Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

Michele Wells: A blog book tour is a really great use of the author’s time and resources. Essentially, the author contacts bloggers who deal with topics related to the book, and asks whether they would be interested in “hosting,” or being part of the tour. If so, the author sends out some copies of the book for the blogger to offer to their readers as a giveaway. Often, the blogger will also review the book, invite the author to write a guest post or participate in an interview. (If the blogger does write a review, he or she should also post that same review to Amazon.com, bn.com, and on the sites of other online book retailers.) For optimal traffic, the blogger should provide a link to the review on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, as well.

Another way to expand the blog book tour is for the author to visit forums and message boards that deal with the topic addressed by the book. The author can answer any poster’s questions and, in his or her signature line, call out the book’s title and provide a link to buy it. We’ve definitely seen blog book tours contribute to the sales of the book, especially through online venues such as Amazon.

Pierce Mattie: How are they different from normal online publicity?

Michele Wells: Normal online publicity drives traffic to a site for purchase, focusing on very targeted sites which the PR reps feel attract the book’s core readership. In a blog book tour, however, authors get to “meet” and interact with readers who might not have the ability to attend a reading in person. In addition, when the author guest-blogs, he or she also reaches what might be a completely new audience. The author usually provides additional tidbits of information not found in the book and, more importantly, generates a buzz within the community, furthering his or her reputation as an expert in that field.

Pierce Mattie: What advice do you have for publicists right now who are trying to navigate their way through the social media aspects of book publicity?

Michele Wells: Be open to all the online opportunities currently available, and don’t be afraid to use your “tried and true” tactics in a new medium. Often, when an author does a live book tour, attendees remember the event, but not what the author had to say. The information provided online has a much longer “shelf-life,” potential readers can find and access the information much later – and may be inspired to buy the book long after the initial publicity push dies down.

Pierce Mattie: Are book signings totally out?

Michele Wells: Never say “never,” but they’re generally not the best use of the author’s or publisher’s time; they rarely generate book sales, and are often poorly attended.

Pierce Mattie: What books are you currently working on right now?

Michele Wells: My company has recently shifted its focus to cover all aspects of business books. We look for everything from hard-core financial topics to career-advancement titles, and everything in-between. Some books I’m looking forward to publishing in the upcoming months include Leading After a Layoff by Ray Salemi, Super Staying Power by Jason Seiden, Coach Yourself to Win by Howard M. Guttman, and Business As Usual is Over by Connie Podesta.

Check out McGraw-Hill.com for more information.