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alicegmay

Writing advice from The House That Sat Down: To Blog Tour or not to Blog Tour…

Back in 2016, when I self-published my first book, Accidental Damage – Tales from the House that Sat Down, other writers told me I should take it on tour.

 

“It’ll raise your profile and promote awareness of your story and boost sales,” they said.


In my newly self-published writer naivety, I thought they meant go to actual bookshops in actual towns around the country. My immediate reaction was, “Don’t be daft. I have a family, a job and the final stages of a major house rebuild project to deal with. I can’t go on tour. And anyway, how on earth would I go about organising something like that?"

 

They didn’t mean a physical tour. They meant a Blog Tour.


Here is some Blog Tour information I wish I had known back then:


What is a Blog Tour?

A Blog Tour is a virtual trip around the digital world via a series of host websites. For a period of time, stretching from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, you and your book can feature in a sequence of online social media posts.

[Note: When I first did one of these tours, the posts were shared on Twitter (now X) and Instagram. I am not sure if this now also happens on Threads and BlueSky etc too.]


How do I set up a Blog Tour?

Blog Tours are really easy to set up.

There are a number of websites providing author/book promotion services, including a range of different types of Blog Tours. The prices for these vary. Like anything you are buying over the internet, it is important to do your research before committing to anything. Keep yourself and your work safe. Getting recommendations from other writers, people you know in real life who have experience of using a specific service, is a good way to help you decide.


How does a blog tour get set up?

Once you have agreed with your tour operator which tour you want, they will send out a tour alert on social media. Here is the one that went out recently for a tour for my new book The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope.

(Thanks to Rachel from www.rachelsrandomresources.com who does all my blog tours.)

This included a link to the tour operator’s website with additional information on the book. See below:

There was also a photo of me and a short author bio included and the blurb for the book, followed by an area where bloggers could sign up to be part of the tour.

Over the next couple of weeks sixteen bloggers joined the list, which is a good number for the five-day mini tour that I wanted.

Each blogger received a digital copy of the book to review as part of the tour. Their reviews will be posted on their website as part of their blog and may also be posted on secondary sites like Amazon and Goodreads. It is worth saving links to any reviews posted on websites during the tour, so that you can come back to them later.

[Note: the reviews do not always go onto the secondary sites or, if they do, the posts may take time to appear there. Bloggers are busy people and are not being paid to take part in blog tours. They are not under any obligation to post their review to any secondary sites other than their own website on the date specified on the tour information.]


How long should the tour run?

This is entirely up to you, depending on what your operator offers. However, there is an argument that if your tour is too long, you risk people getting fed up with your posts. For my needs, this time, a five-day mini blog blitz is plenty.


What does an author have to do to prepare for a blog tour?

You do have to put in a bit of work prior to the tour, so it is worth making sure that you have the time to do this when you book your tour dates. The bloggers will send requests for some of the material that they will use for the tour.

It’s your book. You are the best person to provide the material. This can involve you writing guest blog posts for their site, answering pre-submitted questions and/or providing excepts. It is a good idea to make sure any posts you write reference your book where ever possible and make sure to reference characters in the book or important themes that might intrigue readers. Be aware that whatever you send to the blogger will usually be used exactly as you have written it, so make sure you spell check and grammar check. Remember to include buying photos such as the book cover, buying links and your social media and website, if you have one.

 

What do I do while the tour is ongoing?

You will need to be quite active on social media for the duration of the tour, as it is up to you to like, comment on and share each blogger’s post. Thank bloggers for taking part. Use lots of smiley faces and hearts. Don't be shy. Be positive and up-beat. Usually the book blogging community will join in and you can reach a wider audience.

 

Will the tour actually lead to book sales?

Who can say? When you are running multiple promotions streams, it is very difficult to know what specific marketing tool triggers sales. What the blog tour will definitely do is raise your profile as well as possibly drive people to your website and make people aware of your work. Plus, you will get those all important reviews.

Often buyers need to see something several times before they commit to buying and a blog tour can be a useful part of that process because it will get your book title in front of people multiple times in a short period.

 

When should you have a tour?

The simple answer to that is whenever you like. You can do a publication blitz, a one-year-anniversary tour. A ten-year-anniversary tour. A new cover or new edition tour. You’re a writer. Use your imagination. As long as you have the funds to cover the cost of a tour, think of a reason and have a tour.


Blog tours are usually great fun. It is a celebration of your work. The book blogging community are there because they love books and want to support writers. You can make some fantastic online contacts too. Definitely worth the effort, in my opinion.

 

My latest blog tour for The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope, is taking place from 1st November to 5th November 2024, which is a week after the publication date and I am really looking forward to it. I shall probably also do another one this time next year to celebrate the one-year anniversary.

Wish me luck.

Until the next time, happy writing.


Alice

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