Virtual Book Touring – Why it’s better

[Author101]

As long as there have been published authors, there have been book tours. Face it, books don’t often sell themselves. Strong promotion and marketing is the key to most merchandise sales and it’s no different with books.
When a customer looks at a product, most often, it’s very clear what exactly the product is or does. But with a book, the story is hidden inside. Even with an original and eye-catching outer design, i.e., the cover, rarely would a customer purchase such an item without knowing the contents and what they will get for their dollar. So how does an author present the contents to a potential buyer to garner interest in their book?—they tour.

Authors’ book tours are the best way to sell books. But touring is costly and time consuming. Simply filling the gas tank can use up a days wage for most of us. Then there’s the issue of endurance. Yes, you will sell books at your tour stop, but will those tour visitors who don’t make the purchase remember you after the tour event is over—not likely. So how does an author make a “lasting” impression? The answer may be a “virtual book tour.”

Virtual book touring is all accomplished on the Internet—there’s no travel. Authors can tour numerous locations from the comfort of their own homes, even in their jammies if they choose! No gas, no hotels, and no uncomfortable face-to-face contact with potential customers (that’s a biggie!).

The other great advantage to virtual touring is that you are only attracting an audience that’s right for your book, in other words, hot sales leads. When you tour, try to select genre specific Websites and blogs which fall right in line with your topic. So your viewers already have an interest.

The best thing about virtual touring is that it lasts forever. Every tour stop you make goes out into cyberspace for eternity. Search engine results will continue to show your tour stop post and you could potentially be selling books five years after your tour ends. Now that’s a book tour with results! Virtual book touring is hot, it’s new, and it’s here to stay.

Carol Denbow is the author of seven books including A Book Inside, How to Write, Publish, and Sell Your Story and How to Organize a Virtual Book Tour (e-book $6.95). See the book trailer for virtual book touring by clicking HERE!

Visit Carol’s Website for writers and authors at http://www.authorsbox.com

[Albert Petty]

Hi again Carol,
I am very interested in purchasing your book: How to organize a Virtual book tour". There seems to be no link on your site to go to. The website said it is available as a downloadable ebook for $6.95.
Please send me the likn so I can but it.

Thanks

Albert Petty

[Author101]

That's the best way Phyl. In my eBook I suggest authors on virtual book tours check the post hourly if possible to check for messages and/or questions from viewers. Thank you for bringing that up!
Carol

[Phyl Good]

I recently participated, as a commenter, on a virtual book tour where the author came to one of my friends' blogs. My friend had had guest author bloggers before, but this one was different because she didn't just provide the content of a post, but she pretty much hung around all day, responding to all the comments. My friend said most of the other authors didn't do that.

I got the impression that the author's participation got a lot of people interested in her books. And this was on a blog where the usual readers didn't tend to read in that genre. So the author probably got some sales there, in a rather unlikely place, because she made it a more personal experience. We were all really impressed.

[Audrey Heagney]

I'm ready to get started - just need to find all the know-how nuts and bolts!

[Author101]

My eBook walks the reader through setting up their virtual book tours. I also have a few informative articles on Ezinearticles.com and Amazines.com. More info on virtual book touring can be found at http://www.writersbox.com and http://howtoorganizeavbt.blogspot.com/. My ebook can be found at http://www.authorsbox.com/apps/webstore/products/show/329935
Good luck!
Carol Denbow
Author101

[Elizabeth Bennett]

How does one go about getting one of these started? Anyone know?

[Lea Schizas]

If you can target new blogs then you are upping your chances on reaching new readers to interest them in your book. I'm constantly hosting or on a blog book tour. It takes time but as writers we need to market and promote ourselves.

[Peter N. Jones]

I've hosted many authors on virtual tours on my site. It is a win-win for both authors and bloggers. What are the results? Well, that depends. I know from my tracking software that several authors have gotten numerous sales from my site, while others have only gotten page views. Either way, they get their book in front of several thousand viewers (I get around 5-8,000 unique views a month for my book blog right now, and it is going up each month).

I think it is a very worthy endeavor for any author, and especially if you are writing fiction as that is harder to promote then nonfiction with its built in niche.

Peter

___________________
Peter N. Jones, Ph.D.
Director: Bauu Institute and Press
Publisher: Interesting New Books and Author Interviews
Editor: Indigenous Peoples News, Events, and Conferences
Editor: Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources

[Bev Oliver]

All sounds great Carol, will have a look at. Haven't got my head around all this technology yet but
sounds fun and easy and that what I like. Sold out of my first run of books and just rediting to sell the next batch so will be looking a lots of marketing ideas as i have decided I will sell at least a million copies plus,
How does it get any easier than that? What else is possible?

[Tom Cooke]

101,
What kind of results have you produced on virtual tours? I like the idea of working in my jammies if it produces results. God know I don't want to travel up north since I travel on two wheels and aeroplanes are simply too expensive to consider unless I'm about to sign a contract for a gazillion dollars.