In the old days when a book was published, the author went on a tour of the country. The publisher sent advertising, copies of the book, and press releases ahead of time. The author signed books and met fans.
Nowadays, a publisher’s marketing budget is mostly spent on the top 1% of their authors. A new author has to market their own book, and that usually doesn’t cover a nationwide tour. The modern alternative is a BLOG TOUR.
With a blog tour, the author goes from blog to blog instead of bookstore to bookstore. Like in-person appearances, a blog tour has a predetermined schedule, usually a week but sometimes a month. On each day, ten to twenty blogs may host the author. While the average reader doesn’t get to meet the author face to face, the potential exposure for the author is great. If the reader follows a blog tour, they will read reviews of the book, excerpts, interviews with the author and characters, and guest posts by the author on different blogs. Sometimes there’s a book giveaway or a live Q&A session.
Bloggers are not paid to host a stop on a blog tour. They are avid readers who regularly post reviews of books. Hosting a stop on a blog tour brings new readers to the blog and gives the blogger an opportunity to add something other than just a review to their site. Usually, the blogger receives a free ebook for review, too.
Authors usually pay a fee to a blog hosting company to set up a tour. The company contacts bloggers and coordinates the schedule. The author provides the material, and the company sends it out to bloggers. Authors are expected to visit each site on their tour date and comment on the blog. They also use their own social media contacts to publicize the blog.
Want to come along on a blog tour? Turning the Pages will be hosting a blog tour for my new novel, In the Winds of Danger, from July 8, 2013 through July 14. Come along!
Also, in August I will be a stop on the blog tour for Ingrid Seymour. See Featured Authors for details.
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