Book Tours

Various Components of an In-Person or Online Book Tour

Mark Glesne — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 21:16:26 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Mark Glesne on 12/8/2023 9:16:26 PM

In the past, book tours typically involved planning a series of in-person events and appearances for an author to kick-off the launch of a book. This practice has evolved and is no longer approached as "one size fits all", per Mark Glesne, Senior Marketing Director at HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

Authors have a lot of freedom now in what can be done to launch a book because readers are discovering authors differently these days. Some of the components that can still be essential to a book tour are in-person signings and media appearances, but authors are expanding tours to include podcasts, bloggers, social media, and more. They don't necessarily have to go "on the road" to launch a book successfully. Glesne recommends thinking about where you and your book will flourish most, and what the best route is for bringing value to your target audience.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../VariousComponentsofanInPersonorOnlineBookTour.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

Various Components of an In-Person or Online Book Tour

Mark Glesne — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 16:53:44 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Book Tours by Mark Glesne on 12/8/2023 4:53:44 PM

Mark Glesne, Senior Marketing Director at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, shares how book tours have changed over the years, and how they can be effective both in-person and online.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../VariousComponentsofanInPersonorOnlineBookTour.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

How to Organize and Execute a Virtual Book Blog Tour

Author Learning Center — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:53:43 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Author Learning Center on 4/17/2020 3:53:43 PM

It's important to launch your book with a bang and create as much excitement and interest in your book as possible. But, not all authors have the means or budget to do an in-person, city-to-city book launch tour or fund expensive advertising. One cost-effective way to launch your book is to organize an online book blog tour. This virtual effort involves partnering with online bloggers to help promote your book and is a great way to create awareness in a short amount of time. Watch to learn more about how to organize and execute a successful book blog tour.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../3704.HowtoOrganizeandExecuteaVirtualBookBlogTour.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

How to Organize and Execute a Virtual Book Blog Tour

Author Learning Center — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:51:52 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Book Tours by Author Learning Center on 4/17/2020 3:51:52 PM

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How to Organize and Execute a Virtual Book Blog Tour

Author Learning Center — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 20:03:02 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Book Tours by Author Learning Center on 4/15/2020 8:03:02 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../HowtoOrganizeandExecuteaVirtualBookBlogTour.mp4

Getting Reviews and Testimonials Through a Virtual Book Blog Tour

Madeline Sharples — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 13:18:07 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Madeline Sharples on 8/23/2019 1:18:07 PM

If an in-person book launch event isn't feasible for you, you may want to consider an online launch event such as a virtual book blog tour. Online tours allow authors to spread awareness and excitement for their work by getting featured or reviewed on relevant blogs. Reviews and testimonials from credible sources are a great way to start building a readership for your work. For her first memoir, author Madeline Sharples worked with an organization called WOW! (Women on Writing) to execute a virtual blog tour, and she is working with them again for her first novel, Papa's Shoes. The organization is connecting her with various authors and bloggers to write about her book and provide a review. This process starts about six to eight weeks in advance of launch and requires Sharples to provide a synopsis, book cover image, and bio to each blogger.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../GettingReviewsandTestimonialsThroughaVirtualBookBlogTour.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

Getting Reviews and Testimonials Through a Virtual Book Blog Tour

Madeline Sharples — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 13:00:19 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Book Tours by Madeline Sharples on 8/23/2019 1:00:19 PM

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

The Diversity in YA Tour - podcast

Jo Whittemore — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 17:16:26 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Jo Whittemore on 11/5/2018 5:16:26 PM

Author Jo Whittemore talks about the moment when she realized the need for diversity in the young adult genre. Along with other diverse authors, Jo Whittemore had the opportunity to work on a series of projects that promote and recruit diverse authors. As Whittemore explains, diversity of race, sexuality, ability, and more, is not often celebrated. Whittemore decided she would like that to change. As of now, they’ve done tours, Tumblr campaigns, and more. The goal is to tell all students that there are books written for them by people who look or act like them. Listen to the clip below to find out more!

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheDiversityinYATour.mp3</div

Tags: fiction, Teen and Young Adult, Subscriber, podcast

The Diversity in YA Tour - video

Jo Whittemore — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 17:15:53 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Jo Whittemore on 11/5/2018 5:15:53 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheDiversityinYATour.mp4

Tags: fiction, Teen and Young Adult, Subscriber, video

Creating A Virtual Tour for Your Book - podcast

Stephanie Barko — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 19:37:00 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Stephanie Barko on 11/1/2018 7:37:00 PM

Literary publicist Stephanie Barko details what a virtual book tour entails. “A virtual tour,” she says, “is an online element that can use to help produce wonderful effects for your book. These benefits include moving you up on your category’s Amazon bestseller list, advancing you on the Google rankings page, and increasing your following. She believes that a virtual book tour will absolutely sell books for you. Barko explains how she approaches an online book tour in the same way one might approach a ground tour. Listen to this clip to discover more about virtual book tour techniques.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../CreatingAVirtualTour.mp3

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, podcast

Creating A Virtual Tour for Your Book - video

Stephanie Barko — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 19:35:59 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Stephanie Barko on 11/1/2018 7:35:59 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../CreatingAVirtualTourforYourBook.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, video

The Benefits of Utilizing an Organizer When Participating in a Book Blog Tour

Nancy J. Cohen — Thu, 24 May 2018 19:04:39 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Nancy J. Cohen on 5/24/2018 7:04:39 PM

Book blog tours can be a great way to create awareness for your book and build an audience. A book blog tour is an online event that involves participating in forums, online groups, and blogs to spread the word about your book. As a cozy mystery author, Nancy J. Cohen has the privilege of working with Great Escapes Book Tours, a company that specializes in organizing and executing book blog tours for the cozy mystery genre. The authors that participate are responsible for writing the guests posts and responding to interview questions, and they must be present on the appropriate websites when the tour goes live. The authors are also responsible for promoting their upcoming events. Book blog tours take time and effort, Cohen says, but working with a tour organizer helps take some of the burden off of her. Blog tours have been a great avenue for her in finding new readers, so she highly recommends finding tour organizers specific to your genre, or monitoring what other authors in your genre are doing.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../The-Benefits-of-Utilizing-an-Organizer-When-Participating-in-a-Book-Blog-Tour.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, video

Advice for Executing an Effective Book Blog Tour

Penny Sansevieri — Wed, 02 May 2018 12:56:21 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Penny Sansevieri on 5/2/2018 12:56:21 PM

Book blog tours can be a great way to create awareness for the release of your book or to reinvigorate sluggish sales. A book blog tour is essentially an online initiative that involves participating in forums, online groups, and blogs to spread the word about your book. When Author Marketing Experts CEO Penny Sansevieri plans a book blog tour for an author, she looks for high traffic, high profile bloggers that have a strong, interactive following. Whether you are executing and planning the event yourself or are hiring a company to do it for you, she advises that less is more. Focus on the forums or blogs that will be the best fit for your genre and that have a loyal group of active followers. You are likely to see better results when you promote through a select group of productive blogs, she says, versus a large group of blogs where your book gets lost in the noise.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../Advice-for-Executing-an-Effective-Book-Blog-Tour.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

Considerations in Planning a Book Tour - podcast

Anne Robertson — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 14:54:18 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Anne Robertson on 6/19/2017 2:54:18 PM

A book tour can be challenging for an author to execute without hired help. Professionals, such as literary publicists, have the know-how, contacts and skills to navigate the various markets and initiatives involved with a book tour. Anne Robertson, Managing Director of Public Relations at Lavidge, offers insight into what it takes to execute a successful tour event. First, a book tour needs to be planned well in advance of publication. Second, an author must know the best markets to reach his or her audience. Third, plan your schedule and travel wisely, as a book tour can be very taxing mentally and physically. Finally, be sure to visit markets where you can add on a book signing event or speaking engagement to maximize your exposure.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../Considerations-in-Planning-a-Book-Tour.mp3

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, podcast

Considerations in Planning a Book Tour - video

Anne Robertson — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 14:54:15 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Anne Robertson on 6/19/2017 2:54:15 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../Considerations-in-Planning-a-Book-Tour.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

Book Blog Tour - article

Molly Blaisdell — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 10:36:38 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Molly Blaisdell on 6/7/2017 10:36:38 AM

Authors need to connect with fans to expand the marketing scope of their books. One avenue is to participate in forums, online groups, and blogs to spread the word. These avenues can be used to create relationships with readers and fans… which is the foundation of a grassroots movement to sell books. To be successful with this type of marketing, however, an author must avoid the hard sell. People who talk about themselves and what they are selling and don’t engage others are basically spammers. You definitely don’t want to create an image of yourself as a spammer.

Effective forum and blog marketing is all about entering conversations. To participate, you must read forums and blogs and then add intelligent ideas to discussion threads. Threads are a set of messages from various participants grouped together under a single topic in a forum. You should join blog conversations, as well. Visit well-traveled blogs related to reader communities, book lovers, the topic of your book (or its setting, character types, moral message, etc.), or the genre of your book. Make your presence know by responding to the content. You should always try to be upbeat when commenting.

"The more provocative your words, the more likely you will find others tweeting your ideas or spreading them on Facebook."

So how is anyone going to hear about your book if all you are doing is commenting? Intelligent comments have a way of going viral. The more provocative your words, the more likely you will find others tweeting your ideas or spreading them on Facebook. Another way you will reach readers is through your signature line. It should always include your name and the title of your book and if possible a link to the book. You also need a profile picture. Some authors choose to use either a head shot or their book cover for their profile picture. Both of these choices are preferable to a cute cartoon character or no photo at all. Always display a professional image. Your participation in forums and the blogs of others will make readers aware of what you have to say, and you don’t want to give them any reason to avoid you.

Be aware, blogging can be a powerful force. Bloggers influence readers. They help steer readers to the best books. You may want to blog yourself. Blogging can help you build a dedicated following. With the many social media tools on the web, word-of-mouth advertising is more powerful than ever before. An illustration of the power of the Web is the fact that book bloggers are such powerful force in the book world that now the Book Bloggers Convention in held annually, in association with the Book Expo of America conference. Bloggers have worldwide influence.

Think about the potential of blogging and forum posting as a marketing strategy. Your reach may be farther than you ever dreamed.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

What is a Blog Tour and How are they Helpful? - podcast

Brian Yansky — Fri, 19 May 2017 10:25:55 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Brian Yansky on 5/19/2017 10:25:55 AM

Author Brian Yansky breaks down how guest-posting on someone else's blog works, and he explains why it's an important promotional tool.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../BrianYanskiWhatisaBlogTourandHowaretheyHelpful.mp3

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, podcast

What is a Blog Tour and How are they Helpful? - video

Brian Yansky — Fri, 19 May 2017 10:25:04 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Brian Yansky on 5/19/2017 10:25:04 AM

Author Brian Yansky breaks down how guest-posting on someone else's blog works, and he explains why it's an important promotional tool.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../BrianYanskiWhatisaBlogTourandHowaretheyHelpful.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, video

Media Tours: An Overview for Newbies - article

Nicole Lindenstein — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 15:08:37 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Nicole Lindenstein on 3/10/2017 3:08:37 PM

Media tours are necessary for most people who rely on the media to help promote their product. Movie stars do press junkets for their movies, and musicians visit radio stations to promote their newest albums. The same is true of authors, though their media tours look a little bit different. Authors go on a series of book events in a variety of cities, and are lately this includes online tours through blogs. The key to any of these events is to maximize the coverage you get by going to media outlets like radio stations or by gaining coverage of your event in the media. For instance, before you show up in a town, make sure the local media is aware of it. Most papers cover local happenings. Give them a reason to cover, or at least mention, your event. Also, announce the event on your social networks, at the event location itself, and in other community event listings such as the websites and newsletters for local arts council, reading groups, libraries, or other venues. Be creative. If you are writing a cookbook, announce your event at local cooking schools, kitchen stores, and on local radio shows for foodies. If your book is on volunteerism, announce your event with local non-profits, the Kiwanis, and the Lion’s club. If your book is a war novel, announce the event with the local Veteran’s organizations. If you wrote a novel set in a small town, schedule an event in that town and ask the local news channels and radio stations to cover it. Book interviews with them or schedule a meet and greet with the town folks. Was it a historical novel? Get the town’s historical council to sponsor the event and publicize it on their site, in their newsletter, and on the community website. There are so many options. THEN… once the event is over… tell people that it happened. Post the event (and a recap of what made it so great) on your social networks, your website, your blog, etc. And send that recap and a thank you note to the local papers and organizations that helped you publicize the event initially. Now that you get the basics… let’s look at some common media tour events.

Book signings are the most traditional part of media tours. They usually include a reading and time for the book to be signed. The audience can be a few people or a few hundred. Bookstores of all sizes and genres like to host book signings. Think about it: if the store has your book on its shelves, it should welcome you to come and help sell copies. It’s a win-win situation because the store gets business and access to new customers, and you get known and make money. Be sure to leave a few signed copies of your book for the store to sell later. Also, remember that book stores are not the only place to have signings or other events. If you wrote a cookbook, host a signing at the local farmers market or cooking school. If your book is on a health related issue, book an event at a local wellness clinic.

Other book events can also be popular. For instance, you could schedule a meet and greet or a speech. Maybe you do some volunteer work with an organization that relates to your book somehow and publicize that event. For instance, did you write a book on carpentry? Help the local Habitat for Humanity chapter and get some media coverage about your involvement. It’s good for the organization and for you. Remember that cookbook you wrote? Host a cooking event with a local restaurant. Did you write a young adult novel about a fairy princess? Host a princess party at a local bakery, with tea and cookies.

A blog tour is going to look very different from a traditional tour, because you won’t interact with people. Instead you’ll be touring on the Internet. At your own computer, you can be interviewed by bloggers, who then will likely post those conversations on their blogs. This might be a Skype interview (where you are visible on a web camera or just available for an online phone conversation) or it could be a written interview where you reply to email questions that are later shared with the blogger’s readers. Conversely, you can write guest posts for blogs or websites, and those moderators might let you include a blurb about yourself. Find out if it’s OK to add a link to the page where people can buy your book.

Internet radio shows and podcast series are another way to spice up your media tour. Look for shows or podcasts that are produced by or directed towards your target audience. If the podcast is about books, ask if you can be interviewed. Or if you are particularly knowledgeable about a topic that they discuss, find out how to be a guest, and see if you can plug your book during the program.

No matter the event type or location, make sure people are aware of it. That’s the whole point of a media tour… to go to the media and notify the media when you go elsewhere. Get as much coverage as you can. And remember… mainstream media isn’t the only option. Look for community organizations, groups and clubs, schools, and businesses related to writing, publishing, the arts, or the topic, setting, and characters of your book. The options are endless. Now… go get some media coverage for your awesome book!

NOTE: if you love these ideas but want to know more about traditional media tours or get other great venue and event ideas, check out another article, “Media Tour: What is a traditional media tour exactly?”, “How do you organize a traditional media blitz in your hometown?”, and “Media Tour: What is a traditional media tour exactly?” here on the Author Learning Center.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Media Tour: How Do You Organize a Traditional Media Blitz in Your Hometown - article

Molly Blaisdell — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 10:03:03 GMT

Current Revision posted to Book Tours by Molly Blaisdell on 3/4/2017 10:03:03 AM

A traditional countrywide media tour is beyond the publicity budget of most authors and publishers. For very little cash an author can create his own media tour in his own hometown. This is your chance to shine and to begin a groundswell of support. Let your hometown media blitz begin! A little planning and persistence will go a long way to making this a successful endeavor.

Tip 1. Find your built-in audiences. Search out events that already draw a lot of people. Be sure these events connect with your readership. Look for book fairs, local conventions, book clubs, community centers, even museum exhibits and sporting events. Anything that directly connects with your content is a good fit.

Tip 2. Begin to set up the tour six months in advance. Plan a minimum of three events per day for a week. Telling contacts that you have limited time for events gives you a cache of professionalism. Fill in your proposed schedule. This will keep you directed.

Tip 3. Contact local radio and TV shows through email with short, concise pitches. Drop off promo packages, and include a reader’s copy of the book or add in a chap book (three-chapter hardcopy sample of your book), reviews, swag such as a bookmark, and a business card. Back this up with a phone call. Be persistent.

Tip 4. Let your network know what you are planning. You might gain a contact or two. You might even gain a volunteer or three. The more help you have the more successful you will be.

Tip 5. Don’t tell anyone anything negative during this tour! No matter how frustrating, no matter how disappointing the turnout, no matter how much the tour stop is a dud, smile and treat everyone with graciousness. No whining!

Tip 6. Throw a culminating event for your media tour. Personally invite your friends and family to your book launch. Also reach out to local librarians and special interest groups. Consider teaming up with a charity and doing something for your community. Be sure to invite local press.

Tip 7. Don’t forget to send out hand-written thank-you notes to everyone who participated in your media tour. You may have another hometown tour some day and want to leave a positive vibe everywhere.

Note: If you like these tips and want other great ideas for book events as part of a media tour, check out the articles “Media Tours: An Overview for Newbies” and “Media Tour: What is a traditional media tour exactly?”, and “Media Tour_ What is a virtual media tour exactly?” here on the Author Learning Center.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction