Without a Word Count – Tip 8: Joining a Blog Tour
Dr Rachel Sargeant Loves Writing … Without a Word Count – Tip 8: Joining a Blog Tour
Dr Rachel Sargeant Loves Writing … Without a Word Count – Tip 8: Joining a Blog Tour
Welcome to my Substack. I post tips for emerging writers, monthly roundups of how I’m getting my writing done, and shoutouts for great books I’ve read.
This newsletter post – Joining a Blog Tour – gives a snapshot of what I’ve been up to in June 2026 and offers an insight into what’s involved in a blog tour.
As a thank you to those who subscribe to this newsletter, I held a draw for a free book. The first subscriber name out of the hat was Rachel S (no relation!). She chose a copy of The Good Teacher. I’ll be holding another draw later this year.
Writing
So far this month, I’ve written chapters 25 to 38 of my World War One mystery and am hopeful of writing a couple more before the end of June.
I had a short article published in the Crime Readers’ Association newsletter. The Association is free to join and sends out a monthly newsletter with articles about new crime fiction titles.
News
My husband and I hosted ten bookish friends at a launch party for Her Rising Star. The coffeeshop where my book club meets provided the venue and delicious catering – cheeseboard, cake and cordial. We chatted about books, weddings and timeslip streets. The guests played a game to match Her Rising Star characters to their backstories. Author Anita Faulkner took lots of photos and videos, which she edited for me, so I’ve used quite a few on social media.
The blog tour for Her Rising Star continued into early June. *I’ll talk more about blog tours later in this newsletter.
I was thrilled to get more author endorsements for my forthcoming thriller, An Ordinary House. This time from Lauren North, Sarah A. Denzil, Nicola Blackwell and Sheila Bugler.
Social/Networking/Reviews
June is National Crime Reading Month and I went to the online launch event organised by the Crime Writers’ Association. Author Emma Christie led a conversation with fellow crime authors Victoria Dowd, Penny Batchelor, Heather Critchlow and forensic scientist Professor Jim Fraser about why people love to read crime in a dangerous world.
An atmospheric wine bar in central Birmingham was the location for a meetup of the West and East Midlands branches of the Crime Writers’ Association. I chatted with authors Leslie Scase, Paul Gritsham, David Whittle, Heide Goody and Iain Grant.
My book club adopted Crime as the theme for our meeting. I presented William Shaw’s cleverly-plotted The Trawlerman and got great recommendations from the other members on what I might read next.
I also gave a talk to a neighbouring book club who had likewise picked Crime for this month’s reads. They gave me a warm welcome and I’m grateful to them and to coordinator, Jane of the Cotswold Book Nook, for the invitation.
Popped into lovely independent bookshop, Alison’s Bookshop in Tewkesbury, to meet new owner Catherine and say farewell to Ian, the outgoing owner, who’s retiring.
On the #FrontPageFridays feature on my website, I was delighted to feature Wonderful by Louise Beech, a quirky and beautiful story where Marilyn Monroe meets the Virgin Mary meets Flora from Hull.
This coming Friday I’ll be hosting the first page of The Boy in the Photograph by psychological thriller writer, Hilly Barmby.
I reviewed thrillers by Clare Mackintosh, D.E. White, Eliza Jabore, Akinari Asakura, Rose Silverman, Jennifer Pearson and Mark Edwards, crime fiction by William Shaw, feelgood fiction by Linda Huber and Louise Beech, and short stories by Anna Maconochie. My book reviews for June 2026 — Rachel Sargeant
* Tip 8: Joining a Blog Tour
A blog tour is a coordinated sequence of social media posts by different book bloggers about the same book.
The ‘tour’ is often arranged by a publisher. Hobeck Books organised the recent blog tour for Her Rising Star. However, I have also organised tours myself for previous books.
Book bloggers read, review and promote books for a hobby. They don’t get paid. They do it in their spare time for the love of reading. Authors like me, trying to get a presence in a crowded market, are very grateful for the guest slots offered on their websites and platforms. Also, as a reader, I get ideas for what to read next from the book bloggers I follow.
It’s a wonderful and generous service to readers and authors. Not only do book bloggers get involved in blog tours, but many also host extracts and/or reviews of new titles and interviews with authors. All this activity requires both creativity and organisation skills, yet, as I said, they do it in their spare time without payment. Book bloggers are in it for the joy of books and reading.
If you’re a writer and want a blog tour, I’d recommend:
Long before you have a publication date for your book, become part of the reading community on such platforms as Bluesky, Threads and Instagram. Check out the relevant hashtags: #booksky, Book Threads, #bookstagram.
Follow and engage with bloggers who read the kind of books you like and subscribe to some newsletters.
As soon as you know when your book is coming out, contact the bloggers you follow and ask if they’d like to take part in the blog tour. Always check on their websites or social media profiles for the kind of books they will feature and whether they are currently open to requests. Many are booked up for months so give as much notice as you can.
Mostly they offer review posts so would need to be sent a proof copy, either ebook or print copy, depending on their preference.
Some bloggers offer guest post space where they will host a chapter extract or an author Q&A.
If you are a reader and would like to get into blogging:
Start by posting reviews on your website or social media platforms and tag the author and publisher. (Note: positive reviews spread the book love. If your review criticises the book, please don’t tag the author or publisher…)
Follow a selection of publishers on social media in case they post invitations to review. Pellerin Books is currently recruiting volunteer reviewers, and Hobeck Books sometimes invite reviewers, via social media, to join their blog tours.
To find out more about how blogging works, check out the profiles of the bloggers who took part in the Her Rising Star blog tour:
Donna’s Interviews Reviews and Giveaways
Miriam Smith – A Mother’s Musings
Pictures:
Her Rising Star Blog Tour Banner © Hobeck Books
Book Launch Party © Nigel Sargeant
Alison’s Bookshop – Catherine, Rachel and Ian © Nigel Sargeant
How lovely to be able to see Ian before his retirement. I didn’t know about Alison’s bookstore until you mentioned it a little while back, but it’s now on my list to visit soon! Congrats on your book launch and blog tour!