I recently took two blog book tours for my romantic suspense novel Dream or Destiny. The first tour lasted three weeks and included seventeen stops; the second tour lasted less than a week and included four stops. After the first tour, I wrote a wrap-up report of the tour that I hope will be helpful to other authors in planning their own tours as well as to bloggers hosting blog book tour stops.
I’ve also hosted several authors on blog book tours and plan to do more of this in the future. Blog book tours, also called virtual book tours, are becoming increasingly popular, but I’ve learned that not everyone knows what a blog book tour is.
More than a year ago when I was planning ahead for the release of my novel, I wrote a post about virtual book tours (VBTs). Since then, it seems that blog book tour is becoming the preferred name.
Authors have often gone on book tours, traveling across the country or within a region to visit book stores for readings and booksignings. Book tours don’t always result in a lot of immediate sales for authors, but they do give authors the opportunity to meet booksellers and readers and to build their and their books’ name recognition. Book tours give readers live contact with authors.
Today, book tours are too expensive for all but best-selling authors. Many authors prefer to spend their time and energy writing rather than traveling, yet they still need to promote their books. More and more books are being sold online rather than in local bookstores, and booksignings don’t often draw large crowds (unless the author is already famous).
Blog book tours are taking the place of physical book tours for many authors. There are no travel expenses and no time away from home. Instead of physically visiting bookstores, authors virtually visit blogs to promote their books. Blog book tours don’t always result in a lot of immediate sales, but they give the authors the opportunity to virtually meet readers and bloggers. Tours build name recognition for the authors and their books, and they give readers virtual contact with authors.
A visit to a blog can take many forms, including interviews—written or audio (podcasts), reviews, excerpts, and guest posts. The schedules for my first and second blog book tours show that my tour stops included most of these.
I’ve hosted reviews, an author interview, and a character interview, a fun and different visit. Hosting authors on their blog book tours is new to me, and I’m looking forward to a variety of different visits.
In the next installment, I’ll offer advice for authors, and in the final installment of the series, I’ll make suggestions for bloggers hosting blog book tours.
As a reader, do you enjoy blog book tours? What do you like or not like about blog book tours or individual tour stops that you have read?