5 Reasons for Choosing a Tour Company to Promote Your Book

Article by Laura Fabiani

When I tell people I’m a virtual book tour coordinator, I usually get a blank look, followed by a slight frown as they try to figure out exactly what it is that I do. A few years back, authors may have had the same reaction, but not today. If you’re an author, you know how important online publicity is. Getting your book noticed on the World Wide Web through virtual book tours will get you exposure faster than if your local bookstore stocks your book.

Why is that? Because tour companies target book bloggers from all over the country who read and review your genre. They know how to get your book in the hands of avid readers who spend hours (and I mean hours!) telling others on their blogs what they’re reading and why.

In the last six years virtual book tour companies have been gaining popularity in offering what is now considered one of the best promotional tools for authors. Here are 5 reasons traditional and small press publishers, along with self-published authors are choosing professional tour companies to promote their books:

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1.  Experience

A book tour company understands and knows how to implement all the work involved in organizing a virtual book tour. And yes, it’s a lot of work! Just one tour involves developing and planning a customized tour schedule; pitching your book to the right blogs; creating and using promotional tour materials; guest posts, interviews, giveaways, social media marketing; and finally, customer service. All this within several weeks to two months.

2. Access  

A book tour company has access to hundreds of bloggers whose blogs they have perused and carefully chosen to be a part of their host team. These tour hosts are experienced bloggers who understand virtual book tours and will go out of their way to help authors promote their books. They crosspost their reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and link up on their social media sites. Many are bloggers who will only work with authors through tour companies.

3. Knowledge

The owners of tour companies are usually savvy book bloggers who have been reviewing books for quite some time and have developed a good relationship with other bloggers, publishers, publicists and authors. They’ve taken part in book tours and know all the ins and outs of book blogging. They are influential in their field and passionate about book marketing.

4. Problem-solving

When something goes wrong–and inevitable something always goes wrong–book tour companies have experience dealing with and quickly solving any issues related to book tours. Actually, this experience allows them to foresee what could go wrong and therefore take preventative measures to ensure a smooth progression.

5. Service

You get what you pay for. If you want a well-organized book tour with a coordinator who guides and works with you every step of the way from beginning to end, maximizing your tours with reviews, book spotlights, guest posts, interviews and giveaways, you need to book your tour with a good virtual tour company. Their service to you is to ensure your book gets lots of exposure and buzz around the blogosphere.

So virtual book tours is the way to go if you want book bloggers talking about your book. But there are so many tour companies out there. How do you know which is the right one for you? Look out for my next article which will discuss How to Choose the Right Tour Company for Your Book.