The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blog.

Have you ever participated in a book tour?
(submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Do I participate in book tours (or blog tours)? Those of you who look at my blog posts regularly are probably laughing right now because I do participate in quite a few – some formally organized and some just loosely organized, so much so that you could never tell that my review is part of a tour.
The two highly organized tours that I participate in and can recommend are:
I linked the names to the websites in case you want to learn more and/or sign up to learn about their tours.

Why do I participate in blog/book tours? Well, Dave of The Write Reads contacted me through Twitter ages ago asking me if I’d like to participate in an ultimate blog tour for a book that intrigued me, so how could I say no? I’ve done so many now with The Write Reads that I don’t remember precisely which one was first but I do know it was Dec of 2019.
I joined Rachel’s Random Resources when it was recommended in a Book Blogger chat I was in on Twitter and that was around the same time as I started with The Write Reads. They have different organizational styles and very different books, but they are also both very organized, and I like that about each of them.
Doing blog tours helped teach me a lot about book blogging. About what information to include and how to utilize social media. I also met many blogger friends along the way, of which some of you are among them, and it is one of the means for which I’ve been able to grow my Twitter account. The Write Reads in particular has been very supportive, especially in terms of Twitter.
I do recommend blog tours, especially for people who are relatively new to book blogging because I really think it helps you grow your book blog in every way.
Do you participate in book tours? Why or why not?

You know I do too, & I was so nervous at first but I have learned so much it is really nice to be involved 💕
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I agree ❤️
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I’ve never heard of a blog tour, how would you get started.
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I think all blog tour organizers have sign up forms on their websites. You sign up and then they send you emails with their tours as they come up. If you are interested in the book and the time of the tour works for you, then you respond to the email. They will send a digital copy of the book and all of the tour materials- which is all information except for your review if you signed up to do a review.
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I’ve thought about getting involved after seeing The Write Reads posts on Twitter but never quite summoned up the courage to sign up.
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Dave is so nice! You can sign up to get the emails regarding what tours are available (I’m pretty sure you can do that on the website) and then if you see something you like, go for it!
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Thank you. I might well do that.
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Me too! Too many. The ones I participate in the most are for Bookouture, Austenprose, and Zooloos Book Tours.
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I’ve participated in some Bookouture ones also. I love their books ❤️
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I used to participate a lot. Rachel’s random resources is my favourite but I don’t participate much these days as get lots of e-copies from publishers.
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My participation has become much more spotty for the same reason. My schedule usually fills up with NetGalley books before their tour schedule comes out.
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I’ve done them, to varied success. I’ve not heard of either of the ones you recommend, so I’m off to check them out. Thanks for sharing.
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Rachel has lots of offerings of all genres. So, there is literally something in her tours for everyone.
Dave takes on fewer but they are more times than not, excellent reads – his books tend to be SciFy, Fantasy, and Thrillers – a lot of YA but more and more adult.
Have fun exploring ❤️
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You know I do, and I’m glad you referred me to The Write Reads last year. I enjoy participating in them because, well, books obviously, but also to meet other bloggers and help authors get their books out there.
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The Write Reads is perfect for you because the books he tours are mostly ones that are the type you enjoy. So glad you gave it a go 😊
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I love the blog tours as they’ve evolved today. Years ago, it was tough getting all the tour assets and managing all the particulars. Today they’re quite easy, technology aiding quite a bit, I don’t participate in a lot (maybe two or three a month) and mostly they’re through Harlequin. I’m picky about participating after some tough decisions around those books that didn’t quite go over well. But, it’s an excellent way of presenting more than just a traditional review.
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Agreeing to a blog tour and the finding out you don’t like the book is the absolute worst. I’ve agonized over that more than once, even with Harlequin. Normally, if I don’t like a book, it just kind of disappears, but when I’ve committed to a tour post and read the book, I can’t make it disappear and I won’t lie about how my reading experience was. So difficult 🤗
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I won’t lie, either, so I’ve learned to be careful and cautious.
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I did a couple of tours, but haven’t done any lately. Not sure why. Maybe, too much pressure?
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It is pressure – I agree. That is the downside.
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I’ve done several and I can agree that Rachel’s Random Resources are very organized and she offers some excellent books on her tours. But, I don’t do nearly as many as I used to as I get so many books from NetGalley now.
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My schedule also has been full once the tour information comes around, so I’ve been taking on less and less, too. They need to come out about 6 months prior to the running of the tour. 😂
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I have done blog tours in the past. Some companies were better than others in terms of the graphics and information they supplied. I will definitely look up the two you recommended.
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I agree. I do enjoy the ones that are well organized.
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Yes, I do book blog tours for Harlequin, Great Escapes, and Bookouture. I keep saying, I am going to cut back, but if it is a book I would be reading anyway, I will add it. I usually do about 6 to 8 a month, which seems like a lot, but when I read or listen to a minimum of 8 books a week, it really isn’t. I think originally it was to get access to books I wanted to read and to increase traffic to my blog, now it is more to have different content and to highlght books from authors I enjoy. I have had issues where I did not enjoy a book, so I don’t put a rating, just share my thoughts. So, if you see a book on my blog without a rating, it means it would have received 3 stars or less.
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That’s what I do too. I don’t give a star rating for the books that weren’t my cup of tea.
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Neat. As I writer I’ve researched getting my book on a blog tour, so it was interesting seeing the other side of it. What it’s like for book bloggers to participate and what they get out of it.
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Book Bloggers typically like to help authors and get information about books they enjoy out to others. Many of us take part in blog tours just for that reason. There is never monetary compensation for bloggers for a book review (or shouldn’t be) but the blog tour organizers do their part for monetary compensation because what they do is a business and not unbiased reviewing. If you have any questions, please ask away. I’m happy to tell you what I know.
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