WHAT IS A BLOG TOUR?

I had heard of blog tours, but didn’t know what one was until my first tour was organised by my publisher Elaine Ouston (Morris Publishing Australia) for my latest novel, The Girl in the Basement.

What happens is that the enterprising author, publisher and/or publicist approaches people who run blogs that are appropriate, (for example, if you are a children’s writer, you approach people whose blogs are about writing for children or writing in general).

If they agree to taking part, they will get an interview (and/or do a book review) to appear on their blog on a particular date.

In my case, the publisher gave me a long list of interview questions to which I replied and she then gave the questions and my answer to bloggers, along with a negotiated date.

The blog tour runs over a compacted period of time, prior to which you publicise the forthcoming tour like crazy.

Here is my current blog tour (go to today’s date and check out the blog for today):

Blog tour Dianne Bates, The Girl in the Basement

The ultimate characterisation challenge.

How can you be a sweet innocent teen-age girl one moment, a terrified ten-year-old boy the next, and then a psychological killer?

Follow Dianne Bates' blog tour and find out how she did it in her thriller The Girl in the Basement. As well as reviews of this riveting spine-chilling thriller each day you will discover the reason she wrote the story, the research she had to do and much more. Comment on any of the blogs and go in the draw to win a free copy of the book. 

Monday July 1^st. www.creativekidstales.com.au Review

Tuesday July 2^nd  www.alisonreynolds.com.au  Interview

Wed July 3^rd  www.buzzwordsmagazine.com Interview

Thurs July 4^th  www.christinemareebell.wordpress.com Interview

Fri July 5^th  www.buzzwordsmagazine.com Review

Sat July 6^th www.elaineoustonauthor.com Interview

Sun July 7^th www.kids-bookreview.com Review

Monday July 8^th  sherylgwyther.wordpress.com Interview

Tuesday July 9^th  deescribewriting.wordpress.com Interview /Clancy Tucker

Tuesday July 9^th clancytucker.blogspot.com.au Interview

Wed July 10^th  www.morrispublishingaustralia.com Interview

Wed July 11^th www.jackiehoskingpio.wordpress.com Interview         

Thursday July 12^th www.melissawray.blogspot.com.au Review

Comment on any of the blogs and go in the draw to win a free copy of the book. Books are available from any bookstore in Australia, many online stores as a paperback (including Amazon) and eBook, and from www.morrispublishingaustralia.com. 

By the way, some bloggers prefer to ask the author specific interview questions (for example, Christine Bell did this on her blog; she asked me some really insightful questions.) 

I am now hoping to host blog tours for other Australian children’s authors and illustrators, so if you are interested, contact me dibates@pacific.net.au and we’ll organise one for you. Every book needs to be promoted as vigorously as possible and blog tours is just part of marketing your book.