While in person appearances are always great publicity and are wonderful opportunities to meet the public, they are limited – you only get the chance to meet folks who are local to the venue and after a few scheduled hours it’s over. Virtual Blog Tours are a popular, inexpensive and effective way to reach a huge amount of potential readers. Touring online, your “appearance” happens anywhere there is access to the internet and posts remain up days, weeks and even months after the debut date.
While there are several successful Virtual Blog Tour planners, it’s really not so hard to do it yourself. Find blogs that appeal to the same audience as your book (or books). A romantic suspense author should look for blogs which attract women ages 31 to 49 in a romantic relationship since they comprise the majority of romance readers. A children’s book author would look for blogs that attract youngsters and parents of young children.
Find these blogs and read through several posts – does the blog owner ever host guest bloggers? Is the format of the blog something you can keep in mind if you are given the chance to post material? Can you come up with fresh content? Write to the blogger and ask if he/she would consider hosting you? If the answer is yes, agree on a date and your deadline to submit material. Check what, if any, materials the blogger wants (ie: word count, excerpts, photos…). Verify any specific rules – does the blogger have a restriction on language or a preference for an article of interest instead of a simple sales pitch for your latest book. Perhaps the blogger would like you to answer specific questions in the form of an interview?
Once you’ve agreed on all of the particulars, make sure that you stick to them. And don’t wait until the last minute to submit your post. Advertise, advertise, advertise your appearance – let your friends know and ask them to leave comments. Twitter the link, post it on Facebook and MySpace. And mention it on your own blog. Just like any venue that hosts appearances, the blogger wants to see increased traffic coming in to view the site – be sure to help drive up both any counters and comments. Remember that some people won’t stop by “today” but the blog will still be there tomorrow and the next even if not in 1st place shape.
While there are several successful Virtual Blog Tour planners, it’s really not so hard to do it yourself. Find blogs that appeal to the same audience as your book (or books). A romantic suspense author should look for blogs which attract women ages 31 to 49 in a romantic relationship since they comprise the majority of romance readers. A children’s book author would look for blogs that attract youngsters and parents of young children.
Find these blogs and read through several posts – does the blog owner ever host guest bloggers? Is the format of the blog something you can keep in mind if you are given the chance to post material? Can you come up with fresh content? Write to the blogger and ask if he/she would consider hosting you? If the answer is yes, agree on a date and your deadline to submit material. Check what, if any, materials the blogger wants (ie: word count, excerpts, photos…). Verify any specific rules – does the blogger have a restriction on language or a preference for an article of interest instead of a simple sales pitch for your latest book. Perhaps the blogger would like you to answer specific questions in the form of an interview?
Once you’ve agreed on all of the particulars, make sure that you stick to them. And don’t wait until the last minute to submit your post. Advertise, advertise, advertise your appearance – let your friends know and ask them to leave comments. Twitter the link, post it on Facebook and MySpace. And mention it on your own blog. Just like any venue that hosts appearances, the blogger wants to see increased traffic coming in to view the site – be sure to help drive up both any counters and comments. Remember that some people won’t stop by “today” but the blog will still be there tomorrow and the next even if not in 1st place shape.
Just like some fans will just about climb over high fences to see and meet an author – don’t deny them that treat. Respond to comments left on the post – thank people (by name if possible) for coming by, respond to questions or comments throughout the day and every few days for at least a week or so after that. And always consider offering to reciprocate by hosting a guest post from the blogger. If you belong to a writers’ forum you might even want to advertise a blogger swap.
Writing exercise: Look up your zodiac sign and its traits – create a character that carries those traits. Reminder, most zodiac signs have both positive and negative sides – keep that in mind. Try it with another zodiac sign and so on.
Writing prompt: Close your eyes and rely on your other senses (taste, touch, smell, hearing) - what ONE word comes to mind? Do it again and rely on another sense. When you are done you should have up-to five different words – use each word in a short paragraph (all of the words in the same paragraph.
Writing exercise: Look up your zodiac sign and its traits – create a character that carries those traits. Reminder, most zodiac signs have both positive and negative sides – keep that in mind. Try it with another zodiac sign and so on.
Writing prompt: Close your eyes and rely on your other senses (taste, touch, smell, hearing) - what ONE word comes to mind? Do it again and rely on another sense. When you are done you should have up-to five different words – use each word in a short paragraph (all of the words in the same paragraph.
