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As a blogger, I like the approach you're taking to preparing for blog tours, Jaime. Here are a few thoughts on the topic from one blogger's perspective.First, remember that most book bloggers are overwhelmed with review requests of every "size and shape" imaginable, so you have to make your tour stand out in all that. That begins with taking the time choose the right blogs to invite to participate. A blanket e-mailing to every blogger you can find will likely not net any more "Yes" responses than will targeting the "right" bloggers for your tour. I've done several blog tours with Red Adept Publishing and have found their approach fits my preferences well. They email the announcement of the upcoming tour well in advance - usually a couple of months - and provide detailed info about the tour, the book, and how to participate. So far, I've only done reviews for their tours, but they also offer the option of hosting an author interview (blogger provides the questions) or an author guest post (blogger provides the topic). They allow me to choose the date for my participation within the period of the tour. I prefer that to being assigned a date because I know better when I can schedule reading the book and writing the review. Keep in mind that a well-written review may take one to three hours to prepare, and some reviewers like to let a review "age" for a day or two before they post it. I prefer to have a copy of the book at least two weeks before the date my review is to appear. The timing of the tour around the release date doesn't matter to me, but RAP generally schedules their tours to start on the release date or within a day or two of it. In general, my preference for books I review is physical/print books. RAP's review copies are ebooks, but they're well-formatted and well-edited, so I don't mind at all doing them on my reader. I don't participate in all the tours they invite me to because some of the books are in genre's that I don't do much reading in, but I always enjoy being a part of the ones I do participate in. I guess the key is to remember that blog tours are a partnership between the publisher/author and the blogger, rather than a boss/employee type of arrangement.
Hi! I'm a book reviewer at
The Guide to Good Books
! Here are the answers to your questions. These are all my opinion!What book format do you prefer?
I try to ask for paperbacks because they are easier to read and bring around with me, but it's not a deal breaker if the only option is an eBook format.
Can I request a specific date for my post?
Yup! Request away! I usually work better with a date than without one.
How far in advance do you need a copy?
At least a few weeks, only because I don't know how long the book will take to come (or if there are any problems with the emailed format) or how much time I'll have to read.
Do you prefer to blog about the book around release date or does that matter?
It doesn't really matter. I've blogged about books way before, right on, or way after the release date.
Hello! My name is Rachel and I'm a book reviewer at http://librarymom12.wordpress.com/. I'm relatively new to it and have not yet been involved in a book blog tour (but would love to be in the future). Here's my take on your questions. What book format do you prefer?
I prefer a paperback copy of books, but I've reviewed plenty of ebooks and have no problem using this format.
Can I request a specific date for my post?
Yes. I always try to ask when the publisher/author wants me to publish and if it is okay to publish on Goodreads and my blog.
How far in advance do you need a copy?
As others have said, at least a few weeks in advance. It usually doesn't take me too long to read books, but depends on what else is going on in my real life as well.
Do you prefer to blog about the book around release date or does that matter?
I don't think it matters. So far I've only had a few say not till a couple weeks before the release of the book, but most are up for me posting it ASAP, and I like it better that way (otherwise I forget what I'm writing about).
Thanks for the info, y'all! Dan, your advice on approach is right on. A blanket email is not proper etiquette when it comes to this type of thing. I think researching the right types of blogs is the answer here and very good planning! Keep any tips and advice coming. When I start actually booking the tour I'll probably be posting more questions!
Hi, Jaime! I'm over at You Can Read Me Anything. I'm fairly new to blog tours, but hopefully this helps a little bit. What book format do you prefer?
I almost always prefer hard copies, but electronic is okay as well.
Can I request a specific date for my post?
Yes, though I agree with Dan: I prefer to be given a time span (for example, "The blog tour will run from September 1-14. Is there a date you would prefer?"). That way, I can accommodate your anticipated schedule while not agreeing to post on a day that might be too busy for me.
How far in advance do you need a copy?
2-3 weeks in advance of my stop on the tour is ideal. It lets me put time and energy into both the reading and writing without feeling too rushed.
Do you prefer to blog about the book around release date or does that matter?
In my limited experience, promotion around the release date works for everyone. The book gets more publicity up front, and I get more traffic to my blog (when something's new, there's an air of excitement). But I've also worked with authors whose books have been out for a few months and are looking to boost sales. That works, too.
I'm Leslie - blogger at StoreyBook Reviews and here are my insights to your questionsWhat book format do you prefer?
paperback if you want me to do a giveaway, plus sometimes I just want away from my kindle! But I will take an eBook if that is the only format
Can I request a specific date for my post?
right now I am scheduling out to November. I try to limit my posts per day to 1-2 so no one post is overshadowed by another. Like someone else said, I work best if given a time frame (say a specific week or two) so i can schedule appropriately.
How far in advance do you need a copy? at least a couple of weeks because if I can read it ahead of time and have the post created and ready to go I am not stressing the night before! I do like to read ahead when possible that way I can add in reading for pure pleasure
Do you prefer to blog about the book around release date or does that matter?
does not matter to me, whatever you want!
Rachel - I noticed you said you like to post right away so you don't forget what you have read....look into the features of your blog and see if you can "schedule" your post. This way you can write it right away but not have it go live until a future date. I try to do a lot of blogging on the weekend for the upcoming week and this helps a LOT!
Are book tours actually worthwhile. I paid $183 dollars for a tour with my first releases in December 2012 and only received 16 of the 20 promised stops and 3 of those didn't participate at all. When the tour was finished I had 0 sales.
Mod
Shane, I think there are blog tour hosts that don't charge. I'm a blogger/reviewer so don't know for sure but have signed up with some that said that they are not charging authors for this service. $183 seems like a lot but I'm not sure what all they were doing for that other than setting it up with other bloggers. did they create graphics too? I think the hope when you do a blog tour is that your are getting your name out there to more people that might not have heard of you before.
Really, try iobooktours $35-$105 and they get results.
Click for Blog Tours
Mod
What was unusual was that they wanted me to pay to participate...I think not. It was not a significant amount and it was supposedly going towards the prizes for the give-away.
well that is unusual. I would never pay to participate in a tour. The only one I have seen like that is where they are giving away a Kindle so bloggers and authors have the option to donate towards the prize but you don't have to.
Mod
What book format do you prefer?
Can I request a specific date for my post?
How far in advance do you need a copy?
Do you prefer to blog about the book around release date or does that matter?
Those are just a few I can think of right now. Any help or advice would be appreciated! Thank you.