The idea of planning a tour to promote your book can be very exciting but especially daunting. With a vision in mind, you are likely to have plenty of questions: What exactly is a book tour? How do I plan one? When should I do it? What do I do while on a tour?

These are all very good questions, and ones we hear from our authors often. We’ve put together the ultimate guide so you can choose the option that’s right for you!

What exactly is a book tour? What do I do while on a tour?

A book tour is a wonderful method to connect with your network in person and attract new readers. Social and digital media promotions are great for spreading the word and announcing updates about your book, but it’s also rewarding to get out there and share your message or story in a more personal or long-form way.

You can sign copies of your books, hold a party to celebrate the initial launch, read a chapter for attendees, or book interviews and speaking engagements. There are many combinations of what your book tour or single event can look like based on the scale of these events and size of your network.

Book Launch Event

Many authors plan a single event to celebrate their initial launch. If you want to keep your book launch event more personal, you can choose almost any venue to invite your network and encourage online sales or bring signed copies of your book to sell directly to guests.

You can also increase the potential for new readers by collaborating with your local bookstore. Whether you approach your neighborhood indie shop, or reach out to the local Barnes & Noble, many bookstores love working with local authors to schedule launch parties and signings. This is also a great opportunity to form a relationship with that bookstore to get copies of your book on their shelves!

Touring Local Bookstores

If your personal network is nearby, reaching out to local bookstores is a smart way to spread the word across your community. By connecting with multiple stores to schedule events during the months following your book’s release, you can increase your readership, build buzz in your city, and increase local demand for your book! Coordinate multiple events—the more interviews you do, the more opportunities you have to advertise your book and show all the milestones and accomplishments you achieve.

Cross-Country

Perhaps your network spans multiple cities. Planning events outside of your own neighborhood, where members of your network are ready to show up and lead the charge in supporting your book, allows you to increase your readership on a larger scale. It takes further coordination and more resources, but with more effort comes satisfying rewards. Larger bookstores appreciate seeing not only the hard work put in by the author, but also the multiple places and local stores your book receives attention. This not only increases the magnitude of your campaign and number of eyes on your book, but also shows those larger bookstores that readers are excited about your book!

Podcasts/Virtual Events

Maybe you prefer the digital landscape. Speaking about your book on podcasts helps you grow awareness for both your book and your brand. Whether you are a first-time fiction author or an established thought leader, a podcast tour can provide a platform for you to share your work. Some authors primarily focus on podcasts as a way to promote their book online, while others coordinate in-person events and podcast events congruently.

In the same vein, since 2020, virtual book tours have become more popular. They existed before the pandemic, but understandably grew in popularity during that time. You can schedule a reading or Q&A via your website with a link for people to join at a certain date and time, or you can partner with a bookstore that conducts virtual events for the community. It’s all about what works best for you. You can also coordinate any cross-country event by taking the virtual approach if that’s more convenient for your schedule.

How do I plan one? When should I do it?

If a book tour on any scale is of interest to you, there are a variety of ways to start planning.

It’s best to start sooner rather than later in order to have the luxury of an open calendar for both you and the venue. You should promote the event in advance to your network on social media and/or your newsletter.

If you approach local stores, which many authors do, we suggest you send them an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) or sales sheet with essential information at least 2–3 months in advance of when you would like to hold an event. Our Print-on-Demand titles are submitted to retailers much closer to publication, so it’s imperative to keep in mind when your book will be available for bookstores to order and when you’ll be able to order copies yourself. It’s important to let bookstores know that you are a local author, share any planned PR and marketing coverage for the book to show the demand you will be generating, and express your interest in working with them on an event around the time of your book’s release. Every store works differently, so whether they want to order copies of your book for the event via a wholesaler or you need to bring physical copies to the store, your Greenleaf team can help make sure you have the books on hand.

If you are working with a publicist, they can help coordinate a tour for you. Talk with your publicist about signings, speaking engagements, and event promotions as you build your campaign with them.

Once you have the venue, bookstore, or podcast booked, make sure you let your network know! The more support you receive at these events, the better. A good turnout and/or high engagement in podcast episodes can open more doors for you and your book. You may also want to promote the event in local new outlets. Whether you take out an ad in the newspaper or radio station or work on cross-promotion with the bookstore, it’s important to let as many people know about your book as possible.

As you are preparing for your book tour, remember that promoting your book is a marathon, not a sprint. Yes, it is important to plan events as close to the initial launch as possible, but they don’t have to, and likely won’t, happen all in the first month. If you choose to host a single event to celebrate the launch, we recommend doing this the same week the book releases. If you are coordinating an entire tour, in person or virtually, you can plan these events and interviews for the weeks and months after release. It’s important to inform your Greenleaf Marketing and Distribution teams, as well as your publicist, about your event plans to generate the most impact and exposure. A book tour is a fantastic way to continue to build upon the momentum of your book launch, reach new readers, and grow the visibility for both you and your book.

Written by Greenleaf's Marketing Strategist, Madelyn Myers

Madelyn is responsible for the execution of marketing strategies to increase visibility and readership for Greenleaf authors and their books.