Tag: blog tour

To Hop or to Tour? Some Options for Guest Blogging

author kangaroo hopping on a blog tourIndie authors are always looking for ways to get their names out in front of readers – and doing it inexpensively is a plus. One typical way is to contact bloggers and offer to write a guest post for them. This process works, but it takes a lot of time to line up your guest shots – time you would probably rather spend writing.

While you’re sending out your tenth or 25th email to some blogger you barely know, you might wonder whether there’s a more efficient way. Well, sure – you could do a blog tour or a blog hop. But what’s the difference? And will either of them sell any books for you? Continue reading “To Hop or to Tour? Some Options for Guest Blogging”

Blog Book Tours from a Blogger’s Perspective

Lackawanna book blogger Tour
Photo by Billy Hathorn of English Wikipedia

Last month Karen Wojcik Berner shared a post on blog tours here at IU. As I was reading, it occurred to me that a discussion of blog tours from the perspective of a blogger might be of interest and potentially of value for authors, whether they’re doing the hard work of putting a tour together on their own or hiring one of the many blog tour operators to coordinate the effort.

Personally I have a love/hate relationship with blog tours because they have plenty of positives for a blogger, but depending on the blogger’s perspective, a non-trivial list of negatives as well. I’ll start with the good. Continue reading “Blog Book Tours from a Blogger’s Perspective”

When Is a Guest Post Like a Sausage Factory?

sign the author blog tour guest bookOne of the things some authors do to promote their book is a “blog tour” which I’ve heard described as the modern day or indie equivalent of hitting the road for signings at book stores. The goal of such an undertaking is twofold. First, to get the word out that your new book exists (remember what Lynne Cantwell told us about effective frequency), selling some books while setting other readers up for future sales and second, to get a jump on the number of reviews on Amazon and other retailers. Some blog tours are review only, which helps with the second goal, but limits the number of bloggers willing to participate. Others offer different kinds of content for bloggers who are not willing to commit to a review. What these different kinds of content are will vary depending on who organizes the tour and the willingness of the author to create additional content. Interviews with the author, character interviews, and guest posts are examples of content frequently offered. Continue reading “When Is a Guest Post Like a Sausage Factory?”

Will a Blog Tour Work for Your Book?

Karen Wojcik BernerGuest post
By Karen Wojcik Berner

Over the last few years, I’ve promoted my books with blog tours – six of them, to be exact – and let me tell you, each was completely different in both style and reach. Never done a blog tour?  They’re the virtual equivalent of the traditional book tour, except authors “visit” book blogs instead of stores to promote their novels. They are great for boosting your book’s visibility as well as for getting reviews. In fact, I just completed two consecutive blog tours to promote my latest novel, A Groovy Kind of Love. If you’re considering a blog tour, here are some things I’ve learned along the way that you might find helpful. Continue reading “Will a Blog Tour Work for Your Book?”