If you read my post from last week, you already know five reasons why it is a good idea to take part in a blog tour for your book. The experience can be invaluable for drawing book buzz as well as making connections.
Whether you are just starting out as an author or have written many works before, it is never too late to start taking part in blog tours. The series I have decided to start on this subject draws from my six years experience being a blog host. Here are my 4 tips for how to take part in a blog tour for your own book.
1) Hire a Blog Tour Company
Blog tour companies, such as JustRead Tours and Prism Book Tours (both of which I host for and recommend), are fairly easy to locate with a simple online search. These companies also have connections with a long list of bloggers whom they can approach whenever they need to put together a tour.
The downside to working with a tour company is that there will always be fees associated with whatever marketing packet you choose. However, these companies have a much further marketing reach than most authors can boast on their own.
2) Join an Author Friend's Tour
Throughout the writing process, many authors make friends with other writers. And at some point, one of those friends may decide to host a blog tour. Taking part will allow all authors involved to share each others' followers and spread the reach of who they are able to promote their book to.
The downside to a tour like this is that the sole focus will not be on your book. As well, the success of this sort of tour is dependent on who all is involved, how much those individuals market, and how well the different authors' target audiences overlap.
3) Take part in a Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are much like blog tours, however they usually include far more authors as well as have a grand prize giveaway for anyone who visits all of the stops. Hunts take a bit more work for one individual to put together, so there may be a minimum fee or threshold prize requirement.
A good way to find scavenger hunts are to ask other authors, do a google search, or watch for social media hashtags which might lead you in the right direction. As of now, there is a biannual Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt, which you can sign up for more information here.
4) Start a Tour of Your Own
This may be better tackled after a year or two experience working with blogs or other authors, however it is always possible to start a tour of your own. This allows you more freedom to come up with your own marketing techniques, work with the authors and bloggers you want, and fit the tour into your own schedule.
However, as with anything that involves other people, hosting a tour requires a lot of technical know-how and comes with many headaches. There is the issue of setting a schedule that works for more than one person, deciding whether you want the tour to be just for your own books or if you want other authors to take part, ect.
In a later post, I will outline the many things associated with starting a tour of your own as well as offer some tips for how to ensure the process is as simple as possible.