So in my attempt to become a "known" author, I have to get my name and book out there to the masses. Merely having it for sale on Amazon, Kindle and Nook is not enough; I have to market it.
I have talked to several other self-published authors like myself and they recommended doing a blog tour. Not wanting to push my luck or annoy them with my constant questioning, I did not ask how they got theirs going. Probably not my smartest moment but there it is.
From what I understand the premise is that my book and me are the topic of a blog post on a different blog every day of the month for a month. That means that I have to come up with 30 blogs (that actually get decent visits/traffic) who would be willing to help me with this. It means sending out 30 PDF copies of my book for free for review, it means really opening myself up for critique.
I had researched a couple of book review sites and they were all backlogged until in to the new year. It's not that it's SO far away, but I'm not even sure how to approach them about doing it. There is still a bit of a stigma about being self-published. What I thought was a good thing, isn't embraced quite so much yet. And speaking of that, I have been a little shocked and disheartened by people that I know and am close to, who share that sentiment. I'm not a real author; it's not a real book. For the sake of protecting the insensitive, I won't expand on it but suffice it to say, it hurt. I worked for years on this book and it took a lot of courage to step out of my comfort zone and do this. I may not be on TV or be in the newspapers but I'm still somebody who is following my dream.
But enough self-pity; anyone out there know how to get a blog tour started that would be willing to help me get started?
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6 comments:
I don't know how to go about doing it, but once I get the money to buy me a copy I'd love to do a review. I do get decent traffic...maybe not as much as you are looking for, but any exposure is good exposure, right?
I don't know anything about a blog tour either. I will say those people of the opinion you are not a real author are just jealous. You are making your a dream a reality and they are jealous. I know some people who have made comments about me being back in school. I just ignore it and know I am doing what is right for me.
I see on entrecard there are several self-hosted authors. So maybe email them and pick their brain a bit. The worst they do is say no or just ignore your email. It can't hurt to try. Have you found any websites or forums that explain more about self-published authors. Sites like those can be extremely informative and valuable. Good luck!
There are people who help you organize these "virtual book tours."
Try http://www.virtualbooktourexpert.com and http://www.tlcbooktours.com
I don't know about a blog tour but it sounds awesome. If you have any extra copies I would read and do a nice review for you.
Hey Girl - If you write, you're a writer, if you published (doesn't matter how) you're an author!
I have a book review site, but suffice it to say I don't get a lot of traffic...yet.
It's www.themomsbookreview.com and it actually shows up on the 1st page of google if someone searches for "mom book review". Don't know if anyone really does that though.
Anyway, would love to read your work and review it as well on my site. I actually had 3 different people send me books from publishing companies to review. Maybe they thought I had more hits than they thought.
Anyway, I'm a fan, and would love to help out!
Do you know Patricia at Subjective Soup? http://subjectivesoup.blogspot.com/
She also has Communication Exchange.
http://communicationexchange.blogspot.com/
She is also a blogger, published author, and has her own publishing business. If you don't know her, tell her I suggested you talk to her.
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