Going back to school, Blogging School

In these days of internet access which reaches a global audience, the days of authors traveling from city to city and bookstore to bookstore to promote their work before a captive audience is going the way of the dinosaurs, horse-drawn buggies and Hula Hoops.

Today authors who wish to promote their books do so from the comfort of their own office. And instead of visiting different cities, they spend a great deal of time visiting blogs and social networking sites.

With the goal of improving my book promotion skills, I’ve signed up to participate in a class that teaches newbie authors (like me) how get the most visibility from their own blogs, and also to organize a whirlwind book tour, which these days means a blog tour.

The classes are all online, there are dozens of other students who offer support and encouragement, and best of all, it’s FREE!!

Well, actually it’s not free; it just doesn’t cost money. The price for admission is a willingness to show up every day, pay attention, support other students, and write a blog entry EVERY DAY. So there is actually quite a bit of work involved.

The new three-month session started May 1 with an agenda that follows this format:
Month 1 - improving your blogs
Month 2 - social networking and marketing
Month 3 - finding hosts and planning your tour stops
Month 4 - supporting each other's blog book tours

They offer a guide to get everyone started at: http://quickest.blogbooktourguide.ever.com/

For anyone interested in joining the Fall classes, all the info you need is at: http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com/

Happy Blogging.