Hatrack River Writers Workshop: The Decline of Book Tours

This is topic The Decline of Book Tours in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by lehollis (Member # 2883) on :

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/30/entertainment/main3558830.shtml

Posted by RMatthewWare (Member # 4831) on :

I think genre writers can have more success with book tours. I think the fan base is more loyal and more likely to want to meet their favorite author.

I also think a lot of people who write scifi seem to be technologically illiterate. It's amazing how many sci authors that sell well don't have a proper website.

In the 21st century, there are many more ways to electronically market a book. There are also more ways to publish a book: traditional paper, POD, audio, podcast, and e-book. Just because you have a new electronic media doesn't mean you shun the rest of it.

The same can be true for marketing. Just because you have newer means for marketing, doesn't mean you shun the older means. You do both. For example, you have your website, you have your facebook/myspace account, you can podcast your first chapter, you can network with the bloggers and see if they'll mention your book, you can write short stories that occur in the same universe as your book and either try to sell them, or put them up for free on your website.

There are many ways to market, but that doesn't mean you give up going on tours and going to the cons. It just means you have more ways to market yourself. And as competitive as the market is now, you should do as much as you can to market your work.

Posted by JeanneT (Member # 5709) on :

And some writers feel that signings and tours are less than effective. I'll point you to J. A. Konrath's blog where he extensively discusses marketing. He's a mystery writer not SF/F but I think the marketing issues are the same. Now he separates having a "stock signing" from "book signings" and feels those are quite effective. I was fascinated by his comments and read his blog regularly.

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-works.html

Posted by RMatthewWare (Member # 4831) on :

It looks like the blogs dead (last post in August), but the archives may have some good info. A quick skim of the first post seemed promising. Thank you.

Posted by JeanneT (Member # 5709) on :

Blech. I hadn't noticed that he had stopped posting to it. Too bad because he did put some good info in it.

On checking, he is still posting. I thought maybe I was imagining it. Maybe you couldn't find it because I linked to one of his old posts that related to the subject.

Here's a link to what I think is his most recent post.

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html

[This message has been edited by JeanneT (edited December 01, 2007).]