I recently received an email from Angela Wilson, a friend of mine who is a PopSyndicate Book Critic. She was engaged in a conversation about virtual book tours (VBT's, blog tours etc) with some other authors. The question came up as to whether an author should pay a company hundreds of dollars to organize a blog tour. There are many companies out there that do this. In fact, I have personally met one VBT organizer. But is the cost really worth it?
An author named Austin Comacho had emailed her about a VBT company and he had this to say:
"I can't speak for anyone else, but this plan just doesn't pass my "evidence-based marketing" test. I have not been able to find a single fiction writer who has told me that a "blog tour" has any impact on their sales. I think it's great for greater visibility and spreading your name, and I do guest blogs for that reason. But for me to pay someone a three-figure fee I have to have some expectation of seeing a tangible return."
My response to Austin was:
"Well, Austin, you didn't speak to me. lol"
I went on to tell him about my own success with a one-month VBT that I held back in August.
I invite you to leave me a comment on what you think; pros and cons of hiring a company to promote your virtual tour and pros and cons of doing it yourself.
Please note: I am not discrediting these services. I believe it is a personal choice and we each have reasons for our choices, but it is always best to be fully informed.
Read my full response on virtual book tours on Austin's blog and my reasons why I chose to do it myself.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
