When it comes to promoting books, publishers tend to take on the bulk of this work for the authors. However, now that more and more writers are choosing to self-publish, or if you have decided to work with a small independent publisher, your resources when it comes to promotion might be more limited. If you are a self-published writer who has a new book coming out and has organized a tour to market it, here are few tips on how you can promote the tour itself. 

Social Media 

The simplest and most obvious way to promote your book tour is via relevant social media platforms. Creating an event page on Facebook or dedicated events website will allow your fans and other interested parties to access the key information regarding your tour, such as times, dates, and locations. It will also allow them to book a place or purchase a ticket for your book tour with ease.

You can also add updates to these pages to keep people in the loop if there have been any last-minute changes to your event or cancellations, for example. You can also share photos of the various stages of your tour on social media so people can see what to expect and to help get them excited about attending. 

Giveaways 

Another great way to promote your book tour is through competitions and giveaways. Again, these can be put on social media and will help to engage your fans with your tour in a fun way. You could give away a limited number of your books, put on a raffle where the winners will be announced at the event, or run a competition where fans can get free entry to your book tour or VIP seats, which include a personal meet-and-greet with you behind the scenes.  

Sell Other Merchandise 

While you will be selling copies of your book on tour, consider other ways you can make money while promoting your work as well. People love to buy merchandise that represents their favorite brands, and when it comes to books, it’s no different. Tote bags with illustrations or quotes from your book could be very popular and practical for your fans to purchase.

You could also sell customized apparel with similar things printed onto them or the dates of your book tour. Visit Anthem Branding if you’re interested in the latter, as they can do quality custom printing. Bookmarks, postcards, badges, and notebooks will all be other relevant merchandise you can use to promote your book and the tour as well. 

Utilize the Book Reviews 

You should always try to send a copy of your book to reviewers before its released date. These can then be used not only to promote the book itself but also as a way to encourage people to come to your book tour. If the reviews are positive, this will pique people’s interest in your writing and be an incentive for them to come and find out more about it and you as an author. You could even use previous positive reviews about your talents as a writer as well.  

Promoting a book tour isn’t always easy, but if you are a self-published author or an independent publisher trying to arrange a tour, consider the suggestions above to help you advertise it and get people to turn up.