Ellie’s post: How to Experience a Good Blog Tour is definitely one I wanted to share. I am certainly guilty of signing up for blog tours on the blogger side of things and feeling unsure about what kind of content I’d like on my blog and the author/publicist on the other side needing some idea from me.
Don’t go in expecting to sell loads of books. It’s about getting your name out there. It’s publicity not marketing. Also remember not everyone is going to love your book. Reading is subjective and every single person will take something different from the experience. Don’t expect bloggers to lie or exaggerate just because you may have paid someone to organise the tour.
This is just the thing. I come across many blog tour hosts who outwardly tell you, the blogger, that if you can’t post a “positive review” then please host a guest post or something else instead because the tours are about promotion. I personally have fallen for this a couple of times because I’ve signed up for a tour, started reading the book and then realised I couldn’t read any further so I’ve hosted a boring pre-written guest post instead. Looking back, perhaps I was wrong to do that. While tour hosts see a not-so-positive review as negative press for the author, blog readers still see it as what it is: a blogger’s unpaid for opinion. The blogger has taken time to read as much as they can and write down their honest thoughts and readers respect that. Hands up if you skip past blog tour guest posts because you’d rather read something else? Now put your hands up if even reading a critical review of an author’s book has perked your interest in the author enough to take notice in future? Just because a review isn’t what you expect doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of your book.
On the other hand, Celine seems to have taken issue with a certain author’s phrasing and posted her thoughts on The Truth About Blog Tours. This post also gives a little advice to authors wanting to do a blog tour for their book, but it is more advice about how to treat bloggers and what to expect as opposed to Ellie’s tips on how to make your tour a little more fun. Both posts are fantastic at getting their points across.
We are not industry professionals and we do not get PAID
We do this all because of our love for books… we’re people, and we are volunteering to read your work. And that means that when life gets in the way, we will pay attention to our lives, and not to that pesky little guest post we were supposed to post. It is up to the touring agency to make up for the blogger that didn’t follow through. If it’s a good agency, they will make up for the one that didn’t get posted with one at a later dates. I know some very good ones that always keep some extra bloggers ready for posting just in case something like this happens.
This is the one that publishers, publicists and authors alike forget most of all. We bloggers do this as a hobby. Sure, we get free books but that does not obligate us to read them. We are not getting paid and we have lives and jobs that need to take priority. There are bloggers with families, full time jobs, health problems, school, and all sorts that need to take precedent over our blogs and once in a while we might miss a review or a guest post because of this. We don’t mean to do it, we’re not slacking, it’s just something that happens and you need to understand this. That’s not to say you can’t politely ask us if we’re still able to post if you haven’t heard from us, sometimes a friendly nudge might be what we need when life gets in the way, but please please remember that book blogging is our hobby and we do have other things to do as well so we do slip up once in a while.
Personally, I’m considering just not bothering with organised tour content any more. It’s a lot of hassle and work and I’d like to post as and when I can, and when something takes my interest. Perhaps instead of a blog tour spot, it’d be much better to just say “oh no thank you, I don’t run blog tours here right now but I’d be happy to host something fun from you at some point as your book sounds right up my alley”.
Encourage authors to promote for fun, and everybody is happy!
Thanks for featuring my post alongside Ellie’s!
Just like you, I mostly dropped hosting tours. I feel like they aren’t as personal as I’d like my blog to be, and I noticed my readers prefer posts from me instead of pre-written content.
But yeah, authors & publishers sometimes forget that we’re human beings with lives outside of the online world.
I really like your post, it covers two points of view on the blog tour subject that complement each other (:
Aww thanks.
It’s a toughie because there are blog tours I want to take part in for authors I lub but it seems next to pointless. Sad times. Rather focus on this being a blog rather than just a promotional tool…
Thanks for linking up. I felt I wanted to post a response but not get too caught up in the critcisms. Blog tours have potential but not really the way they’re being run at the moment. I don’t do any that are organised by tour companies, I don’t see why they should get the money when they’re not doing much work. I am happy to have authors on my blog if they want to provide something interesting or useful, just not them shamelessly plugging their book.
Though it’s typical that I have a blog tour coming up that I’ve agreed to do a review for…but already had the book and wanted to read it and publisher is providing giveaway copies, so if I didn’t like it I could skip the review part. Luckily, it is an amazing book.
Yeah that’s the trouble. I often say yes because I can’t review but the author seems friendly and the book sounds like something I’d enjoy and then end up with pre-written content and by that point I feel obliged to post it and … yeah. It doesn’t help the authors. Maybe on some of the blogs but not in this corner of the book blogosphere.
Well that’s good at least!
I’ve also mostly given up on blog tours. I don’t find that they increase my traffic much at all, and I’ve felt pressure to finish books that I don’t want to just for the tour review. I also have never felt comfortable posting a guest post for an author who’s book I haven’t read. I don’t want to promote a book and then find out that it’s poor quality and my readers suffered for my ignorance. Thanks for the links, this is all a really interesting conversation that’s happening ya know?
Anya @ On Starships and Dragonwings
I don’t really focus on how much traffic I’m not getting, but rather how little exposure the author is receiving, you know?
I won’t review for blog tours. I tried a few times and found I couldn’t do it in the right timeframe. There’s something about having to read a book that distinctly puts me off wanting to.
As for the quality of writing, I check an excerpt before I accept 9 times out of 10 because I feel that’s important.
I don’t think I’ve done more than one blog tour by one of the companies. I’m pretty sure at one point I DNFed the book and informed them I’m pulling out. Usually the author asks me if I’d like to host a guest post, Hannah, and if I like them, I suggest an idea for a guest post and we sort out the date. If I have a date available corresponding with blog tour, great, if I don’t then it’s just an independent post. Everyone wins. What I can’t stand is pre-written content that doesn’t vary from blog to blog. It is absolutely pointless and has zero chance to interest the reader. Mostly it puts them off.
So I think, blog tours themselves are not as valuable as author thinks. Good content is. Great posts from both you and Ellie! I enjoy reading them!
That’s the trouble, isn’t it? You want to help the author and risk offending them by being truthful. :/ I’ll always go with honesty > making do but it’s still not a pleasant situation. I’d rather host something somewhat unique to my blog because at the end of the day this is my blog not a promotional tool. Sure, I can help out a few authors but still.
Thanks!