Book Blog Tours: Self-Publishing Dream or Total Waste of Time?
Blogs gained notoriety in the early 2000s. From politics to travel and to health and fitness, there seemed to be a widely read blog on any topic imaginable.
Book bloggers, too, took to the various blogging platforms to share their reading experiences, reviews and recommendations.
Before social media, blogging served to bring people with shared interests together, and suddenly reading was no longer a hobby enjoyed in isolation.
In fact, book blogging became revolutionary and instrumental in creating bonds among individuals, some of whom grew careers in fields never before conceived.
Nowadays, with social media serving to market books for self-published authors, are blog tours still a viable avenue to increased book sales?
Are Blog Tours Worth Adding to the Self-Publishing Checklist?
As an indie author, you do it ALLL, so much so that actually writing the book can sometimes feel like the easiest part 😮💨
Most indie authors absolutely dread the marketing phase of getting their books into readers’ hands. It can often feel like an inordinate amount of work that culminates in, well, sending it all into an empty void.
Rather than the endless grind that this phase of self-publishing can often feel like, it can be helpful to turn that on its head and to think about marketing as connecting with your readers.
marketing = connecting
If you’ve ever been to a book signing or to an in-person event, either as an indie author or as a reader, you’ve likely experienced the instant and palpable connections.
The room is charged with excitement, and because experiencing shared stories is done so at an intimate level, much of the innate awkwardness of strangers meeting is gone.
And while there will never be a substitute for face-to-face interactions, blogs in the early 2000s, and now social media, have sought to bridge that gap by bringing people with shared interests together.
What is a Blog Tour?
Usually around your book’s release, a blog tour is a 1-2 week period bloggers will showcase you and your book on their blog to generate hype.
The dates and topics are predetermined, and each blogger posts her own unique content, usually in the form of an interview, Q&A, book review, excerpts, sneak peeks, etc.
As an indie author, it’s reassuring that you don’t need to be associated with a big publishing house or even need a team in order to participate in a blog tour.
PROS
Book blogging is the online platform OG. It’s where readers first went to add to their TBR, discover and diversify, and to connect with other readers.
Indie authors already have a huge online presence. Take advantage of this!
Especially coupled with social media, blog tours can be another great way to reach new future readers!
Readers love to read 😜, and many still look to blogs to explore new genres, authors and releases.
Unlike social media, blog posts are NOT written on rented land. Please see 5 Ways Your Indie Author Website Does the Marketing for You for more information.
If the blog tour post links back to your own indie author website, you’ll get the added benefit of increased traffic and exposure! Please see Easy Indie Author Website Tweaks to Boost Book Sales to learn more about how this works on YOUR behalf.
CONS
With generative AI, some say blogging by real people is dead.
Not worth the additional effort and time
Not worth the additional cost of items/postage for giveaways
How to Set Up a Blog Tour
Research bloggers in your genre and/or ask fellow authors whose blog tour they’ve participated in. Ideally, become familiar with their blog and become part of their community.
Set up a quick Google Doc to keep track of bloggers’ contact info, who you’ve reached out to, posting dates, topics, etc.
6 Weeks Before Release: Reach out to bloggers to determine interest in receiving an ebook in exchange for a blog post showcasing you and your book. Make sure you’re in agreement with the material you will provide (i.e., answers to a Q&A, a guest post, a paperback book as part of a giveaway, etc.).
After the blogger says yes to the tour, get your material, any images, bio, and links to them by the agreed upon date.
Send a thank you!
Once the blog post is live, be sure to showcase the blog’s link on social media.
Is a Blog Tour a Good Use of My Limited Time?
Unfortunately, determining if participating in a blog tour yields a solid ROI (return on investment) is difficult to discern. In this cloudy online world, it is usually unknown where, when and how a reader first heard about you and your books.
However, this murkiness is true for all of the social media platforms that many authors, both new and seasoned, and both trad and indie use with each release.
The guaranteed bottom line is that the more you and others are out there sharing about your latest release, the more book sales you’ll get!
For each individual blog tour post, you can ask the blogger for any stats and comments related to your book. Additionally, if you’ve posted to your social media platforms, check the stats for that post to determine the number of interactions and clicks on the outside links.
The Bottom Line
The financial output of running a blog tour is minimal, while the time output is of greater consideration.
A Happy Medium?
Perhaps, when determining whether you want to invest your time in adding blog tours to your self-publishing checklist, add a few bloggers in your genre to your ARC team or influencer list. That way, you can gauge interest while simultaneously doing the marketing and connecting you do anyway.
An Option: Hire a Book Blog Tour Service
If adding blog tours to your already-overflowing self-publishing checklist is overwhelming, consider hiring a book blog tour service. This can be costly, however, and there is no guarantee they will review your book or that their blog receives lots of traffic.
Time + Money = An Affordable Option
Being an indie author is A LOT, but please know you do not have to do it alone! Each package is fully customizable to fit your budget and needs.
From marketing to administrative tasks and everything in between, as YOUR personal assistant, I am here to help!
Not sure what you need? Let’s chat and plot next steps together!
In the meantime, know that your readers appreciate you and are so grateful to you for sharing your stories with us! ❤️
Your supportive side character,
Lisa