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Virtual Book Tours: 14 Must-See Strategies from Authors

November 17, 2020 by Leila Hirschfeld

Book tours are a traditional promotional tactic for authors when launching a new book. With the COVID-19 crisis making in-person promotional events unsafe, authors have been finding creative ways to circumvent the pandemic’s challenges and interact with fans. One tactic helping them connect with readers is virtual book tours!

To help you plan and publicize your own virtual book tour events, we’ve compiled a list of strategies we’ve seen authors use when launching their virtual tours. While missing out on IRL tours might be a bummer, there are many benefits of online events beyond just saving on travel expenses. Going virtual provides greater accessibility, allowing more people to tune in than ever before and leading to great opportunities for fan engagement.

We hope the following examples provide inspiration for your book marketing and reader outreach approach when launching a new book, both during the pandemic and beyond.

1. Add the event schedule to your author website

Many authors add their complete virtual tour schedules to their author websites. Making the full schedule easy to find helps them keep their tours organized and helps readers see which events are the best fit for them — both in terms of timing and interest in topic or co-speaker.

Yamile Saied Méndez added her virtual tour schedule to the Events page of her website. She has a drop-down filter for event type so someday readers can distinguish between in-person and virtual events.

On her website’s Events page , C Pam Zhang divided her book tour schedule by past and upcoming virtual appearances.

2. Post the virtual book tour schedule on social media

Announcing virtual tour stops on social media has been another popular tactic for authors promoting their book events. Various social media platforms enable writers to share their most important news directly with fans.

Jodi Picoult shared her schedule on Twitter, tagging all the authors making appearances at her events. Tagging those you collaborate with helps their names stand out to your audience and makes it easier for them to reshare your news!

Meg Cabot shared her virtual book tour schedule on Facebook, linking fans to register on her website. Meg’s tour included a variety of events, including a watch party for a movie based on one of her previous books!

3. Answer fans’ logistical questions

People are still getting used to the new reality of virtual events, so it can be extra helpful to answer questions fans might have about the logistics of a book tour.

V.E. Schwab answered many questions about her virtual tour in her announcement post, including those about the format, international tour dates, and more.

At in-person events, readers had the option to buy books on-site. When one reader commented on Alyssa Rosenheck ’s virtual book tour announcement with a question about purchasing her new book, the author promptly responded with a helpful answer.

4. Host a virtual book club

Some authors looking for a conversational atmosphere have hosted a book club series or joined book club sessions. These events provide them the chance to interact closely with fans and hear their thoughts on their book.

Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi hosted a digital club to discuss their book on antiracism. In this series, Reynolds and Kendi engaged with a different chapter each week. These authors used Eventbrite to organize their book club.

Ruta Sepetys took part in a series of virtual book club gatherings to discuss her new novel. When people purchased the book through a participating independent bookstore, they got an exclusive discussion guide with behind-the-scenes insights, photographs, and recipes inspired by the book as well as the opportunity to talk directly with Ruta.

5. Share recaps from early tour stops to build buzz for upcoming ones

While authors might not be able to pose for photos with fans anymore, there’s still plenty they can share from virtual events. Many authors have posted fun photos and anecdotes from past appearances, which could get readers excited for upcoming tour stops.

Middle grade and YA author Aisha Saeed thanked readers on Instagram for tuning in to her virtual book tour event and let her audience know where they could buy a signed, personalized copy.

Health care reformer Rosemarie Day shared a screenshot of her first virtual book tour event. She highlighted the success of the session, declaring that it indicated “distance socializing” could work well!

6. Host a virtual party

Several authors have added festive elements to their virtual book tours to make their events more interactive and celebratory. While one can’t host in-person parties right now, digital parties let authors and their readers engage in fun conversations.

Christina Baker Kline hosted an after-party following her main book tour conversation. The event page advertised the party as an intimate chance to ask Christina “everything you always wanted to know but didn’t ask during the event.”

Former prosecutor and legal thriller writer Marcia Clark hosted a virtual happy hour to celebrate her new release. She encouraged fans to bring a drink to the discussion.

She posted a lively event photo on Instagram along with a link to the recorded event so fans could join in on the party even if they missed it the first time around.

7. Ask fellow authors to help launch your book

Many authors recruit help from other writers to interview them for their book launch events, creating an extra draw for people to tune in to virtual tour stops. Additionally, when well-known authors in conversation with newer authors share event details with their own audiences, it can help attract new fans to the newer author’s writing.

One of J. Courtney Sullivan ’s book tour stops was a conversation between her and Lily King , who shared event details on her own Twitter. Accessing Lily’s audience gave additional exposure to Courtney’s new release.

8. Team up with another author to discuss both of your books

Some authors have partnered with a fellow author on virtual book tour events to market both of their books. A major perk is that a fan of one author might leave the event a fan of both authors.

Brit Bennett and Megha Majumdar teamed up for a Zoom conversation on both of their new releases.

9. Partner with bookstores

Virtual book tours provide a fabulous chance to support independent bookstores. Many authors have organized online events with independent bookshops and encouraged their fans to buy their books from them.

Christopher Paolini planned virtual tour stops at numerous independent bookshops in the US and UK. He highlighted the involvement of these businesses in his website tour announcement, noting that his fans can see him at their “favorite bookstore” while staying safe at home.

10. Add virtual book festivals to the tour

Virtual book festivals offer a great chance for authors to get their names out there, network with fellow authors, and reach new audiences. Now that many book festivals have moved online, they’re more accessible, without prohibitive costs and travel requirements.

Tiffany D. Jackson spoke at the Salem Literary Festival as the first stop of her book tour.

This year, the Unbound Book Festival rebranded as “Housebound Unbound” because of the need to cancel in-person gatherings. Historical fiction author Alex George organized the virtual book festival and discussed his new book at one of the digital events.

11. Host an online book signing

Some authors have created virtual book signing events. Readers can watch as the author adds a personal touch to their books while listening to insights they have to share about their work.

Educational writer Danica McKellar hosted a live signing of her new math guide, during which she autographed books while chatting about STEM and learning.

Singer-songwriter Tori Amos hosted a digital book signing on Facebook Live to celebrate the release of her memoir. She answered questions as she autographed copies of her book.

12. Write out answers to fan questions

Book tour stops don’t all have to involve video! Several virtual tours have involved written-out answers to reader questions as a method for authors to engage with fans and publicize their books.

N.K. Jemisin ’s publisher announced on their website that N. K.’s first digital tour stop would be answering reader questions through Goodreads’s “Ask an Author” feature.

N.K. wrote out thoughtful, personal answers to over 100 questions.

Gene Luen Yang went on an Instagram book tour as a cartoon version of himself. He discussed topics he would have delved into at in-person events and wrote out answers to fan questions, with an amusing cartoon twist.

13. Post book tour videos on YouTube

Some authors have posted one-off book events or a full tour series on YouTube. Some benefits of this approach are that YouTube content stays on your channel so fans can tune in anytime, you can monetize these videos if you have a sizable following, and all tour videos can be in one easily accessible location.

Cookbook author Gaz Oakley gave YouTube viewers a look into his new vegan cookbook.

To help his fans navigate the video, he included timestamps for different topics in the comments section.

Science writer and historian Amy Shira Teitel posted a series of virtual book tour events on her YouTube channel. Each video had a different discussion topic, such as this one covering details that didn’t make it into her book.

14. Thank fans for participating

Thanking those who came to your virtual book tour stops is a fantastic way to show appreciation to fans. Many authors have expressed gratitude at different points in their virtual book tours.

The band Tenacious D went on a virtual book tour for their new graphic novel. At the conclusion of their tour, they posted a fun compilation of digital meet-and-greet moments to their YouTube channel.

Sarah Henning warmly responded to numerous fan comments, expressing her happiness at their participation in her virtual events.

What other ways have you seen authors promoting their books virtually? Let us know in the comments below!

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Virtual Book Tours and Blog Book Tours | Ramona Morrow Books

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Ramona Morrow | Canadian Children's Book Author and Blogger

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Virtual Book Tours

Thank you for visiting Book Marketing and Promotion Ideas to learn more about Virtual Book Tours. Below you will find a list of 30+ Top Virtual Book Tours that will be extremely useful with the promotion of your book. Virtual Book Tours are sometimes called, Book Blog Tours or Virtual Author Tours. They can also include book cover and synopsis, book excerpts, book giveaways, book reviews, character interviews, contests, cover reveal, guest blog posts, interviews, podcasts or radio show appearances, social network events, video content posted by blogs and webinars. Every book tour site differs in the genres they promote, venues, and the type of content.

A Powerful Promotional Tool for Authors!

Virtual Book Tours or Book Blog Tours consist of numerous bloggers to review or interview you about your upcoming or published book. The blogger or publicity website will publish the review or interview on their blog or website. They will make it available to their hundreds or thousands of followers. This is how they will generate buzz for your book.

Virtual Book Tours are typically done as part of the launch of a new book. After your book has been published or even on the market for a while you can still start a virtual book tour and still have a successful promotion. You know when the publicity pays off because it creates sales for your book and revenue in your pocket. Some of the virtual book tours I have done in the past didn't monetarily pay off well, but in the end they did generate book buzz. 

Make sure you take advantage of everything that virtual book tour sites offer. Use the virtual book tour sites that offer a different variety of promotional tools. Thoroughly review each virtual book tour site to make sure your book will fit in with their genre and it suits the type of book promotion and price you are looking for. Make sure you give the blog host a complimentary copy of your book. With my book, Jamie's Pet, I give them a copy of the book and a couple of days later I heard back. They told me "It would be a honor for them to do a book review, author review, or a book reading." That is when you know you have a good book. You have hooked the blog host and now you have to hook their readers into buying your book.

You don't need to do all virtual book tours and book blog tours at once. Pick out one or two virtual book tours a month or every two weeks depending on your financial situation. Make sure they offer different promotional tools. You don't want duplicate book tours at the same time. You want to make sure that you cover the book market with different book offerings, book giveaways, book reviews, book and author interviews, spotlight radio interviews, podcasts, webinars that create wonderful book buzz. Once you are finished with the guest blog interview or book review and it has been added to the host blog's website, you need to link back from your website to their website. Your next step is to share with your social media networks and the host blog website shares with their social media networks. This is how your book buzz and audience grow.

Building an audience for your book will take a lot of energy, planning, time, and don't forget patience. Do what will feel comfortable for you and stay within your promotional and marketing budget. That is the key. Don't get carried away because virtual book tours are just one portion of your promotional and marketing plan and campaign. With the virtual book tours I don't follow the normal rule where you just concentrate on book tours for two to four weeks. I do them throughout the year until I do them all. As an author you are always trying to find new ways, old ways to promote and market your book. You are not doing it for weeks then waiting for the money to roll in. Remember, you need to create book buzz 24 hours a day even when you are sleeping. That is why virtual book tours are a powerful promotional tool for authors because they create book buzz while you are sleeping.

More valuable information on the Book Marketing and Promotion Ideas page that will help your book or company.

I am leaving the websites I found where the 'Page No Longer Exists", so you don't keep going to them thinking you haven't seen this one. I think my long-term memory is going. When searching the internet, I would come across some of them thinking I never saw them before until I open up their home page again. So, I started a list and now I don't have to go to them anymore.

I hope you find this information helpful in your marketing and promoting adventure. I decided not to charge for this information as other people do. The only form of payment I want is for you to purchase my book, Jamie's Pet children's paperback book available on Amazon only if you want to. It is your way of paying it forward. Remember, please leave a review where you bought the book.

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Top 10 Virtual Book Tour List

These are ramona's favorite because of the packages they offer or the look of their website., start with these first.

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30+ Top Virtual Book Tours and Book Blog Tours List

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FREE Download Virtual Book Tour Email Pitch Template here :

For My Virtual Book Tour Email Pitch Template , I use this one I found from Self-Publishing Review – Article: 27 Places to Get a Book Tour . This sample came from an excerpted from Build Book Buzz Publicity Form & Templates.  T his template has all the information you are going to need.

Virtual Book Tour

Email Pitch Template

Your brief email message should include the following information:

Your name, book title and any special, relevant expertise: Put this in the first two or three sentences.

Your Proposal: Are you proposing a book review? An author Q & A with the blogger? An author Q & A with blog readers? Author posting on the blog? etc. What is it you want the book tour to do and what exactly you are paying for? Be specific.

Timing: When is your virtual book tour?

Other information that will influence the blogger: This might include links to favorable book reviews or an upcoming event that makes your proposal timely. Think in terms of what might influence the blogger to accept your proposal.

Your book's announcement press release: Paste this into the body of the email below your signature. It's important background information that will answer, many of the bloggers' questions about the book.

Next steps: Will you send a book if they write back saying they'd like to see it? Send a follow-up note in a few days? Make it clear who should do what next.

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Authors Get Real About Going on a Book Tour...From Their Living Rooms

“I can’t talk about my book in pajamas!"

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Novelist Laura Hankin found out that the launch event for her second book was cancelled through a Facebook notification from the bookstore. “I cried very hard. But then I also was like, how dare you cry over a canceled book event? That doesn't matter,” Hankin tells OprahMag.com. “It was just another bit of uncertainty amidst a whole world of uncertainty.”

Now, Hankin is one of many authors, publicists, and booksellers who are figuring out the publishing world’s “new normal,” which has meant participating in Instagram Live events, answering questions on moderated Zoom chats, or—like Hankin did—making music videos.

Hankin decided to process her own mixed feelings in a song called “Indoor Book Tour.” Using cheeky lyrics about being stuck on the couch and having the in-person audience of a single cat, “Indoor Book Tour” highlights the solitude of what had once been the active, social act of book publicity.

Months after Hankin created her music video, and authors have still yet to resume what was once the standard: national tours to promote their releases by visiting bookstores, signing books, and connecting with readers in-person.

“I miss that thing that can happen with different audiences,” Lily King, the author of the Read With Jenna pick Writers and Lovers , tells OprahMag.com from her home in Maine, where she conducted her own virtual tour. “Every audience has a different personality. Even if they're not saying anything, they're each giving off a vibe that's different from every other group that you've spoken to in a different location.”

.css-meat1u:before{margin-bottom:1.2rem;height:2.25rem;content:'“';display:block;font-size:4.375rem;line-height:1.1;font-family:Juana,Juana-weight300-roboto,Juana-weight300-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-weight:300;} .css-mn32pc{font-family:Juana,Juana-weight300-upcase-roboto,Juana-weight300-upcase-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-size:1.625rem;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:0.0075rem;line-height:1.2;margin:0rem;text-transform:uppercase;}@media(max-width: 64rem){.css-mn32pc{font-size:2.25rem;line-height:1;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-mn32pc{font-size:2.375rem;line-height:1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-mn32pc{font-size:2.75rem;line-height:1;}}.css-mn32pc b,.css-mn32pc strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;}.css-mn32pc em,.css-mn32pc i{font-style:italic;font-family:inherit;} “Every audience has a different personality. Even if they're not saying anything, they're each giving off a vibe."

Book publishing, like nearly all industries, has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic—though in some ways, for the better. After a brief decline in March , sales saw an uptick. In June, sales in print books in fiction overall rose 31.4% in the U.S. from May, according to figures from NPD BookScan, and the e-book market is similarly booming . Publisher’s Weekly credits the spike in print sales to children’s books and works on social justice, which crowded the bestseller charts in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the widespread protests since.

Amidst this increase in interest around reading, there has been a push from authors, booksellers, and publishers to support independent bookstores by purchasing books directly or attending online events. "Every sale makes a difference," A.N. Devers, the owner of the Second Shelf in London, tells OprahMag.com.

Still, for the publishing world, there are many uncertainties. Are virtual events a way of treading water until there’s a vaccine, and authors can begin traveling again? Is this collection of mostly free online events the new normal? And if so, how can technology rise up to continue to meet demand as time goes on?

What is certain is that the process of promoting books will never be the same—and it can’t be. The very idea of a line of excited readers waiting for their books to be signed—in close proximity to one another in cramped but cozy bookstores, books passing from hand to hand—is enough to send a coronavirus epidemiologist into a panic.

Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin

But while authors are mourning the tours of yesteryear, it’s also possible the online book tour offers something even better than “before.” Today, no matter where a book lover lives, they have no shortage of star-studded events they can catch from their living room, with curated weekly schedules and calendars of offerings hosted by local bookshops, nonprofits, or festivals . Viewers can hop-scotch from Zoom live-stream interviews to webinar writing workshops to quarantine-themed reading series , and even catch up at their leisure on videos that are saved —no New York or L.A. zip-code required.

What started as a temporary solution is now pushing writers and publishers to rethink what, exactly, a book event should look like. By now, the book tour is an institution. Famously, in 1842, Charles Dickens was treated like a rock star upon arriving in the U.S from the U.K. on a transatlantic boat. While today most modern book tours don’t have the fanfare of a crowd welcoming a ship at the harbor, they are still a fixture of publishing—a celebratory rite of passage for those who have spent many solitary months writing alone.

Today, when an author’s book comes out, publicists at publishing houses coordinate locations for in-person events, which can range from stops at town libraries to selling out entire arenas (see: Michelle Obama’s unprecedented Becoming tour). For authors, in-person tours are defined by grueling travel schedules, time on the road, and hoping people actually show up at their events.

By virtue of being virtual, the tried-and-true model of a book reading, intimate Q&A, and book signing—all of which once lured readers to stores—may no longer hold the same interest. And authors have no choice but to embrace the new mode.

“The fun thing about having a digital event is that people can just join."

For the launch of her newest story collection I Hold a Wolf By the Ears in late July , Laura van den Berg had an event that she says would have been “impossible” to coordinate in real life: A rotating, all-star cast of short fiction scribes discussing their writing process, including Kristen Arnett, Lauren Groff, Danielle Evans, Karen Russell, and Jennine Capó Crucet.

Boys of Alabama author Genevieve Hudson staged something similar for the launch of her debut novel. For an event hosted by Thank You Books of Birmingham, AL, Hudson held a veritable parade of writer friends on Instagram live including Chelsea Bieker, Peter Kispert, T Kira Madden, Dennis Norris III, and Nick White. She says the stream felt more like a party, one full of spontaneity and joy.

“The fun thing about having a digital event is that people can just join ,” Hudson says.

In the “before times,” events like Hudson’s and van den Berg’s may have been limited by geography or a price of admission. And often, these events take place in coastal towns or urban cities. But now they’re free, accessible—and exuberant, too.

“We are reaching people we couldn’t have reached before."

Clearly, one benefit of online events is accessibility. Grove publicist Kait Astrella says that the attendance of her author’s virtual events are double what they would have been in-person. “We are reaching people we couldn’t have reached before,” she says.

But this level of accessibility also has a downside: Harassment. C Pam Zhang’s debut novel, How Much of These Hills Is Gold , was released in April. It was quickly named Goop’s first book club pick, and was recently longlisted for the Booker Prize. Amid her celebratory release week of appearances on Seth Meyers and online events, Zhang was faced with the unexpected.

“There’s an event I did with another Asian American author where there were racist trolls dropping slurs into the group chat,” Zhang says.

Experiences like Zhang’s have led publishers and bookstores to experiment with technology that blocks comments and monitors audiences, allowing readers to interact while still protecting their authors. By the time author Meredith Talusan went on tour in May for her memoir Fairest , bookstores had already taken security measures to ensure a safer experience.

“A number of friends had terrible experiences early in the pandemic, but by late May when I released my book, Zoom had introduced security features and bookstores got more careful, so I didn't experience any harassment thankfully,” Talusan says. “The downside, though, is that there was probably less interaction than we would have had if there weren't those precautions.”

Virtual events also pose one more existential challenge: Authors and their publicity teams must be creative in differentiating each event within the “tour.” Otherwise, why would one person attend multiple talks for the same book? “There's some diminishing returns on virtual events,” Veronica Roth, author of The Chosen Ones , says.

So she’s found success in creating themed talks, like discussing a different topic with a different writer each session. “Otherwise it's like, ‘I saw you talked about this last week, so I'm not going to tune in again.’”

Further, these events aren’t guaranteed to actually move copies, even if they bring in an ample audience. Speaking to OprahMag.com , novelist and bookseller Ann Patchett revealed an event her Nashville store, Parnassus Books, did in coordination with Book Passage in Marin, CA brought in 3,500 viewers—but only sold 18 books, between the two stores.

Some fans follow authors on social media. But Zhang, who has done events with stores that weren’t originally on her three-month tour roster, has found a sense of locality on the internet—users follow stores , not authors. So instead of visiting Brooklyn’s Books of Wonder as they normally would, they’re going to the Books of Wonder events. Until they can be back in that crowded bookstore, surrounded by others, this online community will do.

Despite the format changes, the most fundamental difference for authors comes in the emotional experience of the tour, for better or for worse. Roth has been enjoying the elimination of certain obstacles associated with in-person events, like travel and social anxiety—in fact, she says her Chosen Ones launch, spent with her husband and dog, was her most celebratory yet.

But the virtual book tour isn’t an introverts’ paradise. “I stress out a lot more after virtual events. I wonder if the people had a good time...it feels more uncertain," Roth says. Without the flush of the crowd or the applause, without the signing line and the afterglow, Roth has no way of knowing whether the event went well . Instead, she simply shuts her computer and returns to her quiet apartment.

King, who has taken to squeezing stress balls to calm her nerves during events, also shares that Zoom induced-anxiety. “I find that these Zooms take more effort than standing at a podium and getting feedback from an audience. There's a give and take of energy in a real life situation. On Zoom, audiences feel much more anonymous, so they don't have to give you any feedback. You don't know if your jokes are landing.”

"I wonder if the people had a good time. It feels more uncertain because it's virtual.”

However, readers are treated to a new kind of intimacy: They get to see their favorite authors’ writing rooms and living spaces—and potentially judge them, too. King lives in low-grade fear of readers zooming in and analyzing the shelves in her backdrop . “They're not even my favorite books. It just makes me really uneasy. It's like, ‘No, no, don't judge me!’" she says.

In the wake of Zoom Rooms taking the place of gathering spaces due to the pandemic, an entire cottage industry of “room rating” accounts has sprung up online. Hankin even spoke to a media consultant to make her backdrop worthy of at least a 9 on the twitter account “ Room Rater .”

From fuzzy internet connections to bookshelf spying, an interview on-screen may feel different than a packed New York reading—but both have the same goal. That’s why when it comes to wardrobe, many authors are still treating the virtual events as if they were in-person.

“I can’t talk about my book in pajamas,” says Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of the novel Patsy , a Read With Jenna pick. “I love fashion, and I'm one of those writers to bring multiple outfits for tours as well. I still want to give that energy, that upbeat vibe, that same style. I wouldn't want to give that up just because I'm online.”

Other authors take different approaches—from now on, for example, Van Den Berg is only concerned with the top half of her outfit. “I’ve worn sweatpants, which of course no one can see, to every single event thus far, and that has been absolutely fantastic,” she says. Ultimately, she feels liberated from the pre-event tug-of-war between comfort and style. “I no longer have long internal debates about wearing shoes that are super cool but not super comfortable, versus my less exciting but very comfortable ones,” she adds.

Roth made a switch from choosing outfits to focusing, instead, on makeup, experimenting with a different shade of lipstick for each event. “It helps you transition into a different state of being, even though you're in the same place,” Roth says.

Patsy by Nicole Dennis Benn

Even stuck at home, authors feel compelled to dress up because of the brand new view they’re getting during these events: Not the audience, but themselves. “We're all getting so much weird mirror time looking at our own faces. There’s stuff I didn’t realize I did all the time—like how often I have my hands in my hair, or what I do when I laugh, how often I touch my glasses. That's stuff I just didn't know before, and honestly didn't need to know,” Kristen Arnett, author of Mostly Dead Things , says.

Whether this is “for now” or “forever” remains to be seen, though the hope of the former being true is palpable. “It's really important not to think about what could have been. This is it. And a pity party is not going to help you. It stinks and it's bad timing, but you’re still lucky to have a book coming out,” King says.

Still, these months have developed, by force of necessity, an entirely new publicity infrastructure. Authors are willing to do online events, and audiences are willing to show up—perhaps more willing than they had been before. “I think absolutely I'd want to include digital stuff as well,” Arnett says of her future tours. “And I think many people are going to choose to do that, too, because there's been so many people who are like, ‘I'm so glad I got to come to this. I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.’”

On the day of Hankin’s book’s publication, she powered through 10 interviews with radio shows and podcasts, then finished the day with a sold-out Zoom event hosted by East City Bookshop , before an “after party” with friends—also held on Zoom.

“It is still possible for a book tour to feel really special and lovely,” Hankin says. “I had to keep reminding myself to eat all day. I never forget to eat, but that day I did, because of the nerves and the excitement in your stomach.”

Even in the “After” era, should it ever manifest, all of the authors OprahMag.com.com spoke to plan to make online events a staple in their tours. After all, all they require is a camera, a WiFi connection—and a love of books.

For more stories like this, sign up for our newsletter .

Michelle Hart is the Assistant Books Editor of O, the Oprah Magazine. Other writing of hers has appeared on the Millions, the Rumpus, and the New Yorker . Her fiction has appeared in Joyland and Electric Literature. She has been awarded a fiction fellowship by the New York State Writers Institute and was once profiled in her hometown newspaper for being in the process of writing a novel--a novel she is still in the process of writing.

Elena Nicolaou is the former culture editor at Oprah Daily. 

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A blog about writing.

Virtual Book Tours - The Basics

by John Peragine

Next month my book Max and the Spice Thieves launches, and one of the main events, especially during the time of Covid, is a virtual book tour. The days of slogging a trunk full of books from bookstore to bookstore are far and few unless you are a celebrity. Traditional Publishing houses don't pay for them like they used to, and the turn out at many events can be a little depressing.

Virtual book tours have taken up the slack and are growing in popularity. These virtual tours help an author get their book in front of the right people: book lovers. In addition, they are connecting to people who like books in the genre they write.

What is a Virtual Book Tour (VBT)?

A VBT is when an author shows up on a blog during a particular period of time. VBT times vary. Some last a day (Book Blitz), and others run a month or longer. Most tours last a week or two and often occur right before a release to create a buzz.

There are few different ways you can appear on a blog during the tour:

• A blogger reviews and rates your book.
• You write a short guest post on the blog.
• An excerpt of your book appears on the blog.
• You are interviewed.
• You share your top ten list (usually the theme is picked by the blogger).
• A blog features your book trailer.

One way a book tour can engage people (readers) is with a raffle. Authors give away copies of their books, swag or a gift card. In order to be entered, the reader is required to like a FB page, or follow a Twitter account, or give their email address. Tours often utilize Rafflecopter , which collects the entries and picks a winner at random.

Should You Do It Yourself?

My short answer is no, unless you have a lot of time and connections. There are thousands of book blogs and it could take you forever to organize a great tour. You must find the right blogs for your book, contact the right people, and set up a date to promote your book on their site.

If you do chose to try to set up your own VBT, here are some things to consider:

• Be very very specific about your genre. Not all book blog sites provide reviews.
• When was the last time a blog was posted?
• Do the books on the site look like yours?
• What is the response of people to posts? Is there any engagement?
• Is there a fee?
• Do the posts look professional?
• What country are they based?
• How many posts do they have?
• How long has the site existed?
• What are their rules for book reviews and blog tours?

You must decide when you want to do your blog tour and then you can reach out to the blog owner to see if they are willing to be a stop. You will have to coordinate the raffle, all the blogs, the interviews, excerpts, and everything else. A successful book tour is often set up a month or two in advance.

There are sites that list other sites that do blog tours and book reviews. Often these sites have outdated information and many of the blogs no longer exist or haven't had a post in six months or more. The other way is good ole searching for blog sites through Google, which can mean a lot of kissing frogs before finding your prince or princess.

A Note About Reviews

I wrote a blog about book reviews in January here at WITS, sharing my thoughts on bad reviews. When your book is being reviewed for a book tour, you might get a bad review. It is a risk you take, so you might ask to read the review before it appears on their blog (and before featuring it on your blog tour).

Be sure to send the reviewer your book in plenty of time to read it and get a review back to you. Not everyone is going to love your book, but remember that you can choose whether to promote them as part of your book tour.

Preparing for Your Blog Tour

Most blogs are not going to announce ahead of time that you are going to be visiting their site, so it is up to you to promote your tour. You may want to create a banner, and promote it on all of your social media channels. When you are closer to your tour date, release your tour list with links .

Let the readers know about the prizes. Share that they will be able to get some great behind-the-scenes looks at you and your book.

Hire a Virtual Book Tour Company

If you are like me, you'd rather be writing your next novel than trying to set up a blog tour. There are a number of sites that offer blog tours. They do all the hard work for you. They have relationships with many bloggers and post your book for bloggers to sign up to be part of your tour. This means that they are used to doing book tours and more importantly they are interested in your book.

The price tag for these tours ranges from (approximately) $80-$300, depending on how many blog tour stops you want and if you want any extras. Often these blog tour companies concentrate on particular genres, so again check out their other tours. Read the information carefully about what the tours consist of before you send any money.

Here are my top Virtual Book Tour companies. (In no particular order)

• Rockstar Book Tours
• Xpresso Book Tours
• Pump Your Book
• Bewitching Book Tours
• Goddess Fish Promotions

When it's all over, remember to thank your blog hosts. This is extremely important because (a) is it polite and (b) they are the gatekeepers of your potential audience. It's always important to be respectful of the gatekeepers!

Have you done a Virtual Book Tour? What was your experience? Please share it with us down in the comments!

* * * * * *

John Peragine has published 14 books and ghostwritten more than 100 others. He is a contributor for HuffPost , Reuters , and  The Today Show.  He covered the John Edwards trial exclusively for  Bloomberg News  and  The New York Times . He has written for  Wine Enthusiast ,  Grapevine Magazine , Realtor.com , WineMaker magazine, and  Writer's Digest .

John began writing professionally in 2007, after working 13 years in social work and as the piccolo player for the Western Piedmont Symphony for over 25 years. Peragine is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. You can learn more about his books at JohnPeragineBooks.com . 

His newest book,  Max and the Spice Thieves , will be released on April 20, 2021. Click here for a free first chapter. 

17 comments on “Virtual Book Tours - The Basics”

For women's fiction, I could add Suzy Approved Book Tours and iRead Book Tours. They offer different packages and options and, while more expensive than some, they have the connections and really deliver. And Suzy also promotes extensively on social media herself, so her followers (there are many) will know which books are on tour. As John indicated, look at their sites and see the books that have been on tour with them.

This is great information, Barbara. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing that Barbara.

Piggybacking o Barbara's comment above, others that people in the women's fiction world have used and recommended are Kate Rock Tours and TLC (which offers tons of options on an ala carte menu). Also be aware that some blog tour companies will also do a tour for a cover reveal, an audio book release, etc. so think about those events as well.

So useful, Maggie! I am a WFWA member and I really appreciate the women's fiction resources. 🙂

Agreed I’m considering a cover reveal for my newest book right now.

I used Lone Star Literary Life for the virtual book tour for my first novel, Searching for Pilar, three years ago. I had such good results that I am using them again for my new novel, Crude Ambition, which has a publication date of June 8, 2021. Kristine Hall, the owner, is very knowledgeable and helpful. Patricia Hunt Holmes

I'm so glad you had a great experience, Patricia!!

Adding it to my list!!!

Great information and best of luck with your launch! I looked into a DIY tour years ago and was discouraged by the upfront research required, so it is great to learn there are services that set up virtual tours.

lrtrovi, it is so nice to get the feedback from those who have had a variety of experiences. I haven't done anything with book tours to date, so it's wonderful to have both the post AND the comments for reference.

I was overwhelmed too. Most of the tours are very reasonable and totally worth it - I don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Great information. I was in a tour for one of my books, but I didn't arrange it. I'm familiar with four of the companies you listed.

Excellent information, John. This will come in handy for future use. Your release date for Max and the Spice Thieves is on my birthaversary!

all good advice here methinks.

Thanks, John! One of these tours may be in my future. My anthology group used Goddess Fish and had a good experience with them. We put up a different excerpt from each of the stories on the anthology for each stop. Worked out well. I noticed that a few readers followed us to each stop because we had a giveaway at the end. Would do this again.

Silver Dagger Book Tours is by far the best out there in my opinion, and I've tried several other companies. She makes killer custom graphics and is very easy to work with.

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How to Create a Shoppable Virtual Tour of Your Retail Store

There are varied predictions about the return of foot traffic to retail stores in the post-pandemic world, and the changing role of stores. Regardless of whether consumers visit stores more or less than before, increasing the ROI on retail space investments is a higher priority for brands than ever before. One way to enhance the scope and reach of your brick-and-mortar store is to digitize it. A photorealistic, 3D virtual version of your store can drive engagement and gain traction nationally and worldwide, whereas the brick-and-mortar is dependent upon regional, foot traffic.

Utilizing virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) technologies, it is possible to digitally recreate physical stores in photorealistic, 3D e-commerce sites that includes both in-store and online inventory for a fully shoppable online store experience. Essentially creating a shoppable virtual tour of the retail store. These virtual stores are designed to drive discovery, engagement, click-through, session duration, average order value, and conversion for leading retailers and brands.

Benefits of virtualizing retail stores

• Store becomes accessible to a wider audience 
• Remote shopping enabled
• Makes in-store inventory digitally accessible

Retailers can use the Obsess Experiential E-commerce Platform™ to virtualize their retail stores at a high resolution and with a fast turnaround time.

Neha Singh, CEO of Obsess, comments, “This is a very easy way to create a much richer experience for consumers online, because you already have your retail stores that you have constructed and merchandised with so much effort. A much wider audience can now visit your store, and shop it without having to physically go to the store.”

Ralph Lauren’s series of virtual flagships is a relevant example of transforming physical locations into 3D, immersive digital experiences. Ralph Lauren (RL) has virtual store recreations for their Boston , Beverly Hills , Hong Kong and Paris store locations. By visiting the Ralph Lauren website and by clicking on the “ RL Virtual Experience ” page, a visitor can travel around the world with Ralph Lauren virtually and be immersed in photorealistic renderings of their renowned and unique flagship stores in various locations. Customers can click on any product in the virtual store, and order it online, call the store or add it to their wishlist. The “RL Virtual Experience” serves as a new sales channel in addition to Ralph Lauren’s retail stores and e-commerce website.

Ralph Lauren’s digitization of their famous flagship stores around the world inspired American Girl to take a step forward in virtualizing their iconic stores, providing access to consumers everywhere. They decided to launch their virtual store to celebrate the brand’s 35th anniversary. The virtual American Girl Place is an immersive experience embedded in the brand’s website that allows customers to explore the brand’s store and shop from their computers or mobile devices.

Retail TouchPoints noted that “the results of American Girl’s virtual store have been clear, with high traffic across both experiences, strong engagement and solid click-through rates.”

Now, American Girl customers do not have to travel to New York City to experience the magic of the flagship store, they can do it virtually from the comfort of their home. Customers can even partake virtually in the location’s most popular experiences including booking tables and parties at the American Girl Café. The ability to book reservations is made possible through an integration between the virtual store and the actual store’s reservation system.

Digitizing your brick-and-mortar store is a simple way to enhance its ROI. By virtualizing your physical store, you will reach a larger audience worldwide, enable remote shopping, and ensure your in-store inventory is digitally accessible. Learn more about how to create shoppable virtual tours of your retail stores. 

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Obsess is the leading experiential e-commerce platform enabling brands and retailers to serve immersive and highly interactive 3D virtual experiences that drive conversion, customer engagement, and brand loyalty amongst a new generation of gaming-fluent consumers. Obsess uses its proprietary virtual shopping platform and VR/AR technology to enable brands and retailers to set up 3D 360 digital storefronts on their websites.

• Virtual Stores
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To read this content please select one of the options below:

Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, understanding the virtual tours of retail stores: how can store brand experience promote visit intentions.

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management

ISSN : 0959-0552

Article publication date: 5 May 2020

Issue publication date: 25 June 2020

As consumers spend more time shopping online, traditional retailers are facing a decline in on-site shoppers. To help the industry in the omnichannel era, we propose that a virtual tour of a store could affect brand equity and promote store visit intentions, based on a well-established brand experience account.

Design/methodology/approach

The virtual tour stimuli were created using 360-degree photos of real stores. Participants explored the store virtually and then completed an online survey. With 240 responses drawn from the general population in the US, structural equation modelling (SEM) was used.

Results showed that store brand experiences significantly affected consumers and the four brand experience dimensions exerted differentiated effects. Sensory and behavioural experiences directly increased intentions to visit the store, whereas intellectual and emotional experiences promoted visit intentions via enhanced brand equity.

Originality/value

This is the first retail study investigating a virtual tour through the lens of brand experience. It is also one of a handful that examined the distinctive effects of the four brand experience dimensions, which deserve scholars’ attention and further inquiry. The virtual tour can be a powerful branding tool in the online-dominant retailing era. Retailers can employ a virtual tour not only to increase brand equity but also to cultivate consumers’ intentions to visit their stores. Furthermore, the use of 360-degree interactive media to evoke the virtual experience of a store renders higher generalizability and extendibility in future research and practice.

• Virtual tour
• Store brand experience
• Visit intention
• Brand equity

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the grants provided by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Project Code: 1-BE1G) and National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2014S1A2A2028434).This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea, Global Research Network Program [NRF-2014S1A2A2028434].

Baek, E. , Choo, H.J. , Wei, X. and Yoon, S.-Y. (2020), "Understanding the virtual tours of retail stores: how can store brand experience promote visit intentions?", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management , Vol. 48 No. 7, pp. 649-666. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-09-2019-0294

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Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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