Literary Lunes Magazine, January 2012 Issue

Blog Tours: Are They the New Book Tours?

  By Beth Ann Masarik

  Blog tours seem to be the new big thing with the rise of the e-market for books. What is a blog tour you ask? A blog tour is a virtual book tour where an author can reach thousands of people with the click of a button. The author or author’s publisher, publicist, or literary agent, reaches out to bloggers and asks them to host the author. The author usually participates in interviews (whether they be with the author themselves, or characters from their book), or a special guest post with a specific topic. Sometimes authors even do special giveaways!

  This raises the question, “Are blog tours the new book tours?” Let’s face it; with the rise of the e-reader generation, and the slow downfall of trade paperback books, I think it’s safe to say that the answer is YES! I don’t know about you guys, but I find it very difficult to get my books on the shelves of bookstores. Even the book stores that I go to frequently are reluctant to stock a new author’s books on their shelves. Why? This is because of the economy.

  Blog tours are a great way to boost up sales, both nationally and internationally. Plus, you get to visit other countries without having to leave the comfort of your own home!

  The one important thing that you need to know about planning blog tours is that they take time to plan. You should try to book your blog stops at least a month before the tour begins. This way, you will give the tour participants time to prepare their blogs for your visit and time to read and review your book.

  There you have it folks! The scoop on blog tours.

  Happy writing!