I have a confession: I didn’t actually do my first blog tour until several months ago.

And gosh was I nervous, because if there was a way to mess it up, I was determined that I would. How, I don’t know. Maybe the very fact of me being on a blog tour would be too much, and the internet would overload, and everyone around the world would blame me for breaking the internet. And not in the good Kardashian way. Who knows? Risks were taken is all I’m saying.

I’d already been blogging for two years before I undertook my first blog tour, and since then, I’ve made it a regular thing on my blog.

For … reasons. Just like people have reasons for not doing blog tours. Fortunately, you came to my blog and not theirs, so now you get to sit through my reasons. Yay? Wow, you should … really question your life choices. That’s all I’m saying.

Reasons I Love Participating in Blog Tours

• A built-in community of bookish people to shout about books with. I mean, it’s right there in the confirmation email welcoming you to the blog tour. It’s a whole list of people you can stalk follow and shout about a book with. They’re going through the same pain and suffering you are, and their feels are being equally destroyed. Might as well come together, since misery loves company. Saves a lot of time with trying to find buddy reads, too.
  
• I’m introduced to books I wouldn’t have otherwise heard of. This isn’t always the case, especially since I tend to be picky about books I take on. They’re not always books I love, either. I have, however, picked up so many four- and five-star reads that I hadn’t heard about until joining the blog tour, and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to read these books.
  
• It’s fun shouting about the same books with people. I mean, I kind of do this anyway. I’m way more likely to click on a book review of a book I’m reading, have read, or have an interest in reading (and I think that’s true for most people). So I absolutely love reading reviews on a tour I’m on and comparing the reading experience. Sometimes, other bloggers notice a detail or have a takeaway I hadn’t even thought of or noticed. Being on a blog tour can change the whole way I interact with or process a book.
  
• It gives me a chance to flex my creativity and think outside the box. I don’t always love the books I read for blog tours, and there have been times where I’ve encountered a book I either didn’t like or that I couldn’t finish for personal reasons. I didn’t want to drop the tour, so I spun my post to reflect who the target audience would be, if not me or readers like me. I’ve had fun coming up with ideas for different ways to spin my post so it’s not “just” a promotional post, but something more informative and engaging (with the permission of the organizer of course).
  
• Blog tour companies, for the most part, are a pleasure to work with. Sometimes it’s about testing the waters and seeing what works for you, but I’ve had the good fortune of working with some fabulous blog tour companies, and that makes it an all-around enjoyable experience. I like the feeling of being part of a team and getting the word out about a book that an author has worked so hard to produce. I mean, that’s why I started blogging in the first place. Mostly. Also partly because hubby got really tired of me talking to him about all the books I was reading, and I thought I’d have better luck with random people on the internet. Not sure what that says about you all, except that I love you. <3

Tips for Participating in Blog Tours

• Use a calendar, either physical or a program, specifically to keep track of your dates. What’s really important is to find what works best for you. For me, I have a calendar on my desk in front of my computer that I check every evening, and I highlight all the blog tours so I won’t miss them. The point is to be able to reliably know when you need to post so you don’t miss your days, however that ends up looking for you.
  
• Be choosy about what blog tours you sign up for. I mean, technically you can sign up for all the blog tours that come through your inbox … but should you? Only you can answer that, but probably not, since it’s a fair bet that not all the books will be a good fit. Being a bit choosier also helps avoid coming across a ton of books you don’t enjoy, too.
  
• Don’t sign up with multiple blog tour companies for the same book. I think this might just be a me thing. Since the whole point is promotion, if you’re doing one blog tour, you’ve already promoted the book. The one caveat I might give is if you’re doing a different type of promotion with the second company, like Bookstagram or an author interview, whereas the first company was just a review. Mostly, my thoughts are just don’t double dip unless you have something different to offer both companies, since the whole point is promoting the book/author.
  
• Communicate with the organizer if you have any problems whatsoever. That’s what they’re there for. I always get so nervous when I have to reach out to people that I’m going to bother them or ask a stupid question (because duh, I’m 82% stupid questions). But I’ve never had an organizer get mad at me for clarifying something or reaching out if a problem arose. Communication is key. I know that’s cliche, but people say it for a reason, yo.
  
• Don’t like a book? No worries. Do a promotional post or ask to drop out. Most blog tour companies are going to ask that you notify them at least X amount of days in advance of your post date if you’re dropping out, but there’s always an out if you just absolutely hate a book and would rather roast weenies and sing “Kumbaya” with it than review it. It happens sometimes. The whole hating a book, not the whole bonfire book burning. Although, I’m sure that happens, too. Not that I advocate for that, of course. Books are people, too.
  
• On your scheduled day for the blog tour, cross-post your review link to social media and Goodreads. Amazon, too, if the book has already been released, though that’s not always the case. If you do it all in one fell swoop, it saves having to go back later and trying to remember the things you forgot to do. Trust me, it’s easier than it sounds. Take it from the Queen of Procrastinators: you don’t want to put this off. Plus, posting on social media, at the very least, is usually a given for participating in blog tours.

Debunking Some Myths about blog tours

Blog tours aren’t for everyone. This is just A Fact™. There are a myriad of reasons people don’t participate in blog tours, too, and that’s fine. You don’t have to. There are definitely some misconceptions, though, I think, flying around out there about what blog tours are and what they entail.

At their core, blog tours are a marketing tactic. Their entire purpose is to get a book in front of the eyes of potential readers (and thus, buyers) to boost buzz and awareness of a book.

Which makes sense. This is a business, after all. But I think sometimes bloggers don’t always know what this means for them when they sign up.

Myth: You have to pretend to love a book you hate.

The truth is that, yes, you will be asked not to post a negative review during the blog tour. This makes sense, because the tour is for publicity and marketing, and negative reviews may hurt that. However, most companies make it clear that after the tour, you can post whatever you want about the book. Don’t like a book? Do a promotional post instead.

Myth: You have to have a large blog in order to get on blog tours.

Not true! I see smaller blogs participating all the time, particularly when it comes to #ownvoices bloggers and the recent push to get books into the hands of such bloggers. Ultimately, inclusion on any blog tour is up to the discretion of the organizer, but not having a gigantic following often isn’t a deal-breaker necessarily.

Myth: Bloggers are being pressured to lie about their feelings about books to make them seem positive.

Again, if you feel you need to lie about a book in a tour you’re on … that tour probably ain’t for you. Drop it. Explain what’s going on to the organizer and respectfully bow out (giving plenty of time in advance of your date, of course). No one is expecting you to lie about a book you hated. This is why neutral promo posts exist, where you don’t even express an opinion about the book in your post. But if you’re not comfortable with even that, dropping is always an option. Not every book will be a good fit.

Myth: You have to be in the US in order to participate in blog tours.

This might be true for some tours, and probably true if you’re hoping for a physical ARC, but there are more and more blog tour companies nowadays that are open to international bloggers. Which is great, because it’s usually more difficult for them to get their hands on eARCs to start with. Always be sure to check when signing up for a blog, but most tour companies, if they’re offering eARCs (which many do, since it’s less cost prohibitive), are open to international bloggers!

Blog Tour Companies I Recommend

                       

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