MRS. LIEUTENANT: A WOMEN'S FRIENDSHIP NOVEL: Virtual Book Tours and Internet Marketing Promotion

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Virtual Book Tours and Internet Marketing Promotion

As announced yesterday, I’ve started on a month-long virtual book tour (organized by www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com) for MRS. LIEUTENANT. In actuality this is a blog tour, because – without leaving my own computer – I get “interviewed” on people’s blogs or I get to write a guest post for other people’s blogs. This is a great co-promotional opportunity because the author promotes the guest blogger and the guest blogger promotes the author.

Recently I’ve been recommending the virtual book tour idea to an author I met on www.RedRoom.com, which is a terrific website for book readers and authors. I’m going to include below a part of this author’s email in which he said he didn’t see the need for a virtual book tour that would get him “mentioned” on blogs:

“I am already mentioned on blogs – albeit in a narrow corner of the book buying world, those related to comics and cartoonists. These blogs are to help me with ‘search engines.’ I am uninformed about much of the on-line world but doesn't that have to do with directing people to your web site? And I don't have a web site.”

And later in the email he wrote: “The Authors Guild, to which I belong, is holding a telephone-seminar (whatever that is) on book promotion next week. I will sign up for it and let you know how that goes.”

Here’s my email reply to him: “Okay, I'm going to give it to you with both barrels. You have to get on the internet marketing promotion wagon. Which means you have to start learning about the possibilities as I did through books, etc. A teleseminar is really good – you call in or sign in on your computer and listen. I listened to one yesterday on social media that was very informative.

“And you want the search engines to find mentions of you even if you don't have a website. Did you read the review I got yesterday on someone else's blog? I'm going to have an interview or review on at least one different blog every day this month (Monday-Friday). This should increase my exposure to a lot of different people – the readers of each different blog.

“To get an idea of all of this, read RED HOT INTERNET PUBLICITY by Penny Sansevieri (get on Amazon) and then sign up for her free email newsletter at www.amarketingexpert.com. Sign up for John Kremer's free email newsletter (www.bookmarket.com) also. This is an important beginning of your new education.”

And, of course, I’m going to tell him he needs a website and also tell him about John Kremer’s sixth edition of 1001 WAYS TO MARKET YOUR BOOKS, which has a terrific Chapter 12 about internet marketing. And the great teleseminar I listened to yesterday was conducted by social media expert Erica O’Grady on www.ustream.tv and sponsored by www.blogcatalog.com.

The important thing to understand about virtual book tours is that an author doesn’t just get a MENTION. The author gets FEATURED for that day on a blog. And when you have a good virtual book tour organizer, that blog has been selected precisely because it fits in with the target market for the book.

Check out my guest blog today at www.overthehillchick.blogspot.com and leave me a comment. Then, if you’re an author or a potential author, get on the internet marketing bandwagon. The person you help will be yourself.