As the author, you won’t be able to choose which bloggers accept the invite to do a review nor will you be able to see their review in advance. The bloggers will choose books they like the sound of - it’s part of their passion - to read books before they’re officially launched. Then once their blog is live, you’ll be able to see it and share it on social media.
Why get help: introductions into the book blogging community
When they first start writing, many authors aren’t aware of the blogging community. If you’re self-publishing a book, you’re busy working towards the publication date - but you’re also under pressure to start your marketing. Working with bloggers is a great way to get pre-and post-publication reviews for your book. However, there are thousands of bloggers worldwide and they all have different preferences for the type of content they like to read, write about and share. A service like Anne’s puts you in touch with hundreds of bloggers relevant to your genre, without having to build those relationships from scratch. Once you’re signed up with her, she will send out your book blurb to see who’s interested in providing a review for you. Anne has been part of the blogging community for around ten years with her own blog, building relationships across the world. When bloggers join Anne’s list, she asks them to choose their preferences, so she only sends them invites to review books they’ll be interested in.
Getting professional help to organise a blog tour also protects you when the bloggers don’t get on so well with a book. As Anne says, all the bloggers are aware that it’s a marketing tool, so they’re usually factual and positive. However, if they really don’t like a particular book or don’t want to post their review, Anne’s approach is to ask bloggers to get back in touch with her (as the blog tour organiser) and let her know. In these circumstances, they may work out an opportunity to provide different content for the blog instead of a review, such as an author interview or cover reveal article.
What are the costs of arranging a blog tour?
You must cover the postage costs of sending your books out to the bloggers, so you may want to offer a limited number of physical copies, sending the rest as ebooks. Plus the basic package for an arranged blog tour starts from £100 and includes a blog tour PDF poster; the fee is calculated based on the genre of the book and the likely number of bloggers or days involved. Crime and science fiction books are popular, so there are more bloggers to contact. To boost the visibility of your blog tour, you may also want to invest in some extra graphics for social media - Random Things charges an additional £25 for a support package that offers Facebook or Instagram visual posts and Tweet-sized images about the blog tour. The bloggers do the reviews for free; they do it because they’re passionate about the topic!
Reviews received by SilverWood authors on blog tours
"Beautifully written and intricately plotted, Death Makes No Distinction continues this exciting historical series with another compelling murder mystery."
"A clever well-written mystery!"
"The real theme of this book is how your place in society can influence how justice works for you."
"Don’t be fooled into thinking that this novella is a light and breezy read. It’s a beautifully told story of childhood, friendship, love, betrayal, regret and murder and it packs a punch."
"Haunting and masterfully told. The characterisations are perfection, and the writing just wonderful. I had actual goosebumps as I read...will stay with me for quite some time."
"Imaginative and quirky. Full of humour and sexy moments. The vivid imagery gives you a good sense of place."
"Irreverent, original and steamy."
Want to know more?
For more information about how a blog tour could help you and your book, speak to us at
SilverWood Books or contact Anne Cater via her
blog page, mentioning that you heard about her through our article.
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