| Summer Newsletter Happy May! We got through spring! (It was touch and go for me. I get horrible hay fever!) Authors & Reps : Now that we are swinging into summer, it's not too early to plan how best to promote your book this fall or (dare I say it?) Christmas. If you're thinking about a summer tour, check out my article below about why you may want to delay your tour a few weeks. Schedule your fall tour before the end of May and save 10% on whichever tour package you select. Also, we are continuously exploring ways to better support our authors and increase exposure for their books. In the last few months, we have offered social media advertisements as an add-on to our tours, which gets books in front of thousands of book lovers beyond iReads' and our tour hosts' followers. Now, we offer engaging book trailers to captivate your audience and increase book sales as a tour add-on. Scroll down and click on the links to see samples. Tour Hosts : We haven't forgotten about you. Stay tuned for this fall. Starting September, iReads will begin monthly giveaways for our bloggers! The more book tours you host, the better your chances to win! This will be in addition our Link Your Reviews Incentive Program. In the meantime, we still have plenty of books available for review or feature. Scroll to the bottom to see our list of currently open tours. As always, stay safe, healthy, and be kind to each other. Warmly, Lauren Why You Should Schedule Your Upcoming Book Tour for September The Number One reason is that iRead Book Tours is currently scheduling book tours to launch on Tuesday, September 5. You may ask, “Why do I have to wait until September? Now is the time to promote my book as a Summer Reads!” I am sorry to tell you that it is a known secret among indie authors that “Summer Reads” is a fallacy—unless you’re James Patterson or Nora Roberts. Putting on my author cap, years ago, I thought I was the only one who happened to this reality. When Laura Fabiani owned iRead Book Tours and I was her number one client, I discovered rather quickly that my summer virtual book tours were not as successful as those held during other months. There wasn’t as much interaction in the posts and, while sales would go up, they did not at all match the sales I had when I toured in the fall or spring. As a marketing technique, I would hold off on doing my official book releases until September, when bloggers and their followers returned from their summer vacations. Several months ago, during a Zoom meeting with fellow indie authors who had also been around the block several times, I discovered that I was not the only one to discover this book promotion fact. Each one of us realized that we would get more bang for our marketing bucks when we held off until fall for our book launches and tours. On the other side, as a virtual book tour coordinator, I discovered in conversations with several bloggers that many take off during the summer months (particularly July and August) when their children or grandchildren are on summer breaks. In turn, many of their followers, aka authors’ target audiences, are also off enjoying the sun and fun on the beach, usually enjoying the books that are already in their TBR stash. This is evidenced by low traffic on the bloggers’ websites and social media. That explains why I found that my own personal book tours were not as successful in increasing sales as those during other months. As an author who has learned the hard way to budget my marketing bucks, I can’t in good conscience allow other authors to invest in tours knowing that they will achieve more exposure for their books if they just wait a few weeks. That said, I am not trying to discourage you from releasing or promoting your books during the summer months. I am simply suggesting that I and other indie authors have found that this is not where most writers’ marketing dollars are best spent. That is why we have decided to join our bloggers and their children and grandchildren and their followers and other indie authors! We’re taking off in July and August to cruise Bermuda (If I don’t come back, it’s because I got lost in the Triangle!) and finish BEST IN MURDER, the next Mac Faraday mystery (Gnarly is going undercover at a dog show!). But before I go, I encourage authors to get on our schedule now to launch your fall tour with a bang! We are scheduling tours launching Tuesday, September 5, the day after Labor Day. Sign up now to give us plenty of time to get your book tour ready to launch when your target audience returns from their summer break! Schedule your book tour before the end of May and get a discount of 10% off whichever tour package you select. (discount cannot be combined with another discount) FILL OUT OUR TOUR APPLICATION TO GET STARTED Add Some Pizzazz to Your Tour with a Book Trailer For an additional fee, we will produce a book trailer in advance of your tour to be uploaded to your tour page and included in your media kit. Choices include: a 45-second book teaser, a full one-minute trailer, a one-and-a-half to two-minute video (no voice), one-and-a-half to two-minute video with voice-over and video footage. Check Out Our Recent Trailers: Mirage Land of the Midnight Sun Holy Terror Love to read? We want you to work with us! Do you like to read? Would you like to participate in our tours? Even if you are not a "certified book reviewer or book blogger" then we invite you to become an iRead Book Tour host. All you need is a blog, Instagram account, or YouTube or Rumble channel and the willingness to commit. Sign up to become a tour host today. We are always on the lookout for great tour hosts for our tours, and we have an incentive program that makes working with us worth your while. Coming This Fall : Monthly giveaways for tour hosts! Each month, 2 tour hosts will receive a PayPal award. The more tours you host, the better your chances to win! $20 PayPal award for review posts / $10 PayPal award for spotlight post I WANT TO BE AN iREAD TOUR HOST! UPCOMING TOURS Books on tour in May/June and hosting giveaways. Some of these tours are open for book reviews, guest posts, author interviews, or features! More tours are always opening up. CHECK OUT OUR latest Upcoming tours adventure (reviews / spotlights) historical fiction (reviews / spotlights) middle-grade historical fiction (reviews / spotkights) historical middle grade fiction (reviews / spotlights) mystery (reviews / spotlights) historical romance (reviews / spotlights) fantasy (review / spotlight) TOUR FULL children picture book (reviews / spotlights) children picture book (reviews / spotlights) TOUR FULL children picture book (reviews / spotlights) historical cozy mystery (reviews / spotlights) YA historical fiction (reviews / spotights) science fiction (reviews spotlights) romantic suspense (reviews / spotlights) children picture book (reviews spotlights) self-help / nutrition (reviews / spotights) Let's be buddies |
Happy May!
We got through spring! (It was touch and go for me. I get horrible hay fever!)
Authors & Reps: Now that we are swinging into summer, it's not too early to plan how best to promote your book this fall or (dare I say it?) Christmas. If you're thinking about a summer tour, check out my article below about why you may want to delay your tour a few weeks. Schedule your fall tour before the end of May and save 10% on whichever tour package you select.
Also, we are continuously exploring ways to better support our authors and increase exposure for their books. In the last few months, we have offered social media advertisements as an add-on to our tours, which gets books in front of thousands of book lovers beyond iReads' and our tour hosts' followers.
Now, we offer engaging book trailers to captivate your audience and increase book sales as a tour add-on. Scroll down and click on the links to see samples.
Tour Hosts: We haven't forgotten about you. Stay tuned for this fall. Starting September, iReads will begin monthly giveaways for our bloggers! The more book tours you host, the better your chances to win! This will be in addition our Link Your Reviews Incentive Program.
In the meantime, we still have plenty of books available for review or feature. Scroll to the bottom to see our list of currently open tours.
As always, stay safe, healthy, and be kind to each other.
Warmly,
Lauren
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Why You Should Schedule Your Upcoming Book Tour for September | |
The Number One reason is that iRead Book Tours is currently scheduling book tours to launch on Tuesday, September 5.
You may ask, “Why do I have to wait until September? Now is the time to promote my book as a Summer Reads!”
I am sorry to tell you that it is a known secret among indie authors that “Summer Reads” is a fallacy—unless you’re James Patterson or Nora Roberts.
Putting on my author cap, years ago, I thought I was the only one who happened to this reality. When Laura Fabiani owned iRead Book Tours and I was her number one client, I discovered rather quickly that my summer virtual book tours were not as successful as those held during other months. There wasn’t as much interaction in the posts and, while sales would go up, they did not at all match the sales I had when I toured in the fall or spring.
As a marketing technique, I would hold off on doing my official book releases until September, when bloggers and their followers returned from their summer vacations.
Several months ago, during a Zoom meeting with fellow indie authors who had also been around the block several times, I discovered that I was not the only one to discover this book promotion fact. Each one of us realized that we would get more bang for our marketing bucks when we held off until fall for our book launches and tours.
On the other side, as a virtual book tour coordinator, I discovered in conversations with several bloggers that many take off during the summer months (particularly July and August) when their children or grandchildren are on summer breaks.
In turn, many of their followers, aka authors’ target audiences, are also off enjoying the sun and fun on the beach, usually enjoying the books that are already in their TBR stash. This is evidenced by low traffic on the bloggers’ websites and social media.
That explains why I found that my own personal book tours were not as successful in increasing sales as those during other months.
As an author who has learned the hard way to budget my marketing bucks, I can’t in good conscience allow other authors to invest in tours knowing that they will achieve more exposure for their books if they just wait a few weeks.
That said, I am not trying to discourage you from releasing or promoting your books during the summer months. I am simply suggesting that I and other indie authors have found that this is not where most writers’ marketing dollars are best spent.
That is why we have decided to join our bloggers and their children and grandchildren and their followers and other indie authors!
We’re taking off in July and August to cruise Bermuda (If I don’t come back, it’s because I got lost in the Triangle!) and finish BEST IN MURDER, the next Mac Faraday mystery (Gnarly is going undercover at a dog show!).
| |
But before I go, I encourage authors to get on our schedule now to launch your fall tour with a bang!
We are scheduling tours launching Tuesday, September 5, the day after Labor Day. Sign up now to give us plenty of time to get your book tour ready to launch when your target audience returns from their summer break!
Schedule your book tour before the end of May and get a discount of 10% off whichever tour package you select. (discount cannot be combined with another discount)
| |
Add Some Pizzazz to Your Tour with a Book Trailer | |
For an additional fee, we will produce a book trailer in advance of your tour to be uploaded to your tour page and included in your media kit. Choices include:
- a 45-second book teaser,
- a full one-minute trailer,
- a one-and-a-half to two-minute video (no voice),
- one-and-a-half to two-minute video with voice-over and video footage.
Check Out Our Recent Trailers:
Mirage
Land of the Midnight Sun
Holy Terror
| |
Love to read? We want you to work with us! | |
Do you like to read? Would you like to participate in our tours? Even if you are not a "certified book reviewer or book blogger" then we invite you to become an iRead Book Tour host. All you need is a blog, Instagram account, or YouTube or Rumble channel and the willingness to commit.
Sign up to become a tour host today. We are always on the lookout for great tour hosts for our tours, and we have an incentive program that makes working with us worth your while.
Coming This Fall: Monthly giveaways for tour hosts! Each month, 2 tour hosts will receive a PayPal award. The more tours you host, the better your chances to win!
$20 PayPal award for review posts / $10 PayPal award for spotlight post
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Books on tour in May/June and hosting giveaways. Some of these tours are open for book reviews, guest posts, author interviews, or features!
More tours are always opening up.
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adventure (reviews / spotlights) | | |
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historical fiction (reviews / spotlights) | | |
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middle-grade historical fiction (reviews / spotkights) | | |
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historical middle grade fiction (reviews / spotlights) | | |
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mystery (reviews / spotlights) | | |
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historical romance (reviews / spotlights) | | |
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fantasy (review / spotlight) | | |
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TOUR FULL children picture book (reviews / spotlights) | | |
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children picture book (reviews / spotlights) | | |
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TOUR FULL children picture book (reviews / spotlights) | | |
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|
historical cozy mystery (reviews / spotlights) | | |
|
YA historical fiction (reviews / spotights) | | |
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|
science fiction (reviews spotlights) | | |
|
romantic suspense (reviews / spotlights) | | |
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|
children picture book (reviews spotlights) | | |
|
self-help / nutrition (reviews / spotights) | | |
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