by visiting a couple of libraries or bookstores in my home state.
It depends. Some blogs are nothing more than non stop tour stops for authors and that for me gets old. If it’s a blog I read regularly with an occasional tour stop by an author then I will probably look for the book.
Speaking as both author and reader, I like blog tours for the simple reason that I get to meet interesting people. Like Karen, I see it as an opportunity to connect with readers (and authors) that I wouldn’t otherwise meet. I am midway through a blog tour myself at the moment, and have enjoyed different experiences each day. And yes, you must provide fresh, stimulating content each day in order for anyone to want to follow you.
I’ve not done a blog tour myself (yet), but hosted several authors on my blogs, and I do enjoy the hosting. It’s fun to see how different authors compose (comport ) themselves professionally and how they interact with the readers. All this helps me build my own ideas of how I will handle my own blog tours when I start doing them, and what I *won’t* do.
I also like hosting authors because it helps drive traffic to my own blog. Hey, it’s a give and take process.
Honestly, I have found many new authors through blog tours.
Now, I don’t run out and buy every author’s book I see on a blog, but I have bought quite a few that I found to be intriguing.
Sometimes, just by seeing the cover several times while blog surfing, I find myself more prone to picking up the book should I see it at the store. It sticks with you.
Hello
Anyone know a good and inexpensive blog tour. Please leave me a message on my website.
Thanks