Hey everyone, I've just self-published my first novel and although I'm active on social media (Twitter&Facebook) I've been looking at other ways I could sell my book. One way I've come a cross is a online book tour which will include me using my blog to sell and advertise my book through multiple blog posts, It seems like it would be something that'll be great fun to do anyways, but I was wondering if anyone has attempted or tried this and if it has been good for your book. Any replies would be very much appreciated.
Well I have blogger friends who will be reviewing my book on their blogs, but I did mean just on my blog.
If you already have a link to your book on your blog, I think there's not much to gain. People who like your blog already will be the ones to read the book.
Usually when people do "blog tours" it means they're "travelling" to other people's blogs. Which I think is more likely to be effective than just posting at your own blog, where people already know you. And most blog owners are hungry for content. If you can think of blogs that cover your target market, and especially if you can come up with posts that don't focus on selling your book but rather cover something larger and then mention your book, I think it can be an effective tool. That said, I've never organized one for my self-published books. When I've done them publishers have set them up, so I don't really know first hand how hard they've had to look to find willing blogs.
I'll definitely look into doing this - I have already created some content that relates back to my book, expanding on the topics and issues that I've written about on my blog is definitely something I will be doing.
Yeah I agree with @Mouthwash . Those that read your blog will buy/read your book if its advertised there. I am sure some authors go on web-tours, where they live stream at real events. But that is not something your talking about, and nor were you invited to such a convention. People like us who are 'nobodys' are not going to be invited to the big boys/girls events. Further more if you have a small but decent reader base, then you are off to a pretty damn good start.
Blog tours, visiting other writers, reviewers and similar blogs, can have a positive impact. It is time-consuming, including creating content, after taking time to line them up appearances. The success will largely be based upon the number of readers/visitors to a blog, the type of readers/visitors--might they be the type of readers that would be interested in your works, and the quality and relevance of the content you provide to the blog. In my experience, even if everything lines up (especially readers and content), only a small percentage of blog readers will follow the links to your website or pages where your works can be found, and even fewer will pick up a copy. That's the nature of the beast. Sometimes some sort of contest or give away can help with generating interest. Just because there may be a low conversion to actual purchases, it's still an opportunity to garner new readers. Some of them might pick up your other works, or future works, and maybe spread by word of mouth if they enjoy your stories well enough. A blog tour doesn't necessarily cost anything, but your time and creative energy. Even so, those elements have a price in themselves. Also consider offering an opportunity for the other blog writers a chance to appear on your blog.
