Releases, Marketing, and Tours

April has been intense. I took my comprehensive doctoral exams, released my second book, and reinforced a book tour. Despite what some PR or marketing companies would tell you, blog / book tours don’t run themselves. The PR/marketing folks also aren’t 100% going to run them for you.

Ultimate Fantasy Books (UFB) are a favorite of mine. They set up hosts well, and they do everything they can; however, the author (a.k.a. me) has to still go around connecting with the audience (and the hosts) throughout the tour. I comment on any blogs and share tweets sent my way. This is a great time to thank the hosts, and the more comments on a blog, the more present the blog will be through various search engines. Foot traffic and all that.

When having a blog tour, you don’t just use your media kit. Some sites request interview questions. Others provide excerpts of varying lengths, and while your media kit generally includes at least one excerpt, sites can vary on the length, and having at least three excerpts to pick from would be a good idea.

I like UFB because they make it easy for me. They provide a linked list and send reminders via Twitter and Facebook. As I have limited free time, this makes my life easier. I’d highly recommend them, and I’m not even paid to tell you that. Honest, I paid full price – because $50 is far, far less than every other group I’ve spoken to who have far worse reviews from my Clean Reads comrades.

Basic Info:

1. 50+ new Twitter followers
2. 10+ tweets a day from different individuals with ~2-5 RT from individuals I don’t know
3. 2+ Facebook posts per day
4. #1 type of hosting: Spotlights with excerpts
5. Interviews and blog posts (which I wrote) were also widely used

Reviews vary. Reviewers shy away from sequels unless they’ve read the first. Some will do reviews if a sequel can stand alone. I’m a terrible judge of whether a book stands alone, but I’ve been told Grimm Remains stands on its own better than High Summons. 

I readily admit my writing has improved (as has my editing) between books, and that thanks, in part, to readers and reviewers. Those of you who leave comments here or review my books have my ear.

Good Luck!