Was The Virtual Book Tour Worth It?

© Marta Stephens 2009 all rights reserved

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At the conclusion of my December 2008 virtual book tour to promote my novel, "The Devil Can Wait," I was asked by the tour rep to write an article outlining my experiences during the tour and to include any advice I might offer to other authors thinking about touring.

We hear that term “Virtual Book Tours” tossed around quite a bit these days, but what exactly does “virtual tour” mean? What does it entail and is it worth an author’s efforts?

A virtual book tour gives an author the chance to promote his or her book to millions of readers via the Internet. It can be arranged by either the author or a tour professional. I’ve done both, but for the sake of this article, I’ll concentrate on my experience during my December 2008, virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotions.

What Does It Involve?

Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about securing the host sites and locking in the dates this time—PUYBP did it for me. I did, however, have to get busy and write numerous articles on various topics (everything from my writing journey to book promotions). In total I had 27 pieces of information to promote throughout the month of December 2008, including three Blog Talk Radio interviews.  I answered questions to several traditional type interviews, posted my book excerpt, and wrote a short story. My responsibility didn’t end there though. I needed to do my part to promote the tour in addition to the marketing efforts the tour company had planned and then implemented a strategy to promote each stop of the tour.  First I posted all the tour links here on my website on the Events page.  Then, as each tour stop link was archived, I posted the links on my Prose and Musing blog.

Rather than create a new article per date on my Prose and Musings blog, I added the links to the initial article on the date it went live. This made it convenient for visitors to view the entire list of links in one place rather than making them scroll through several posts to find the article they were interested in.

Each day that I announced a new tour stop, I promoted the archived links on my blog. My logic was that if visitors liked one post, they would take a look at the articles and leave their comments. Doing this also increased the number of visitors to my blog.

I posted customized promotional information to fit the target audiences on close to 30 author/reader and social websites.  My publisher as well as the tour director did likewise. Therefore, it’s not hard to imagine that each article I wrote or interview I agreed to was promoted on well over 60-70 blogs and websites. I’m certainly not implying that the articles were read by the thousands of members represented at each of those sites, however, the potential to increase my readership was certainly there and the beauty of a virtual book tour is that once information is on the Internet, it’s perpetually available to read at one’s convenience.  Seven months after the conclusion of my 2007 virtual book tour, I received a Google Alert that a reader copied one of my tour articles and posted it on her blog (credits and all) exposing the piece to a new set of readers I hadn’t expected to reach long after the tour was over. 

In addition to the above 60-70 blogs and sites, several of the host sites administrators promoted my tour articles in the other places where they post to draw readers.  Now the number of potential readers had perhaps doubled or tripled.

This was an amazing amount of free publicity done from the comfort of my home and to think, I only had to produce 27 pieces of information.  Given the fact that most virtual book tours are planned several months in advance, this is completely doable. All that was required of me was to roll up the old sleeves and get to work. Proof that the articles were read and passed around is in the number of Google Alerts I received (and am continuing to receive) with links to websites that were not on my tour but have posted one or more of my articles.  Another great benefit was that several of those who left comments have cross promoted by listing my blogs among their favorites.

I also contacted 150-200 people on my mailing list as well. Direct mailings can be very affective if the author doesn’t over do. In all my posts and e-mails, I mentioned my tour director’s offer at the chance to win a tour from PUYBP or the $50 for Amazon. These types of incentives are a savvy way to pull in readers.

Once the tour got underway, I checked each stop several times daily as well as the sites where I promoted the tour for comments and responded to each. Although many who left comments were people I knew and who were following the tour stops, there were numerous new friends to be made as well. Connecting with new readers and maintaining contact with an established readership is key to a successful tour. If an e-mail or blog link was available, I e-mailed those who left comments with a "Thanks for taking time to stop by." Yes, it’s time-consuming, but it’s all about networking and communications.

So, who wins from a virtual book tour? The author, of course, the host site, and the tour promoter. The more comments, the more hits on everyone’s blogs. The more hits, the higher the links move up the search engine. If an author doesn’t follow through and respond to comments, he or she will not only distance him- or herself from potential readers, the author will also have wasted everyone’s time and a great opportunity to connect with those interested in his or her book.

Is It Worth It?

The big question on the tip of everyone’s tongue is: “Do virtual book tours generate sales?”  Let me answer that with another question. “Does having your book on the shelf of a local bookstore or online with a conglomerate like Amazon guarantee sales?” Does attending a writer’s conference and selling 5-8 books there guarantee repeated sales down the road? No, of course none of these things do. The key to potential sales is consistent, continuous promotions that target a diverse group of readers.

The fantastic advantage of Internet book promotions is that millions more readers around the world will have access to permanent information about an author’s works as opposed to the few customers who may wander past that bookshelf in a given point in time. Therefore to answer the question, “Was it worth it?” Absolutely!

What most people don’t understand is that getting a handle on quantitative book sales is as easy as catching a fish with your teeth. Depending on where the book was purchased it could be months before the publisher receives sales records from the book seller which makes it nearly impossible to determine which activity generated sales. That’s why it’s critical to diversify your promotional strategies. One blog, one tour, one book signing, one anything won’t promise that people will purchase your books nor will it persuade them to buy in the future. There are too many incalculable factors that affect a person’s buying decision. If the book isn’t in the reader’s preferred genre, if the cover doesn’t grab them, if the writing isn’t flawless and tight, if the characters aren’t compelling, all the ribbons, bows, and other sales gimmicks won’t shove those dollar bills into the author’s pocket.  But the prospect is not all doom and gloom. Both my books’ ratings on Amazon rose throughout the month of December which is an indication of increased buying activity. Therefore, I’m inclined to say the surge of publicity given to “The Devil Can Wait” throughout December did generate sales.

One advantage to participating in a virtual book tour that some authors may not have consider is the professional contacts he or she will make in the process such as; acquiring new reviews, getting opportunities to guest blog on other sites or invitations to speak to book clubs or other groups. One of my unexpected contacts last year was from a screenplay writer who was interested in reading my debut novel, “Silenced Cry.” You never know where the road will lead.

The following is an example of the networking power of the Internet. I posted an announcement about my December virtual book tour in very large social group. Several members read my announcements and featured it in their groups. Some even posted the information on other blogs. Multiply that response by any number of readers who may have also posted the link to my tour schedule on other sites and the potential to reach thousands of new readers boggles the mind.

Cyber networking is multi-marketing at its best. All it takes is one person taking an interest and recommending your work to another and so on and so forth. Word of mouth continues to be the best form of publicity and the Internet has taken it to new heights. That’s the huge plus for today’s authors.

For me the answer to success is letting my readers know that I’m approachable. I’ve shared not only my writing journey but have also written articles about marketing and promotional strategies that have worked for me. Whether the reader is someone interested in me as a person or an aspiring author looking for tips, I try to give something back to them through my writing. Touch them--stir an emotion and watch what happens.

A Few Tips for the Road

Whatever you do, have fun with your tour. Remember to be true to yourself. Don’t blog about things you’re not familiar with—readers will see right through you and will walk away. There’s a difference between blatant self-promotion and an informative piece—always give something back to the reader and then tie your work to it. Be consistent. It takes a long time to build name recognition so make every effort to stay in touch. Last but not least, send out those thank you notes to your host site administrators, to your reviewers, to your readers, your tour professional—everyone. You’d be amazed how far a simple note of gratitude will take you.

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To view the article as it appeared on Book Marketing Buzz and to read the comments click here: http://bookmarketingbuzz.com/2009/01/22/was-the-virtual-book-tour-worth-it