REVIEW and EXCERPT
Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours
(Quick Tips for Authors Guide 1)
(Quick Tips for Authors Guide 1)
by Roxanne Rhoads
Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours is currently on tour with Bewitching Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, a guest post by the author, and a giveaway. The book is also ON SALE for only $0.99 to 28 March (on Amazon). Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
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.
Excerpt
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.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
"This book may be brief, but it is jam-packed with useful tips that had me 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 (skewed toward paranormal authors, natch) 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
"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. As a blogger, Roxanne Rhoads does an exceptional job mentioning the things we look for. As a reader, one of the things I look at when discovering a new author/book is the information I find on the web. This book will give you all the tools you need to establish yourself." ~ Diane Lynch
"This book is packed with information on how to not only promote your book but also promote yourself as an author. It's a quick and easy read with useful information." ~ Bonnie
"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
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
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.
Guest Post by the Author
Ten Reasons Authors Should Go On A Virtual Book Tour
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.
A virtual book tour can help build your author brand and platform.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You will have the chance to interact directly with readers via live chats, Facebook events, and comments on blogs and websites.
Most blogs archive their content; this means it does not get deleted. Your tour stop will remain online indefinitely for readers to find.
A virtual book tour can increase book sales.
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 her latest release, Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a Bewitching Book Tours' Release Day Blitz or Cover Reveal (winner's choice) OR an ebook copy of Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours.
Plus, enter the Goodreads giveaway for a chance to win a paperback copy of Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours (US only, ends 28 March).
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