Blog Tours: Pros & Cons

I'm a veteran of blog tours and learned the ropes one hard knot knuckle at a time. This time I decided to experiment and see what would happen if I relied solely on word-of-mouth for Mistress of the Stone.

Strangely enough, word-of-mouth required just as much planning and setup. While I might have to write ten or twenty original posts for a blog tour, I still had to gather a multitude of resources and book-bites for people to use if they wanted to do shout-outs for me.

Blog tours are still more time-consuming. It's not just the post, but answering every comment (of which you hope there are many).

First, you have to approach potential bloggers to host you. Then you have to promise them a truly terrific post. Sadly, this is where most people skimp.

It takes an enormous amount of time to write original and entertaining posts at a time when you are at your busiest. This is why it pays to write these posts at least a month in advance.

Although I don't see as many blatant promo posts as in years past, there are still plenty that barely qualify as interesting. That's sad because it really is an opportunity to shine.

Giveaways: Along with the post, many people offer prizes as incentives. I've reconsidered giveaways over the years. I still offer prizes from time to time, but nothing lavish. The prize shouldn't be more important than the content, otherwise you run the risk of drawing just the prize junkies.

Sellability: I'd like to set the record straight on a misconception I see often. No matter how much you want it to be so, blog tours are about name and brand recognition. It isn't about sales. 

A blog tour done right will show people you are clever, entertaining, or interesting. Hopefully all three. This is why I never bother pimping my books. If you're interested, you'll find them. My only responsibility is to make sure the links work.

Conclusions: So what have I learned between a blog tour and just plain word-of-mouth?

Both require effort on your part. I had several really good friends offer to tweet and post on my behalf, but I still had to give them the resources. I didn't want them to be inconvenienced in any way.

Never ask a friend or fan to do something for you without supplying the goods. It aggravates me to no end when someone asks to be on my blog, but they expect me to dig up the cover art and links. I used to do it in the early days, but not anymore. 

If you want someone to help you out, you do the legwork for them.

When people started offering to help me spread the word, I sent each of them a package of art, links, blurb, and tweetable snippets. Everything was already prepared and formatted. All they had to do was copy and paste. They could use as much or as little as they wanted.

I had only one regret. I wish I had asked people to post on a certain date. Most everyone posted on the day the book released. It might've gotten more bang for the buck if it was spread out more.

I also wish I had given people a snippet instead of the same old blurb, that way visitors could read something different.  There's only so many times you can congratulate someone for the same thing. It gets dull.

If you rely on word-of-mouth

• Keep it extra short. You don't want to hog someone's blog if you're not there to actually make an appearance. It's a mention, not an actual post.

• Never inconvenience the person doing the shout-outs.

• Mix it up. Don't let people use the same material.

• Don't assume people will want to share their social media space for your book even if you're friends. Ask, but don't take it personally if they say no. I might tweet a little and put a mention on this blog, but I keep Facebook for myself most days. Everyone is different.


If you do a blog tour, here are some tips:

• Keep it short. 500 words is the maximum for the average attention span.

• Keep it interesting. I'm serious. If you wax poetically about your struggle or how much you love your adorable new baby book, people will tune you out.

• Don't place your book on a pedestal. That's not up to you. Write it and let it go.

• Ask a question. I always recommend this. If you're constantly "lecturing" people, you're not giving them a chance to interact. Give them a reason to comment.

• Add links. If people are interested, they'll click on them.

• Don't pimp. Pimping ain't pretty. You begging them to buy never works--unless you have a cute dog--then I might click.

• Use art. Just make sure it belongs to you.

• Giveaways: Be judicious. You'll get lots of comments if you give away an e-reader or other expensive prize, but will that translate into sales? Probably not.

So which worked better? I think I enjoyed the control of a blog tour more, but I was very touched to find people going out of their way to promote me. It was nice to know karma hadn't forgotten me.

Whether you do a blog tour or have friends do shout-outs for you, concentrate on just earning new social media followers. If you're personable and interesting you'll grow a relationship. If you write a good book, you'll grow an audience.

Note: If you're popular on social media, it might sell your first book, but if it's amateurish, nothing you do will sell the second book. You only get one chance to make a good impression. Don't suck the first time--especially important in this era of self-publishing. Readers have better memories than you think.

Be patient and be honest. Write a good book first. Then move on and write the next one.

Can anyone add other tips from your experience? 

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A couple of shout-outs of my own:

Raelyn Barclay has been tweeting and cheering me like crazy. I love this woman! Since she joined the writing community, it's been all about what she can do for others. I never forget a kindness and I won't forget Raelyn. Add her blog to your watch list. She's always got interesting topics.

Mike Keyton has been my CP and writing buddy for many years. If I've done anything right, a lot of it is due to his tempered skewering of my work. He gave me the BEST compliment on Mistress of the Stone the other day on Facebook. He said: Pirates, ghosts and sex, the perfect antidote to Fifty Shades Of Grey.