The Awareness Tour: Virtual Children's Book Tours
Put Your Children’s Book in Front of Thousands of Eager Readers—Without Leaving Home
Ever notice how some children’s books seem to be everywhere—getting mentioned on blogs, featured on social media, and generating excitement—while others remain hidden despite their brilliance?
As an author or publisher, you know creating a wonderful book is only half the journey. The other half—getting it discovered by the right readers—can feel like an overwhelming, time-consuming challenge.
That’s where The Awareness Tour steps in: our virtual book tours connect your story with targeted audiences who are actively looking for their next favorite children’s book.
The Challenge: Visibility in a Crowded Market
In today’s publishing landscape:
- Thousands of new children’s books are published annually
- The average children’s book sells fewer than 5,000 copies in its lifetime
- Most authors lack the industry connections needed for widespread exposure
- Traditional book tours are expensive, exhausting, and limited by geography
- Building relationships with the right bloggers and influencers takes years
Without strategic visibility, even the most enchanting stories can disappear without finding their audience.
Why Trust TCBR with Your Virtual Book Tour?
Over the past 16 years, The Children’s Book Review has built a reputation as one of the most trusted voices in children’s literature. Our community includes thousands of parents, educators, librarians, and book buyers who rely on our recommendations.
We’ve spent years cultivating relationships with influential bloggers and content creators who share our passion for quality children’s literature. This network—which would take you years to build on your own—becomes your instant support system during your Awareness Tour.
Our founder, Bianca Schulze, recognized that many talented authors were struggling to connect with their ideal readers, which is why we created a done-for-you solution that leverages our platform and relationships to amplify your book’s visibility.
Picture This: Your Book in the Spotlight
Picture waking up to find your book being discussed, praised, and shared across the internet. Each day of your tour brings new exposure—a thoughtful review on a popular parenting blog, an interview highlighting your creative process, excited social media mentions from influencers whose followers trust their recommendations.
Your Amazon ranking climbs steadily. Librarians and teachers discover your book through these trusted sources. Your author platform grows as new readers connect with your work.
And the best part? This happens while you focus on what you do best—creating. No exhausting travel schedule. No logistics to manage. Just increasing visibility and connections that continue building long after your tour concludes.
How Does a Virtual Book Tour Work?
A virtual book tour is a promotional strategy that allows authors to connect with readers and promote their books online without needing physical travel. We are very hands-on to ensure the very best experience. Here’s an overview of how a virtual book tour typically works:
Organizing the Tour:
- Our team will source and coordinate the tour hosts (bloggers, social media influencers, etc.), and create a schedule for featuring your book.
- Tour stops can include various online platforms, such as book blogs and social media platforms. The goal is to reach a diverse audience and engage with potential readers in the spaces they are active.
- Hosts may include book bloggers who review the book, interview the author, or social media influencers who feature the book on their platforms.
- Authors and illustrators may contribute guest posts or interviews to different blogs or websites as part of the tour. This allows them to share insights about the book, the writing process, and other relevant topics.
- Here are just some of the customizable options available:
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- Book reviews
- Interviews
- Book giveaways
- Guest posts provided by the author or illustrator
- Cover reveals
- Exclusive excerpt shares
- Book trailer posts
- Dedicated E-mails
- Banner Ads
Social Media Promotion:
- We work actively to promote the virtual book tour on our social media channels to build anticipation and encourage our readers to participate in your book tour.
Giveaways:
- To generate excitement and encourage participation, we organize a giveaway during the virtual book tour. Participants may have the chance to win a signed copy of the book or other related prizes.
Post-Tour Follow-Up:
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- After the virtual book tour concludes, we provide you ways for maintaing contact with your new readers. You’ll also receive a report to analyze the tour’s impact, gather feedback, and continue promoting the book through ongoing marketing efforts.
Are Virtual Book Tours Worth It?
We sure think so! The Awareness Tour is our favorite way for creating buzz and visibility for your books in an impactful and meaningful way.
Here are some considerations to help determine whether a virtual book tour is worth it for you:
Reach and Exposure:
- An investment that provides value beyond the tour: Virtual book tours can give authors a broad online reach, allowing them to connect with readers in many different locations, increasing exposure, reaching a diverse audience.
- Featured tour content makes your book, name, and brand searchable on the Web, improving your digital footprint.
- Tour articles and multiple book reviews provide you with marketing content and social proof.
Cost-Effectiveness:
- No travel required, unlike a traditional book tour: Virtual book tours are often more cost-effective than traditional in-person tours, as they eliminate travel expenses. Authors can benefit from the tour without the financial burden of transportation, accommodation, and other associated costs.
Audience Engagement:
- Authors have the opportunity to engage directly with readers through online comment sections and social media interactions. If building a connection with the audience and fostering reader engagement are priorities, a virtual book tour can be very valuable.
Flexibility:
- Virtual book tours offer flexibility in terms of scheduling and format. Authors can participate in a variety of online events and reach a wide audience without being constrained by a specific time or location.
- Authors should consider the time and effort required to plan and execute a virtual book tour. While it eliminates travel time, organizing online events, coordinating with hosts, and promoting the tour on social media can be very time-consuming. It’s our pleasure to take this off your hands by being very hands-on our end.
Book Sales:
- Possible increase in Amazon rankings: While virtual book tours may not guarantee immediate spikes in book sales, they can contribute to long-term visibility and increased sales over time. Authors should manage expectations and consider the tour as part of a broader marketing strategy.
Author Platform:
- Access to multiple bloggers with a targeted audience: For authors who are actively building their online presence and author platform, virtual book tours can be instrumental. Engaging with bloggers and influencers can help authors expand their reach and connect with new audiences.
Ultimately, a virtual book tour increases online exposure for you and your book, as well as a presence that provides you with an extended ripple effect long after the book tour ends.
Testimonials
Is The Awareness Tour Right for Your Book?
Our virtual book tours are NOT for you if:
- You’re looking for guaranteed bestseller status overnight
- You’re unwilling to provide review copies of your book
- You want to control exactly what reviewers say about your work
- You’re seeking immediate, guaranteed ROI
The Awareness Tour is PERFECT for you if:
- You’ve created a quality children’s book you believe in
- You understand the importance of building visibility and credibility
- You value reaching targeted readers who are most likely to love your book
- You want to leverage established relationships rather than building them from scratch
- You’re looking for long-term discoverability beyond the initial publication
Don’t Let Your Book Become Another Forgotten Title
Every year, thousands of wonderful children’s books fade into obscurity—not because they lack quality, but because they lack visibility.
Without strategic promotion, your book risks:
- Missing its chance to impact young readers who would cherish it
- Getting lost in the sea of new releases
- Failing to reach its sales potential
- Missing opportunities for library acquisitions and educational adoption
Your story deserves to be discovered. The children who would love it deserve to find it.
How Do I Get Started and Plan My Virtual Book Tour?
- Fill out the form below.
- Tell us a little bit bout your book and the intended age range.
- Provide any links with additional information about your book.
- If you already have an idea about how you would like your tour to roll out, let us know.
- Please indicate if you have a timeframe in mind.
CONTACT US
Awareness Tour Examples
Let’s all “paws” for an adventure through London in Sofie Wells and Ali Barclay’s latest book, The Tales of Charlie Wags: London!
Join us on an new adventure with Alycat as she navigates tricky friendships and explosive science experiments in Alycat and the Copycat.
Join us as we launch the virtual tour for Karen B. Winnick’s insightful book, Why Wolves Matter: A Conservation Success Story.
Join us on a heroic adventure as we kick off the fantastical virtual book tour for The Three Stones of Ebon, where Jack is transported to the magical land!
Dive into a perilous adventure with us as we embark on the virtual book tour for Dragged Down Deep by award-winning and best-selling author Michael Okon!
This emotional story, Óg go Deo Forever Young, was created to help children and adults understand the bewildering and painful loss of a cherished pet.
Join us on the thrilling Energy Wars: The Awakening (by Jodi Dee) virtual book tour, where the ordinary meets the extraordinary!
Join us on a whimsical adventure to the library as our Sharing is Caring, Dragon! virtual book tour kicks off with Bianca Schulze!
Let’s emBARK on a tour of New York City in Sofie Wells and Ali Barclay’s newest book, The Tales of Charlie Wags: New York City.
Join us on the virtual book tour for Rosanne Tolin’s astounding new novel, Freedom’s Game, a story of courage, sacrifice, and hope.