Just had my first ever book tour, sponsored by Farah Evers Book Tours. It lasted from Oct 20th to the 29th and featured a veritable grab bag of goodies, like interviews and reviews, likes, tags, a YouTube book trailer (that I adored), chat sessions, giveaways, discounts, blog posts and announcements all over the WWW. Now y'all know how I was feeling about social media and the hard times I was enduring (read a few blog post back in time), but this type of media was something different. It was lasting, intense, interesting and you had to keep up with it to follow everything. If one thing book tours have that other media resources don't, it's range. And I mean range over a broad spectrum. You also benefit by having a whole bunch of people behind you, making their own announcements, hitting up their personal blogs, FB and Twitter spots. It's kind of a call to arms for the benefit of one author, or what you might think of as a "love flood." I was surprised. I really had no idea what they entailed. I'm glad a professional stepped in to drag me out of the mud and show me the potential of a focused and lasting event. One of my best friends, Jim Melvin, reaped huge success from one his book tours not to long ago, and I'd always remembered that.
When the dust settled, I know I made five or six sales, starting with the opening day. I received dozens of likes and tags, boosting my author FB page. My birthday hit on the 28th, so I got about 100 FB birthday wishes--a record for me. I pulled in eight new subscribers to my blog--another record. I picked up some chat fans and got the opportunity to explain some details in the book. And now I have an archive of information on The War Gate that's going to sit there for Googlers to find, and pay dividends in the future. All in all, it was a resounding success for me, and I have to thank my hostess for letting me fly with this event.
Do I recommend book tours? Yes, I do. They work. I would like to direct you to Farah Evers Book Tours for a unforgettable experience. This gal is a graphic arts master, composer and artist. Just about anything you need in the graphic media realm, you'll find it on her home site, be it cover design, website creations, tours, or artwork. Her rates are truly affordable, undercutting most of the competition out there. You can sample first, too. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Evers Book Tours:
http://www.eversbooktours.com/
