Frequently Asked Questions

General questions

I'm from outside the United States. Can I use BookTour?

Yes. BookTour indexes events in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia.

How much does it cost to use BookTour?

Nothing.

Is there a master list of BookTour features?

Yes. Please click here to view it.

I know about events that aren't listed on BookTour. How do I get them on the site?

On the bottom of any page, click "Add events to BookTour." You can then add events simply by filling in a few blanks.

Can I advertise on BookTour?

Yes. See our advertising page.

For authors

Why join BookTour?

BookTour lets your fans—and potential fans—see when you're going to be in their area. And if you're planning a tour, you can find individuals, bookstores, libraries, and organizations in cities and towns on your route. Tour information in our database is also syndicated to our strategic partners (social networks, newspaper event calendars, and more) allowing your event data to reached hundreds of thousands of potential readers. And best of all, you only have to enter it once!

I'm an author, but my book doesn't have an ISBN number. Can I still sign up?

Not at the moment. Unfortunately, the only way BookTour can get essential information about your book (its title, cover image, and a link to purchase it) is from publicly available sources that require an ISBN number. However, if you have just one book with an ISBN number, that's sufficient—you can link to the non-ISBNed books from the media section of your page.

Why isn't BookTour accepting my ISBN number?

If your book isn't yet published and information about it hasn't yet made it out to the world, BookTour may not be able to add your book to your page. A quick test: if you can't find your book by searching for its ISBN on Amazon.com, it won't be accepted on BookTour. Wait a couple days and try again.

I've never been to BookTour before—how did my events get there?

Someone with knowledge of your tour dates (probably your publicist or a bookstore you're speaking at) submitted your tour dates to the site. To take over control of your author page, just sign up (see the next question).

How do I add my tour dates to BookTour?

First, make sure you've signed up for an account here. Then just log in and click the Profile link in the upper-right.

Can I sign up under a pseudonym?

It depends. If you've written all your books under the same name, that should be the only name you sign up under. However, if you've written books under different names, you can register separately for each one, as long as you use a different email address for each one. If you've written all your books under a single name but try to register under multiple names, your accounts will be considered fraudulent and may be deleted.

How do you pick the authors for the "touring everywhere" section of the front page?

First, only authors with biographies, headshots, and upcoming tour dates can be featured. From there, the "touring everywhere" section comprises a combination of popular authors and authors who've joined BookTour for the first time.

Can I format my author biography?

Yes, there are simple links for formatting on your author editing page.

I have several books. How do I pick which one appears next to my name on the front page?

On your author editing page, you can drag books until they're in the order you want them to appear. From then on, whichever book is at the top of the list becomes your "featured book."

How do I change the genres I'm listed in?

We get all our genre information from Amazon.com, so just ask your publisher to update your books' genre information with Amazon.

How do I find places where I can speak?

Once you've logged in, just click the Profile link in the upper-right. Then enter the zip code of the city or town you'd like to speak near in the lower-right text box. You'll be able to see a list of all the groups that might be interested in having you speak.

For individuals

How can I see who's on book tour in my area?

All you have to do is sign up here. And if you're planning a vacation, use the search feature to see what authors are coming to your destination in the coming days and weeks.

How do I request an author visit my area?

On an author's page, just click "Request a visit from this author."

For publicists

Why can't I add events for my authors?

If your authors are already part of BookTour, you can't edit their tour dates unless they've specified your account's email address as their publicist's email address. If your authors aren't yet part of BookTour, sign up for an account yourself. You can then add them straight from your Profile page (the link is in the upper-right corner of the page) and start adding their events right away.

For clubs, bookstores, and organizations

I've never been to BookTour before—how did my group's events get there?

Some author who's speaking to your group probably added the information to the site.

How do I add a description of my group to BookTour?

Sign up here. Make sure that if your group is already listed on BookTour, you enter the same street address when signing up.