Taken for a Ride
After my first guided blog tour, I'm sure the tour guides who assisted me think I'm pretty dumb to have written so many books.
Let me apologize again for my missteps and mistakes. Yes, it's true that I paid for a "Cover Reveal" and then revealed my cover all over the place before the actual date of my "cover reveal." The perplexed blog owner wrote to me, gently mentioning that my cover was no longer a secret and couldn't be revealed anymore. Not understanding the blog community, I wasn't aware that blogs communicate with each other and band together to facilitate better coverage for a book. The blog owner pointed this out to me and said she would have been happy to work with the other blog owner who was conducting one of my tours if she had only known that I was "double dipping," so to speak. I'm a bad, bad girl. I offered to make it up to her by writing a post for her blog. Again, she was more gracious than she needed to be and allowed this.
I didn't offer any giveaways because I couldn't figure out what I could give away. It seemed that authors were having drawings to win an autographed copy of their paperback, but my book is an ebook. Hard to autograph those. Other blogs pointed out that I could give away bookmarks, tote bags, or key chains. I consider all of these, but how many of those items do you need, really? I'm considering my options for the next go-round and I'm leaning toward gift cards. I can always use a gift card -- especially to buy books! Can't you?
I must admit that I loved the ride! The tours were exciting and I discovered new and wondrous things around every curve in the road -- beautiful blogs, websites, and Facebook pages; voracious readers; thoughtful reviewers; and other authors and their fabulous books! The very best part was getting reviews of my book. Oh, my. The thrill of it all. I don't know how other, more popular authors feel about reviews -- do they take them for granted when their books receive hundreds or even thousands of reviews? -- but every single one I receive is cause for celebration. Even if the reviewer isn't all that enamored with my book, at least the person took the time to post a review!
Sure, I was sweating bullets when the first review copies went out, but I can't express in mere words the total and complete euphoria I've experienced when I read (and reread) the reviews of people who love my characters and enjoyed my story. I admit I cried a few times when I read those reviews. Happy tears.
Is it any wonder that I've booked another blog tour (a couple, actually) for Book #2 in the Mind's Eye series (Through His Touch)? I'm looking forward to the first two weeks in September when I'll be touring the blog world again, rubbing virtual elbows with other readers, and begging the blog owners to please review my book. Pretty please?
I hope I'm not such a novice imbecile this time around. If I stumble, though, I know the blog tour guides will be there to catch me and force me back upright. I love those gals at Enticing Journey Book Promotions and Bewitching Book Tours. They know how to show a girl a good time.
