Before organizing an author book tour, it is necessary to know why it is done and what is a book tour in general. Because books reach out to readers in one way or another, readers also want to meet the person who gave life to the book. Although the author and reader can meet virtually, nothing beats the actual meet-up, especially if the book really meant something to the reader. This is one of the many reasons why authors organize book tours. Some authors do it for marketing purposes. Because there are so many books published every year, publishers do not exert much effort on book tours. It is the author who organizes a book tour oftentimes.

Arranging your own book tour or a book tour if you’re an event planner is not difficult once you know the goal of the book tour and have time to organize everything. Here are a few things you need to know about organizing an author book tour.

Know your connections. You have met many people throughout your life. Organizing a book tour requires a recollection of the people you know. Since you need to have a contact person in a potential venue, the people you already know are most likely to be of help. Locate them and share your plans. You can even come up with a good itinerary for the tour with this step.

Know your probable audience. The second step is to know the audience. Consider the people who would most likely read your book. This will help you set the ambiance for the event.

Know the costs. Although you have the best book tour plan, without money to spare it is useless. As an author, you need to set a budget for your tour, which depends on your popularity and the probability that people would attend your event. If you think your funds are insufficient, conduct book tours in major cities only. However, if your book is geared towards a particular audience, conduct the event in an appropriate place for them.

Know the best places to hold a book signing or reading event. This is one of the things you need to consider in your book tour. Depending on your budget, audience, and popularity, you must locate a suitable place to hold your event. Is a bookstore appropriate? Or is it better to hold it in a coffee shop or library?

It need not be grand. Unless you are a big shot writer (which you will be eventually), a book tour that you can host need not be grand. It may be a simple coffee gathering where you can talk about your book to a few people at a time. You can stay there for a day where people can just approach you and ask about the book.

Know how to handle the event effectively. The last thing you need to know in organizing a book tour is management. You need to manage time and resources effectively for a successful book tour.