The Book Blog Tour
You’re ready to send your book into the world, and the best way to do that is to shine a light on it. In a busy industry of constant new releases, a book blog tour can help you do it.
If you read my last blog post, you know I wasn’t thrilled about my preparation for my Jovian Son (Book 2) launch. Suffice it to say, I didn’t have much going on for Jovian Son when it left the nest. I regret that now, and I’m going to make up for it by giving Book 3, Bright Blue Planet, a proper send-off.
One thing I’m doing differently, which I expect will result in a significantly better start, is hiring a book blog tour company to promote the release. A blog tour is similar to an in-person book tour in that a schedule is made with several “stops,” or “appearances,” but they happen online, virtually, at a blogger’s Facebook page or website, or wherever they post their blog.
How does it work?
First, you need to make sure the company does tours for your specific genre. I want sci-fi readers to learn about Bright Blue Planet, so I need sci-fi bloggers to highlight it.
The host acts as the go-between for bloggers and authors, sending info back and forth. Each blogging place that signs on to promote your book as part of the tour will give it some attention on the preassigned day, and you, as the author, will stop by that site and “mingle” with the guests who pop in. That means responding in a timely manner to anyone who leaves questions or comments about your new release.
From one book blogger to the next, information about the book and you, the author, will appear in some form, whether it’s an excerpt, an author interview, or an illustrated banner your blog tour host has created.
The blog tour might include other perks for participants as well, such as a giveaway for interested readers to enter or ARCs (advance review copies) that reviewers can obtain either before the tour or during it.
Your blog host will make the connections with bloggers and arrange all the stops. All you have to do is provide them with the materials those bloggers ask for.
After a week or two of sharing your book in a bunch of different book-friendly, genre-appropriate places, the hope is that you will have reached many more readers than you could on your own and that general interest in your new release results in some new-book buzz.
What will the bloggers post?
The blog tour host will provide each tour stop with whatever content they request. Be sure to read the company’s “Services” page to see what you’re buying, but in general a one- or two-week blog tour may include any or all of the following in the form of a Media Kit the host puts together for you and provides bloggers with:
+ Promotional banners and social media posts with book cover, author photo, and/or summary of book.
+ Author interview.
+ Author guest posts that you’ve written.
+ Giveaway (if you want to).
+ Excerpts of the book.
+ Any bonus materials you can come up with, such as character sketches, cut scenes, or a soundtrack you put together for the novel.
When should you have the tour?
If you’re searching for a company, you’ll want to work at least six weeks ahead and secure your place at least one month in advance. A blog tour can occur whenever you like, but if you’re using it to launch the book, you’ll want it to take place either the week before your launch or the two weeks leading up to it. A one-week tour is generally five to seven stops, and a two-week tour is ten to fourteen (check with the company you want to work with for specifics).
What do you have to provide and when?
You’ll need to provide a book cover, summary, bio, author photo, preorder link, website, ISBN or ASIN, book trailer (if you have it), and a PDF or epub file of the ARC, if you’ll allow reviewers to download it. (You can also give them a coupon code for NetGalley or other service.)
Most of them ask to have the materials at least a month in advance. You’ll pay in advance as well because most of the work they do for you begins right away.
How much will it cost?
A book blog tour is one of the more affordable options when it comes to marketing and promotion. What I found for a two-week tour was an average price of $165, with a low price of $90 and a high price of several hundred.
My blog tour for Bright Blue Planet will take place March 13 through March 27 (a week after launch). After it’s said and done, I’ll write part two of this article, reporting on how it went and what I see as the pros and cons.
Kim Catanzarite is the author of the award-winning sci-fi thriller series The Jovian Universe. She is a freelance writer and editor for publishers and independent authors, and she teaches copyediting for Writer’s Digest University. Her Self-Publishing 101 blog discusses the ins and outs of indie life as well as all things writing craft (www.authorkimcatanzarite.com/blog). She lives on the east coast USA with her husband and daughter.
