Food expert, Beth Aldrich, talks us through her book tour, and how you should go on one, too!

How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous

by 

Beth Aldrich

Congratulations, you've garnered a book deal with a major publisher and you've written the book; but that's just half the work. The most challenging work is about to begin. Most writers do just that, they write; but with today's competitive book market, good writing is only half the battle. Nowadays, writers are encouraged to be active in social media and other forms of marketing so they can ramp up their book's presence-to stand out on the bookshelves and increase sales. 

When I began my book journey two years ago, little did I know that I'd be embarking on the ride of my life: with 12-hour work days, writing the book and "getting the word out" about my book in any way I could.

Knowing that I would be responsible for my own "tour" expenses, I decided to build my presence in social media as a way to reach my target audience of busy moms, so that the sponsorship money I raised would be best spent traveling to book tour events. Knowing that many moms like to connect online through social media, I began making connections and generating useful and trustworthy content to build my following.

Nothing good comes easy and it's been a daily challenge to garner followers (legitimately) who appreciate and value my content. Through my networking and connections I decided to partner with SocialMoms.com, a popular moms online social media community filled with articles, content and great mom networking. With the power of social media, we created a book launch virtual party and contest with over 100 mom bloggers who participated.

I acquired book tour sponsors who donated prizes for our contest so that all participants would have incentive to be a part of the fun and excitement. I love to get involved with contests and communities and I wanted to create that for the moms who took the time to be a part of this special project; within weeks of my book's launch, there were thoughtful blog posts about my book, spanning the internet, from real moms-the demographic I was hoping to tap.

Word spread like wildfire and on my book's launch day, and the throughout the month that followed, my book was a best seller in two categories on Amazon. The mom bloggers agreed to Tweet, FB and share their blog posts and in exchange, we offered sponsored goodie boxes of book-inspired products (all garnered from months of product partnering sponsorship deals), exposure on our blog and cross promotion through social media. We had a multi-prize drawing the night before the book launched, and announced winners via a private newsletter designated just for the participating bloggers. All-in-all, it was a successful book launch, thanks primarily, to the hard work and support of the mom bloggers in our book tour contest, social media and my tenacity to get the word out.

When people ask me, "How did you know what to do to promote your book?" I always tell them that I networked with other authors, researched what other authors have done in the past and trusted my judgement. I know that I love prizes, so I spent weeks and weeks, acquiring products that I knew I'd love to receive as a participation gift goodie box. I also understand the power of communication, so I interacted with the registered participants regularly, sharing all of the steps of my book tour publication, along the way.


I often connected with the moms on Twitter, through Twitter parties (where we had, yes, more prizes), and on Facebook. I made sure I was following everyone that was following me on social media and I always tried to re-tweet their tweets, etc. With consideration and on-going communication, relationships were built with new mom friends throughout the process. The folks at SocialMoms.com were so supportive, offering advice and ideas, making the launch everything that I hoped it would be. Some of the mom bloggers even agreed to help me host in-person parties in their cities, making my ground tour a huge success. We used the power of social media to get the word out about our on-location book events, which helped raise attendance and bring more awareness to my book's brand.



Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous (Penguin Books, NAL, January, 2012), had a fantastic launch and I can certainly say that the power of social media helped contribute to its kick off success.

To find out more about Beth and her book, visit, RealMomsLovetoEat.com; her book is available where ever books are sold, or online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Beth Aldrich, bestselling author, Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous(New American Library-Penguin Books Imprint, January, 2012)
Beth Aldrich wants you to conduct a love affair with food and still look fabulous by simply working through her easy-to-follow 10-part plan of making over your entire outlook and relationship with food. You have to eat at least three times a day, so why not love what you're eating and feed yourself food that will love you back? Discover new and interesting ways to prepare and "get involved" with food; complete with 21-days of satisfying and delicious meal suggestions, this funny book will find a permanent spot on your bedside table or kitchen counter. Real Moms really DO love to eat! 

Beth Aldrich, Certified Healthy Lifestyle Counselor and Nutrition Expert, engaging speaker, media personality and author of the book, Real Moms Love to Eat (New American Library-Penguin Books imprint, January,2012), delivers health, nutrition and environmental fundamentals through keynote addresses, lectures and as a media spokesperson. As an expert health and nutrition columnist for Diet.com, SocialMoms.com, Hotmomsclub.com and RealMomsLovetoEat.com, Beth shares her wisdom, experience and knowledge about all things eco and health. From food coaching, and living a balanced life to, the energetics of food and finding your passion, Beth delivers her message in a charismatic yet compassionate way. 


She is the founder of For Her Information Media, LLC (FHI) established in 2003, with productions such as the PBS TV series, For Her Information (aired in Turkey, Israel and 60 cities, nationwide), the radio shows, A Balanced Life with Beth Aldrich, and Real Moms Love to Eat with Beth Aldrich, and the online magazine and newsletter, FHI Online. Her company's mission is to be a life guide for conscious-minded women. Beth is also the founder of Restoring Essence Nutrition, LLC and a Certified Holistic Health and Nutritional Counselor through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). Beth received her education from Columbia University's Teachers College and The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. 


Real Moms Love to Eat is on tour with Virtual Book Tour Cafe