Ten Reasons Authors Should Go On A Virtual Book Tour
By Roxanne Rhoads
1. Going on a virtual tour can help you network with bloggers, readers, reviewers, other authors and publishing professionals. You can build a professional network of contacts through a tour.
2. A virtual book tour can help build your author brand and platform.
3. An online tour can vastly expand your online presence and visibility as an author. The more you and your book are mentioned online, the more hits readers will find when they Google you.
4. You can target niche reader markets. Does your book feature food, crafts, or secondary topic that can be built upon for marketing purposes? Make sure that in addition to the normal book blogs and genre blogs that several of your tour stops are on targeted blogs for food, recipes, crafts or a side market that fits your niche. For instance, Juliette Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mysteries could be featured on sites that cater to vintage clothing or San Francisco because both of those feature heavily in her cozy mystery series. Melissa Bourbon’s Dressmaking Mystery Series could be featured on a sewing blog. Find your niche and target it.
5. A tour can build your mailing list and increase your social media following. Include links to your newsletter sign up page and all of your social media profiles so readers can easily follow you.
6. A virtual tour can direct traffic to your website. Make sure your website is up to date and full of content for readers to explore.
7. Expose your book to readers around the world. Many tour companies have book bloggers in numerous countries. Your book can be showcased around the world 24/7.
8. You will have the chance to interact directly with readers via live chats, Facebook events, and comments on blogs and websites.
9. Most blogs archive their content; this means it does not get deleted. Your tour stop will remain online indefinitely for readers to find.
10. A virtual book tour can increase book sales.
Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours
Quick Tips for Authors Guide
Roxanne Rhoads
Book Description:
Are you considering a virtual book tour?
Not sure where to start or exactly what an online tour will entail?
Roxanne Rhoads, book publicist and owner of Bewitching Book Tours, shares her virtual tour expertise in this Quick Tips for Authors Guide.
Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours will guide you in utilizing the best marketing tool available- a virtual book tour, which can create online exposure for your book, jumpstart your book sales, help build your author brand, and expand your network.
In this guide you’ll learn:
· what you should do before a tour
· the components of a great author website
· the best social media outlets for authors to utilize
· tips for building your author brand
· how to write great guest blogs
· what to expect from an online book tour
· the secrets of successful book tours
· how to schedule your own virtual book tour
And you’ll receive in-depth details about what to do during a virtual book tour to guarantee success.
The world of publishing is continuously evolving
thanks to technology and the Internet. It is now easier than ever to publish a
book. But with the growing number of new books being released every day it is
also harder than ever to get your book noticed in the crowd.
If your line of thinking includes- “If I publish it,
people will buy it,” think again.
Indie publishing requires a dedication to
self-promotion. Gone are the days an author hermits them self away to write,
then hands the book to the publisher who does all the leg work for promotion. Even
NYT Bestselling authors and those with contracts through the big publishers
still have to do a certain amount of self-promotion.
There are many ways to promote: social media, advertising on popular websites
and blogs, print advertising in trade magazines, attending reader oriented
conventions and events…but one of the best ways to get your book out there and
build name recognition as an author is through a virtual book tour.
In this Quick Tips for Authors Guide, you will learn
why a virtual book tour can be an author’s most effective marketing tool.
What Readers Are Saying About Secrets of
Successful Book Tours
“As a book blogger, I am often surprised
by the number of new authors I meet that do not really promote their books. There
are a lot of inexpensive and free ways for them to do so. Roxanne Rhoads does
an excellent job of laying these ideas out. The book is well-organized and easy
to follow. She points out author mistakes and faux pas. She speaks from her
past experiences. I have a background in marketing. Roxanne Rhoads has a strong
understanding of marketing and does a great job of explaining her suggestions
and ideas. I highly suggest this book to all authors. There are many great
ideas in this book that can help brand you as an author as well as get your
books noticed. There are so many books out there. It is absolutely necessary
for an author to promote themselves.” ~ Diane
Lynch, Book Blogger
“Jam-packed
with useful tips that had be scrambling for my calendar. And the conciseness is
frankly another selling point for a busy authorpreneur. Who has time to wade
through a bunch of fluff? Not me. And Roxanne doesn't waste our time with that
-- she gets straight to the business of book tours. Want to run your own tour?
No problem. The book provides advice on DIY'ers as well. From lists of blog
ideas to the legal in's and out's of using images, Secrets of Successful
Virtual Book Tours has something for novices and old hands like myself. And I
believe her branding advice was spot on.” ~
Kirsten Weiss,
Author
“This
is a must have for any author planning to do a virtual book tour. Most of us
wouldn't even think of half this stuff. Roxanne's advice is golden.” ~ Serena Synn, Author
“This
book is packed with information on how to not only promote your book but also
promote yourself as an author.” ~ Bonnie Amazon Review
I
have been doing blog tours with Roxanne for quite some time now and I can say
her organization and skills are without a doubt top notch. If I ever actually get around to writing my
novel I can assure you that I will use this as a guide. She covers everything from building your
brand to what to expect on a blog tour.
Her
knowledge is well shared and I think every author that wants to build their
brand should read this guy. Simply put
this is a must read for any author that wants to exposure that can come with a
blog tour. ~Jen Brooks The
Cubicle Escapee
In
this era of self-publishing, an author needs to do as much as they can to get
themselves noticed. Enter the virtual book tour, a tour of blogs on the
Internet - as opposed to visiting book stores - with the aim of increasing an
author's online presence and ultimately increasing book sales. Roxanne Rhoads
guides you through the dos and don'ts of virtual book tours, with great advice
on providing fresh material for each tour stop. She covers both tours run by
established tour companies and tours you plan yourself, and she includes a list
of sites where you can find book bloggers to contact. She also gives you some
great advice about setting up your online and social media presence, as well as
social media mistakes to avoid.
Roxanne
Rhoads is the guru behind Bewitching Book Tours, the first book tour company I
ever signed up with. If you're interested in a well-organized blog tour, be
sure to check out Bewitching Book Tours. As Roxanne states, "Publication
is only the beginning of the process ... promotion is the road to success."
An
excellent quick guide for all authors. ~
Lynda Dickson - Books
Direct
Recommended
reading for anyone considering a blog tour. There is information here that I
didn't know and have never come across before. If you want to do-it-yourself,
there is a section to help with that as well. How to write a good guest blog,
do's and don'ts, even copyright information. It changed the way I think about
blog tours and I will be doing things differently the next time around. ~ kmontemayor Amazon
Review
This
little gem was borne out of Ms. Rhoads' experiences and speaks for itself. It is
a must-have reference for authors old and new. ~ AoBibliophile
Secrets
of Successful Virtual Book Tours is fantastic compilation of tips, tricks, and
learning tools for ensuring your book tour is to your liking. The guide is filled with do's and don'ts as
you navigate your tour whether it's your first or your 10th. Learn what a book tour is all about, how to
market your author brand, write guest posts, and much, much more. Highly
recommended for authors and bloggers, alike. ~Amber Marr Saph’s
Book Blog
About the Author:
Roxanne Rhoads has been working in the world of online book promotion since 2005. She has worked as a freelance writer, author, book reviewer, book blogger, editor, self-publisher and book publicist. She has a unique advantage of knowing how multiple sides of book publishing and promotion operate.
Roxanne understands how book bloggers work and what they want to make their jobs easier while also understanding that authors need promotion to be streamlined, easy, and less time consuming.
Roxanne shares some of her knowledge in Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours.
Twitter @RoxanneRhoads
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