Book Tours, Blog Tours or Social Media Tours

Whatever you call it, I call it getting the word out.

Before I published a book, I'd never heard of these things, but as the release date of my novel Truth Moon and my shorter novellas coincided within months, I decided I couldn't do everything that needed to be done by myself. No matter what you call them, book tours, blog tours, or social media tours, they could include one or some of the following activities:

1. Guest blogging on someone else's blog.

2. Cover Reveal. A picture of your cover or part of your cover is posted.

3. Author interview. The media platform will send questions or provide Q & A and use your book cover, synopsis, bio, picture, and if they can, where your book can be purchased.

4. Book reviews. The book reviewer is sent a copy of your book, and most will review it on their platform. They will use the artfully created book description and excerpts you provided if they have not read it.

5. Book excerpt. Bloggers may post a passage about the book, including the book cover, synopsis, author bio and pic, social media links, and where to buy the book.

6. Social media blasts. These will spotlight your book. These influencers will use your book image or one of the other aesthetic source materials you've provided, your synopsis, part of an excerpt, or your bio to create a post.

7. Book giveaway. Books are usually given away at some point. There could be a contest involved.

The goal is to obtain exposure for your book. While you could try to orchestrate all of this yourself, you have to ask yourself if you have the time and inclination to do so. I do not. I can barely post on IG two or three times a week. If you can do all of this, great. You will save some money and get some great exposure for your book.

In the past, I would see books on different IG sites and assume the person posting had read the book and felt compelled to post the image and a blurb about it…very rarely is this true. Reflecting on this, I must have lived under a rock somewhere or was just plain gullible. I know better now. More often than not, the person has been given the image and the copy to post by a book launch company, or the author or an author's friend is publishing it for them in exchange for them doing the same. There is nothing wrong with any of this. I'm pointing out that it is an orchestrated effort, not something that occurred naturally. Even on TikTok where authenticity is their claim to fame, publishers and authors often pay influencers to talk about their books.

Online book tours can last from three days to three weeks. If reviews are part of the package, some may read the book, but not all, so provide a solid description. During the blog tour, people will ask for a copy of the book, book description, excerpts from your book, aesthetics, favorite images you've used for your posts, and your cover. Don't be afraid to give them plenty to disperse to bookstagrammers.

Booking a book tour is another activity you must do in advance, three months or more for longer tours or one’s involving TikTok; and some require a printed book for certain kinds of promotions. However, there are other shorter running tours requiring much less notice, that are happy to take e-books only.

The advantage of a book tour service is it allows you to reach a larger audience, allowing more visibility. If you are a debut author, this is not a bad thing. If you are not launching your book any other way, it could be worth considering the expense. There really is something to meet every budget. Some tour operators make it easy to work with them, only requiring half of the payment to reserve the date and the other half before the tour begins.

The benefits of a book tour are:

1.   There's no consumption of valuable time to gain exposure for your book.

2.   You don't have to travel anywhere.

3.   You are meeting people you can contact again in the future: the book tour operators, various influencers and reviewers who are writing about your book.

4.   You will increase your followers on IG. Most of these influencers will most likely follow you if they post about you.

5.   You open yourself up to a new pool of ARC reviewers, as some of these Bookstagrammers are also ARC readers.

6.   You will likely find new readers from the online comments left on IG.

Here are a few book tour companies that came highly recommended by other authors; Two, I have used myself.

1.   Xpresso Book Tours

2.   RockStar Book Tours & Publicity

3.   Bewitching Book Tours

4.   Kelly Lacey Love Bool Tours*

5.   The Bookish Girl Services*

6.   Suzy Approved Book Tours

In conclusion, Book Tours can gain exposure for your book and may even lead to some book sales, but most authors agree that you seldom make back in sales what you spend on them initially if selling a single book. However, it is a way to launch your book and make future contacts. So far, the people I’ve met have been a positive and professional bunch, and it has helped me gain more visibility for my book at a time when I’m overwhelmed.

If you have other thoughts on book tours, please leave a comment. Have a wonderful and joyful week!