I welcome Jo Linsdell back on the Red Carpet today to showcase her great book on organizing virtual book tours. A subject dear to most of our hearts, often causing anxiety and confusion. This book will help us all.
Virtual Book Tours are a great way to create a buzz for a new release or to put life back into an older publication. In this book Jo Linsdell takes you through everything you need to know to be able to set up and carry out a successful virtual book tour.
Jo Linsdell
The book is divided into 4 sections for ease of navigation
1) What is a Virtual Book Tour?
2) How to organise your own tour
3) Promoting a tour
4) Useful resources
You’ll find it packed with links, tips, and advice to help make your tour a hit.
Jo, tell us why authors need your book Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Tours Promotion From the Comfort of Your Own Home?
Marketing is part of being a writer. Regardless of how you’re published (traditionally or self-published), you will at some point, need to do some marketing. Virtual book tours are one of the most effective methods of creating a buzz about your book and have numerous benefits. In this book I cover everything you need to know to organise and carry out a virtual book tour. Even if you decide not to do a virtual book tour, you’ll still find this book useful as it’s packed full of marketing ideas and links to resources.
Why did you decide to write a book about virtual book tours?
I’ve done several successful virtual book tours for my own books and have worked with book tour companies and authors for years hosting them on my sites. Over the years I’ve therefore gained a lot of experience in doing a virtual book tour both from the author and the host’s point of view. As I often get asked for advice about doing them from other authors I decided to put all the information together and created Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From the Comfort of Your Own Home
What is the first thing you recommend authors do when they decide to organise a virtual book tour?
Put together a media kit. In creating a media kit you have all the information regarding your book, you as an author, and your virtual book tour, all in the one place. This makes it a useful reference tool for you, but also a valuable tool you can use during preparations for your tour. It looks professional and creates a good impression. It also makes life easier for your hosts as they have all the information they might need for your post all in the one place.
You created the cover art for the book yourself. What was your inspiration for the design?
I wanted a cover that was thumbnail friendly as, more often than not, it gets seen online in that format. That meant the text needed to be easy to read and the whole look needed to be clutter free. Too many details or fancy fonts don’t look good in thumbnails. I also wanted an image that quickly portrayed what the book was about. I choose the theme “sending your book around the world” and played around with some ideas based on this idea. I’m really pleased with how the cover came out.
Why did you choose to self publish using Amazon’s KDP program?
I’ve always been very pro self publishing. For me, it’s always been my plan A. I choose Amazon because it’s the leader in its field. Everyone knows Amazon. Using the site is super easy and through KDP your book can be available to the public in just 12 hours from hitting the publish button.
I like that through KDP setting up a free day is easy. It’s a great way to spread the word about your book and get readers to take notice. I like that you can update your book information as and when you please and have full control over pricing. They also have one of the best customer services I’ve come across. If that’s not enough, they bought Goodreads earlier this year (one of the top sites for book lovers).
You’re best know for your best selling children’s picture books. Why the change in genre?
For me, it’s not about thinking outside the box. The box simply doesn’t exist. I like to experiment with my writing and although I’ve had most success as an author and illustrator of children’s picture books, I’m always trying out new genres. When I get an idea that gets me excited, like this book about virtual book tours, I go with it.
I know you have two small children. How do you find the time for writing and marketing?
My kids definitely keep me busy but I’ve learnt to make the most of the time I get. I do most of my writing in the evenings once they’ve gone to bed. Sometimes my husband will take the kids out for the morning to give me a break and give me a few hours to work on bigger projects.
During the day I hop on and off my social media pages to network. I have the apps installed on my phone so I can visit and engage with my contacts even when I’m not near my computer.
I use sites like Social Oomph to program some content to post at scheduled times. I do the same for some posts to my Facebook pages. This gives me a constant online presence without needing to actually be online all the time. I also program my blogs ahead of time. When you have young kids anything can happen and so you need to prepare for the unexpected. By having some content programmed in advance I give myself a safety net and so don’t need to stress about keeping up with things as much.
Author:
Jo Linsdell is a best selling author and illustrator and internationally recognized marketing expert. She is also the founder and organizer of the annual online event
On the Red Carpet today I am welcoming back Jo Linsdell who is touring her book on- how to tour a book:)
RED CARPET DAY
Virtual Book Tours:
Effective Online Book Promotion From the Comfort of Your Own Home
If you ask Jo if she considers Virtual Book Tours Still Relevant? she will tell you
I love virtual book tours and they have proved to be the most effective marketing strategy I’ve used for my own books. A lot of people don’t understand how to do them correctly though. I’ve often seen authors complain that their virtual book tour wasn’t worth it. When I ask them about their tour though it usually becomes immediately clear that they didn’t do it correctly. Yep, that’s right. There is a right and wrong way to do them.
Posts need to be designed for your target audience and therefore the sites you’re hosted on need to fit your niche. Posts need to be promoted. You need to reply to comments and engage people in discussions. It’s not enough to just post some content out there. You need to work it to make it work.
There are also a lot of people that don’t understand the full potential of a virtual book tour. They have misconceptions about what can be included. Because of this, a question I get asked a lot is “are virtual book tours still relevant?”. The short answer is yes. In fact more so now than ever before. For a longer answer watch this video.
Jo tell us all a bit about your latest book
Virtual Book Tours are a great way to create a buzz for a new release or to put life back into an older publication. In this book I take you through everything you need to know to be able to set up and carry out a successful virtual book tour.
The book is divided into 4 main sections for easy navigation:
1) What is a Virtual Book Tour? 2) How to organise your own tour 3) Promoting a tour 4) Useful resources
You’ll find it packed with links, tips, and advice to help make your tour a hit.
I think many self published authors would find this book very usefull. Will it be equally so for the traditionaly published author?
Marketing is part of being a writer. Regardless of how you’re published (traditionally or self-published), you will, at some point, need to do some marketing. Virtual book tours are one of the most effective methods of creating a buzz about your book and have numerous benefits. In this book I cover everything you need to know to organise and carry out a virtual book tour. Even if you decide not to do a virtual book tour, you’ll still find this book useful as it’s packed full of marketing ideas and links to resources.
Why did you decide to write a book about virtual book tours?
I’ve done several successful virtual book tours for my own books and have worked with book tour companies and authors for years hosting them on my sites. Over the years I’ve therefore gained a lot of experience in doing virtual book tour both from the author and host point of view. As I often get asked for advice about doing them from other authors I decided to put all the information together and created Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From the Comfort of Your Own Home
What is the first thing you recommend authors do when they decide to organise a virtual book tour?
Put together a media kit. In creating a media kit you have all the information regarding your book, you as an author, and your virtual book tour, all in theone place. This makes it a useful reference tool for you, but also a valuable tool you can use during preparations for your tour. It looks professional and creates a good impression. I also makes life easier for your hosts as they have all the information they might need for your post all in the one place.
You created the cover art for the book yourself. What was your inspiration for the design?
I wanted a cover that was thumbnail friendly as, more often than not, it gets seen online in that format. That meant the text needed to be easy to read and the whole look needed to be clutter free. Too many detailsor fancy fonts don’t look good in thumbnails. I also wanted an image that quickly portrayed what the book was about. I choose the theme “sending your book around the world” and played around with some ideas based on this idea. I’m really pleased with how the cover came out.
Why did you choose to self publish using Amazon’s KDP program?
I’ve always been very pro self publishing. For me, it’s always been my plan A. I choose Amazon because it’s the leader in its field. Everyone knows Amazon. Using the site is super easy and through KDP your book can be available to the public in just 12 hours from hitting the publish button.
I likethat through KDP setting up a free day is easy. It’s a great way to spread the word about your book and get readers to take notice. I like that you can update your book information as and when you please and have full control over pricing. They also have one of the best customer services I’ve come across. If that’s not enough, they bought Goodreads earlier this year (one of the top sites for book lovers).
You’re best known for your best selling children’s picture books. Why the change in genre?
For me, it’s not about thinking outside the box. The box simply doesn’t exist. I like to experiment with my writing and although I’ve had most success as an author and illustrator of children’s picture books, I’m always trying out new genres. When I get an idea that gets me excited, like this book about virtual book tours, I go with it.
You’re a mum to a 5 year old and a 2 year old. How do you find the time for writing and marketing?
My kids definitely keep me busy but I’ve learnt to make the most of the time I get.I do most of my writing in the evenings once they’ve gone to bed. Sometimes my husband will take the kids out for the morning to give me a break and give me a few hours to work on bigger projects.
During the day I hop on and off my social media pages to network. I have the apps installed on my phone so I can visit and engage with my contacts even when I’m not near my computer.
I use sites like Social Oomph to program some content to post at scheduled times. I do the same for some posts to my Facebook pages. This gives me a constant online presence without needing to actually be online all the time. I also program my blogs ahead of time. When you have young kids anything can happen and so you need to prepare for the unexpected. By having some content programmed in advance I give myself a safety net and so don’t need to stress about keeping up with things as much.
What’s next?
I’m currently working on another children picture story book The Bedtime Book, a series of non-fiction books for writers and authors about using social media, and some new collaborations as an illustrator. I like to keepmyself busy ;)
Where can people find out more about you and your books?
I thought I knew everything about Virtual Book Tours until I read this book, I now know so much more! Virtual Book tours are a highly effective way to spread the news about your book, I did one for my own book (The Alien Mind) before I read this book and was amazed at how much more traffic and interaction it brought to my website as well as the boosts in sales and reviews. I can’t wait to apply the tips Jo shares in this book to my future book releases and see how much MORE of a boost these tips will bring!
I think the next thing I want to try out, which Jo discusses in her book, is a virtual book signing!
Jo Linsdell has blown me away with her new book Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From The Comfort of Your Own Home. This is seriously a book that EVERY author promoting any book absolutely NEEDS to read. You will not be sorry, as a matter of fact, you will want to keep it close at hand for reference. All the steps are clear and easy to follow and there are many tools discussed in this book as well. You will find yourself going back to it repeatedly for marketing advice!
If you are an independent writer and self-promoter of your books, products, or services then this book is a must! Jo Linsdell does a fantastic job designing a blueprint to follow to use to promote and market ones work. The “how to” steps she presents in the book are both effective and easy to follow. Jo has also filledits pages with loads of other marketing resources that any writer or entrepreneur will find useful!
I have completed one virtual book tour for atrilogy of picture books about squirrels, so when the opportunity arose to reviewVirtual Book ToursI jumped at it, as I wanted to see how well I done on my own tour, where I went wrong and what I could improve next time around.
My virtual book tour was a rather fly by the pants event, so the planning section of the book was quite an eye opener, as it gives additional places to find reviewers and other methods I’d not thought about – like searching on Google – I did a search today for “PR Friendly Mom Bloggers” and I was blown away by the first search result, which was a linky directory with over 500 Mom bloggers, which will keep me busy for a while! There are also other invaluable links I will try out as well.
One area that I could have improvedon is that I could have done more interaction with my hosts and their readers, but I did convey my thanks to every host. However, I received an email the other day from a lady thanking me for an interview and a review I posted on this website and it was so enthusiastic and grateful – I’m not sure my paltry thank yous were enough!
I must admit I did try to emulate Jo Linsdell’s media kit for my trilogy of picture books, as I was intrigued by and a host for herOut and About at the Zoo picture book tour, but I really need to try press releases, creating some of the other promotional materials and carrying out the promotional methods revealed in this book.
One piece of advice I will definitely take on board is to re-purpose content – I have a string of reviews and interviews out there on the internet, but they are not all on my media page, in fact at the moment I don’t even have a media page, so that’s a wasted opportunity right there.
This book has taught me that for my next virtual book tours, I will need to try to find more specialized bloggers and hosts in the parenting arena. I also need to have a sharper focus on what I want to achieve from the tour and get used to using social media more to my advantage.
The resources in the book are phenomenal – there are lists of potential hosts, internet radio shows (I’ve not ventured on this ground yet) and much more and the final check list will be invaluable to me.
A very well written and comprehensive book – after reading this, there can be no excuse not give a virtual book tour a go.
There may be a time in the future that I start offering virtual book tours to picture book authors, so I will definitely digest and follow this adviicen perfecting my own tours first.
As a writer, it‘s grueling to have the discipline to finish the book. After that, the real works starts with marketing the book. If no one knows about the book, who cares?
Jo’s book kick starts peddling the book to get the word out. Get great links to put her advice to action.
Get must-have tips for book promotion. Go and enjoy the journey.
I just read Jo Linsdell’s book, Virtual Book Tours, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I’ve read lots of books aimed at helping writers market theirbooks but this one stands out from all the rest. It’s easy to understand and the information is useful, not just filler for a book. It will be my guide as I plan and set up my virtual book tours and I’m sure, because of this book, they will be a huge success. I will be buying the hard copy once it is available. Thank you Jo!
Jo Linsdell is a best selling author and illustrator, award winning blogger, and freelance writer. She is also the founder and organiser of the annual online event Promo Day (www.PromoDay.info). Her latest release Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From the Comfort of Your Own Home is now available from Amazon. Find out more about her at her website www.JoLinsdell.com
Today I welcome back Jo Linsdell author of Fairy May. Jo has agreed to be interviewed about her book and writing for children. Fairy May is a delightful illustrated rhyming book about a fairy’s dream of becoming a tooth fairy.
Red Carpet Day
Jo Linsdell
author of
Fairy May
Today I welcome back Jo Linsdell author of Fairy May. Jo has agreed to be interviewed about her book and writing for children. Fairy May is a delightful illustrated rhyming book about a fairy’s dream of becoming a tooth fairy.
Jo it is so nice to have you back on my Red Carpet again. I do hope your tour is going well. Now, this new book of yours Fairy May, which is great fun I have to say, is your second for young children?
Jo: Thanks for having me back. It’s always a pleasure visiting your blog.
Yes Fairy May is my second children’s picture story book to be published (I have others that I’m working on right now though so expect more very soon ;) ). It’s about a young Fairy called Fairy May who dreams of one day becoming a tooth fairy. Unfortunately for Fairy May she struggles at school and always seems to get things wrong. That doesn’t stop her though. With hard work and determination she prepares for her test. To find out if she realises her dream you’ll have to check out the book though ;)
1) You obviously enjoy writing for children. Has this come about because you are a mother or have you always wished to write in this particular genre?
It’s always been something I’ve thought about doing but being a mum definitely gave me the push I needed to give it a go. In fact I took the step to writing my first one Out and About at the Zoo when my son asked me to write a book for him. If you’ve enjoyed my books it’s him you should thank for giving me the motivation to put my ideas into action.
I love writing children’s books. Once I’d done one I was hooked and having taken part in Picture Book idea Month (or PiBoIdMo) last November I have a huge list of ideas that I’m working through.
2)I have always admired those who can entertain children in this way, I think it is more difficult than writing adult fiction. What if anything do you find most difficult?
I spend the majority of my time in the company of small children and so I’m part of that world. I get to see what makes them laugh, what interests them… When writing for children you need to get in touch with your inner child but trying to remember what it was like when you were young will only get you so far. Times change and the new generations have high expectations. The way they see the world is different from how we used to see it at their age. For one thing they all seem in such a hurry to grow up nowadays. You try to explain to a 5 year old that mobile phones didn’t exist when you were his age and see the response you get.
In such a world I think it’s important that the story is fun but also that it leaves them with things to think about. Fairy May for example is simple, rhyming verse and colourful pictures. The kids like it because they can read along and the pictures have just enough detail to get them pointing things out. The message it carries is important though. More than just encouraging good dental hygiene, it’s about following your dreams. Something I think is important for both children and adults. Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it can’t be done. I think that’s the hardest part of writing for children. Combining all the right elements. You need to have the right balance. Lessons need to be taught but without preaching. You need to use language they understand and make it fun.
3)Will you continue writing in this genre and if so will you move the age group as your children grow older?
Definitely! Like I said before, I have lots of ideas I’m working through and some new books are in the process of being created at the moment so you can expect more children’s picture books from me very soon.
As for my books growing up with my kids it’s something I’ve thought about myself. I may well try writing for older age groups as they grow up as it will probably be the natural progression. That said I love creating books for young children and can’t see myself stopping any time soon.
4) Fairy May apart from being a fun read is a story which shows that even if a person isn’t automatically perfect in every way there is no bar to having a dream and going for it. Is this message gleaned from your own experience or from observation of your own children and their friends?
When I was younger I often felt like I wasn’t good enough. I think it’s quite common especially amongst children. Unfortunately this self doubt often stops us from going after our dreams. When you excel in something and receive praise it’s easy to drive forward and show what you can do. When you’re not naturally gifted in something though and realise how much hard work you’ll need to put in to become good at it the story changes. We often block ourselves from reaching our goals. I’ve learnt over time that if I put my mind to it I’m capable of doing so many things. Like the saying goes “it’s better to have tried and failed than to have failed without trying”. I’ve surprised myself numerous times over the years by achieving things that at first seemed out of my reach.
5) You draw all your illustrations, is this a natural talent or have you trained?
I’ve always loved everything creative. Programmes like Art Attack and Blue Peter were regular viewing for me when I was younger. As I got older I did a lot of theatre and would be just as involved in the staging and scenery as I was the acting. Art and design was one of my favourite lessons at school and my grades were always pretty good.
Digital art has been a new learning curve for me though as my first time using a graphics program was when I did Out and About at the Zoo. Luckily for me a friend of mine is very savvy in this area and he talked me though the “how to”. I would have been lost without him.
The more I use Adobe Illustrator the more I like it. I have a real hunger for learning about more of the different features and how to get different effects and results. I often search through YouTube for how to tutorials to get new ideas.
I learn best when I D.I.Y. and so my training is from hours of playing around with the program and from picking up tips from friends and online content.
6) Do you have the story before the illustrations or vice and versa or indeed do they evolve together?
I normally work on the text first and then the illustrations. As both of my books so far have been picture story books the illustrations have only needed to compliment the text but not be an active part of the story.
I do plan on creating some picture books where the illustrations form part of the story and for those I’m evolving the two together.
7) You say you are very busy with other projects and I am not sure how you find the time, for all you do:) You have another children’s book, The Bedtime Book, in the works as well as two non-fiction The Writers and Authors Guide to Social Media and Virtual Book Tours. Which, if either, do find the most fun/satisfaction in writing, the fiction or the non fiction?
I love both genres and I’m not sure I could pick between the two.
I get to involve my kids in my work more with children’s books which makes them special and fun to do. The satisfaction of having a child like your book is also special.
Writing non-fiction is something I love though. I like helping people and being able to share tips and advice I’ve learnt. There’s a lot of satisfaction in writing this genre too.
8) Has your son or your niece tried writing/drawing themselves a ‘book’ yet?:)
My sons love sitting up to the table with me to work on “our” books and my 5 year old has already made some mini books of his own. He’s very creative and his teachers at school have said he has a real talent for both story telling and art. When I’m working on the illustrations for my books he often asks questions about what I’m doing with my computer and will sit with me watching how I do it. He doesn’t seem fazed by technical answers either (sometimes what I’m doing can’t be simplified into a language 5 year olds can easily understand). He’s told me a few times that when he grown up he wants to make books like mummy so maybe one day he’ll publish his own stuff ;)
Thank you so much for your time Jo. May I wish all success with Fairy May and the rest of your tour. Fairy May is a beautiful book for young children I am sure it bring a lot of pleasure to children.
Fairy May
Written and illustrated by Jo Linsdell
Fairy May dreams of one day becoming a tooth fairy but she struggles at school and always seems to get things wrong. With hard work and determination she prepares for her test. Will she realise her dream and become a tooth fairy?
Jo Linsdell is an award winning freelance writer living in Rome , Italy . She is also the author of several books including the popular Italian for Tourists,A Guide to Weddings in Italyand the best selling children’s picture bookOut and About at the Zoo. Her latest book Fairy May was released on 1st February 2013. You can find out more about her atwww.JoLinsdell.com
I welcome Jo Linsdell back on the Red Carpet today to showcase her great book on organizing virtual book tours. A subject dear to most of our hearts, often causing anxiety and confusion. This book will help us all.
albereta ross writes 