For Make Believers – Book Tour in a Box : Phase I
Apologies, Fam.
As you may or may not know, I am a poet at heart, so I wouldn't have been right if I hadn't gotten all deep in my post last week – Faith Leaves a Trail. But now let's get to the nitty-gritty.
In the next three steps, I'm going to share how I built (am building) an author's brand from the ground up and how that made it possible for me to produce a successful book tour for my debut novel, Address: House of Corrections, on a shoestring (no string) budget.
When I first planned this blog, I thought I was just going to run through all of the steps I took to launch my book tour out of nothingness. But the more I thought about it, my tour didn't manifest out of thin air. I actually began pouring the cement for the building blocks that became my tour months before I ever stepped foot out on the road.
Let's go back to my beginning…
PHASE I
BOOK TOUR IN A BOX STEP ONE:
Take your time to write, edit and publish the best book you possibly can. First. Should go without saying, but often times, we're in such a rush to succeed and let's be real,make that money, we get ahead of ourselves. I know, because I'm guilty of this. 
In previous blogs, I've shared some things that helped me. Joining a writers group for support and to hold you accountable can be a great start. But honestly, what helped me the most was creating and sticking to a writing schedule. That's my first piece of advice to you.
My second piece? Make it easy on yourself. Pay attention to when it's the best time for you to write. Are you a morning or night person? Back in the day when I was younger, I could only write from 11 pm to 3am in the morning, but now that I'm older and get sleepy after ten at night, I had to flip it. Yes, I still write best when I'm sleepy, but now I get up at 6 a.m. to do it.
Check out this link to help you create a writing schedule:
How to get on a writing schedule that works
BOOK TOUR IN A BOX STEP TWO:
Create and publish a blog. I gotta admit, I did this backwards. Because I didn't really know what blogging was, I initially set up my blog to only push my book. What I didn't realize was that blogging isn't about pushing a product; it's about sharing WHO YOU ARE. You might get some folks to bite and purchase your book at first, but sooner rather than later, they drop off and you're left with a useless piece of cyber real estate.
I would suggest that as soon as you begin your writing process, you begin a blog, so that you can start growing the fan base who – once they get to know you – will be ready to purchase your book once it's done. (Amazingly, these – not all, but some – will also be the people who will support you on the road for your book tour.)
What you write about is up to you. Some folks writing about the minutia of their lives, making their blog an online diary. I didn't go that route. Not knowing what else to talk about at first, I just wrote about the story behind my story. It's only now after a year of bumping around that I'm figuring out what my blogging voice is. Learn from my mistake and ask yourself now – What is your blogging voice?
Here's a link that gives advice on finding your blogging voice and one to a blog that I follow:
How To Find Your Blogging Voice
BOOK TOUR IN A BOX STEP THREE:
Dive headfirst into social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. You're on it all the time anyway, you might as well make it work for you. There are tons more you can use, I know, but these were the ones I worked with the most. And I say "worked with, " because I made it my business to make conscious connections with like-minded people – friends, colleagues, writers, readers, filmmakers. Folks that were headed where I was headed or already where I wanted to be. Folks that I could help and who could help me.
O.K. O.K., I'm not perfect. To this day, I still get caught up every now and again in the those time zapping applications and for a second there, I checked myself into rehab for Facebook addiction. But overall, it was/is all business when I get on-line, because I recognize that social networking is a powerful, influential tool. And if you can get folks facebooking and tweeting about you, it's a good thing. It doesn't guarantee anything…for that matter, what does?…but it surely helps.
Here's a link to a book I think breaks down this concept in a concise way:
Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us
Alright, Fam. That's it for today. I'm sitting in a sports bar/cafe and my mango tea has gotten cold. I'll hit you up with Book Tour in a Box: Phase II soon. Hope this helps.
Happy Holidays!
living by my pen,
monice
* For individual coaching, click below – http://addresshouseofcorrections.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/living_by_my_pen_ad.jpg
