Planning a Blog Tour: Self or Tour Company? #Wwow

My third novel, Breaking the Rules, released yesterday! What a thrill! What I wish I knew was the amount of promotion I had to undertake to prepare for release, especially with my own blog tour. So, guess what? That’s where my advice comes from today.

With my first book, Time Changes Everything, I was lucky to have a publicist to arrange blog tours,  reviews, etc. It all depends on the publisher you work with. This time around, I’ve done it all. At one point, I was really tired and hired a Tour Company. Which tour companies are available?

Here are my suggestions of places I’ve used as a blogger (http://flirtingwithromance.blogspot.com) to promote other authors books. They have great services and excellent prices. It is totally worth outsourcing another party if you are short on time or just want to focus on writing.

·         TastyBook Tours – The friendliest, most economical tour host.  This is who I’ve personally used and I have not been disappointed.

·         GoddessFish Tours – Very well-organized and well-known.

·         ReadingAddiction Blog Tours – Well-organized, accessible and doesn’t just focus on romance.

·         BookMonster Book Promotions – Award winning

·         Shadesof Rose – newer but well-organized and our very own Lacey helps out with this one!

·         Author’sTaproom – new but extremely well promoted by bloggers creator of Guilty Pleasures Blog.

There are many more places and you could give a look at Google. Check out the websites for listings of prices and services. One will be a perfect fit for you.

What types of services do most of the tour companys have? There’s a huge range from:

a.     A Release Day Blitz

b.     Cover Reveals

c.     Blurb Tours

d.     Excerpt Tours

e.     Full Blog Tours with Guest Posts, Interviews and Reviews

f.        Review Tours

And the list goes on depending on the tour company.

The best part is that the tour company plans it all for you! They find the blogs, act as the mediator and fix any problems. In my opinion, totally worth it!

Next week I will talk about what you, as an author, have to do to prepare for a blog tour – hosted by yourself or a company. Thanks for stopping by!

Melinda Dozier is a teacher by day and a sassy romance writer by night. She lives in Guatemala, Central America with the love of her life and three boys. Her debut novel, Time Changes Everything was released by Entranced Publishing on May 13, 2013. Her newest contemporary romance, Breaking the Rules, will be released next week on July 8, 2013 from Crimson Romance. You can find Melinda at her website: www.melindadozier.com or on Twitter www.twitter.com/melindadozier