I recently did a number of book blogging tours for some of my titles. While I appreciate bloggers taking the time to host me and in some cases, even read and review the books, I noticed something that dismayed me. I mean, it's my own damn book on their site, and even I fell asleep halfway through looking the blog post over. Bloggers, I don't have all day. I doubt anyone else does either...
DO NOT MAKE DAY-LONG BLOG POSTS.
That's my tip.
You have signed up for a tour. Yay! Thank you!
You receive the following:
-Book to read if you wish.
-Blurb, excerpt, buy links
-Guest post or interview questions answered
Why are you posting it ALL? I had some blog spots that were literally pages long. Blurb, buy links, 1000-word excerpt, 500-word review, and then a 1000-word guest post! Add to that the author bio... and this is what happens to me.
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Let's use some common sense here. Blog tours are supposed to help get the word out about our books and hopefully sell a few in the process. It would be nice at least to make back the money we spent for the tour to begin with. I've yet to see this happen, but regardless.... you are not doing authors any favors by having a day-long post. If you lose your readers' attention a quarter through, we aren't going to reach anyone.
How to simplify it?
If I'm going to write a review, I won't sign up for a guest post. I figure my few paragraphs of opinion is enough. The post is: blurb, buy links, review, author bio. That's it.
If I'm supposed to review a book but can't stand it and won't finish it, the review is replaced with the excerpt, so it's blurb, buy links, excerpt, bio.
If I don't want to read the book, it's blurb, buy links, guest post, author bio.
Take note that no matter what I do, it's four items and that's it.
Blurb, buy links, excerpt, review, author bio, guest post... I don't have time for all that and I doubt the readers do either. Just sayin'.
Till next time.
I've had that happen, too. I sent it all in to the tour company assuming bloggers would pick and choose, but all the sites had all the information. Not only did it take all day to read, but there was nothing new to promote on the second, third, etc stops.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad. Maybe someone should forward this link to the tour company. LOL
ReplyDeleteI like how the stops work when I do an NP tour-- they cover all those categories, but it's spread over over a week. One day is a guest post, one is an excerpt, and so on. Much better, IMO.
ReplyDelete