From what I can tell, there are several different versions of how this can be handled. My friend did a 'whirlwind' tour of 22 blogs in 21 days. His critique: Wow. Intense.
Seems he was on a new blog each day - well, there were 2 days when he wasn't on any blog - so he had to double up some of the other days. Anyway, when he was showcased on a blog, he made sure that he was available to reply and answer any questions that might be added in the comments. He told me it kept him hopping, especially when he was on two different blogs on the same day.
Another blog group decided to attempt an ambitious tour: Host a writer for a week on 1 blog and then move to the next blog with a total of 15 blogs currently in the mix. So, in actuality, the writer was being advertised, for all practical purposes, a total of 15 weeks... almost 4 months. If more blogs joined, then the author would continue on until they all had been visited. Talk about exposure.
But what exactly does the writer do for a blog?
From what I've been able to discover -- the author has different possible scenarios. One site wants an interview to learn about the author. Another wants to detail the book(s). While another may just want the writer's thoughts on the craft.
I've never done a blog tour but I have been a guest on a couple of other blogs. I've done the interview and I don't think that I'm all that exciting. I attempt to give a snappy response and show my "fun" side, sometimes it just doesn't work.
So what blog tour can you examine? Take a gander at this week's offering from Facebook's "Fantastical Reads Event" It has a great lineup of writers --
February 1st
Elise Stokes-
Cassidy Jones
February 2nd
M.E. Lorde
(Michael Lorde)
Tolomay's World and The Pool of
Light
February 3rd
R.K. Ryals-
Tempest
February 4th
Elyse Sulpeter -
The Hunt for Xanadu
February 5th
Sarah Wallace
-Canvas Skies
February 6th
P.L Blair - Shadow
Path
February 7th
Joseph Lallo - The
Book of Deacon
February 8th
David Cassidy
-Velvet Rain
Fantastical Reads Event <-- Click to visit;
And, now, the question that everyone has been waiting for the answer to--
Question: Are they any good?
Answer: Perspective. What are you expecting or hope to accomplish. Sales? Recognition? Presence? Each of those, in and of themselves, have their own reward. Maybe sales will increase. Maybe people will come to know your name. Hey, you might even get a fan base created for having a presence. Only you, the one who goes on a blog tour can decide if they are any good.
Until next I ramble on...
Hey Bob! I wanted to thank you so much for hosting our event on your blog page. I also wanted to respond to your article above, on why I enjoy doing blog hops from time to time. Exposure is definitely important for an author. After all, If we don't sell our books, we most likely won't be able to continue writing books... but to me, the benefits of being involved in a bloghop far exceeds that. Yes, I'd like to think folks want to learn about my book series , to take a look at the covers, wonder what's inside, buy a copy or two, but to me a blog hop or blogging event is so much more than just that. It helps connect with the reader, which I love to do. Not because I like being in the spotlight, (I am the type of person who cringes at the thought of speaking in public ) but rather because more important to me that I am an author is the fact that I am first and foremost an avid reader too, and have been my entire life- as far back as I can remember, anyway. Blog hops keep me connected to like minded folks, they keep it real which allows me the privilege of reading comments from folks I would not have a chance to hear from otherwise. It's discrete, yet so up close and personal. The great thing about online interviews on blogs is that unlike television interviews, where the readers do not gain involvement, where there is no conversing with the authors and the interviewee does all the talking... when an event occurs online, we all have the great honor of hearing viewers thoughts posted on the comments, because now they can respond to the post itself, find out an author's url on fb mine is ( https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMichaelLorde ), get our email address ( Blindveilbv@gmail.com) send a message, connect with us on twitter ( @MichaelLorde ). Readers, along with other authors, can tell everyone what they think about the posts regarding our book(s), or whatever's posted on the blog page, and they often invite others to do the same. Ah, the glory of social networking. To me, blog hops open doors into the readers mind, that would otherwise remain closed. They give authors the great opportunity to get to better know our readers, and also to meet authors we haven't yet met. Many times after blog events, I have found new friends that I keep in touch with (via facebook/email/twitter). of course I would love the experience of tens of thousands of readers purchasing and reading my words, any author would welcome that opportunity, but for me, the public recognition is not so much the goal. My book being recognized, perhaps ( I love my characters as if they're my kids), but not recognition through being directly out there in the limelight myself. Everyone is different and has their own viewpoints and dreams. But as far as bloghops go, these are mine. Hosting and being hosted in blog events has helped me to accomplish these dreams and so again I thank you, Bob, for hosting our event and helping all of us connect with folks on a larger scale. All eight of us sincerely appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteMichael - Great answer. Blog hops allow the reader to interface with the author and vice-versa. That's a fantastic perspective. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. To me, that's the icing of a blog hop.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Who doesn't like frosting?
ReplyDeleteYou ROCK, Bob! Thank you for sharing our event. :)
ReplyDelete