Had I known being an author would require me to do so much I might not have bothered.
Okay, that's not true. Writing is like breathing to me and for at least the past 15 years I've wanted to see my name on the front cover of a book--though providing endorsements on back covers of books is nice too.
Over the past month I've certainly gotten a new appreciation for my virtual book tour clients as I prepare for my upcoming virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book.
Let's see, first of all, I had to coordinate my own tour. I guess it should be easy since I already do this for a living, but coordinating a two-and-a-half month tour alongside tours for about a dozen other people isn't exactly a cake walk. My poor Inbox has 51 items in it. Not bad considering many people's Inboxes, but definitely more than my usual one-page list. There are so many emails flying back and forth for my tour and my clients' that it's amazing it can all be kept straight.
Staples and the post office have seen me so much these past few weeks we've considered creating a tunnel from my house to their front doors to save time. When the Staples employees start calling me by my first name, I'll certainly begin to worry.
By the way, do you have any idea how much shipping supplies cost? And just thinking about the amount of money I've spent on postage gives me hives.
I have a notebook that I use to track all ongoing virtual book tours. My tour alone has 75 stops, not including some of the pre-tour buzz I've been making along the way. There are additions, cross-outs, and eraser marks all over the place. My handwriting is horrible--just ask those whose books I've autographed--and trying to decipher my schedule is akin to trying to read the disclaimer at the end of a sweepstakes giveaway that is typed in a 7.5 font.
Since my book's release on August 21st, I don't think a day has gone by that I haven't blogged about it, tweeted it, talked about it on Facebook and my other social networks, or guest blogged somewhere.
The two major things I need to do to get ready for my tour are email the giveaway announcement to all my hosts and post my full tour schedule here. I'll be doing that over the weekend.
Now I understand why big name writers hire people to do all this stuff. It's like a part-time job on top of everything else you're doing.
I hope you've enjoyed my silly ramblings. Honestly, I wouldn't want to be doing anything else right now. I'm thrilled to be a debut author. I know this is just the first of many books my name will appear on (see, I'm not always a pessimist). I love my clients and there are no better bloggers on the face of the planet than those who host Pump Up Your Book's authors.
I know being a touring author is going to make me a better virtual book tour coordinator. I feel very blessed to have this opportunity. God is good!
