BookTour.com - Authors In Touch With Audiences

What happens when three authors get together to discuss how the literary community can better connect to its audience? They create BookTour, a new social networking site that allows authors to create personal pages to give details about works published, tour dates, and book signings. On the other end of things, fans and potential readers can browse through every author’s pages to determine when and where the author will be next and how to contact them. In particular, the site aims to connect authors with groups looking for speakers; BookTour puts authors in touch with parties interested in hosting them. Site registration is free and universal – all you need to do is specify whether you are an individual, author, organization, book group leader or publicist.

“We're a free online service that connects authors and potential audiences of all sorts, from book groups to civic organizations, from bookstores to corporate events. Authors create their own page (biography, books, tour dates and availability) and any group looking for speakers can find them and contact them directly to arrange for an appearance. Relevant information for both authors and venues can be added in minutes through a simple fill-in-the-blanks interface. Connecting authors with potential audiences then becomes as easy as searching (by geography, book titles, subject, dates of availability) and sending an email”.

Sites like BookTour have been done for bands, so why hadn’t one been created for authors until now? BookTour is an impeccably executed website which will benefit authors every bit as much as their fans.

What about authors who write in languages besides English? Does the site plan to go global? Also, it might be beneficial for the site if it could boast the membership of at least one relatively famous author.