Well July just flew by me like the space shuttle and I cannot believe August is here. What that means for me (besides the fact that the peace and quiet in my house is about to end) is that my virtual book tour for Wedlocked is underway. For those of you who don’t know what a virtual book tour is, it’s a way of getting your book, name, face, and voice out there all over the net to a targeted audience. It consists of written interviews, guest blogs, book reviews, radio appearances, and various other forms of internet marketing.

For a homebody like me, the virtual book tour is a godsend.  Here are my top ten reasons why:

#10. You’ll save money. We all know how expensive flying can be and it’s not just the airfare. Expenses also include hotels, taxis, meals, and other miscellaneous incidentals. It can sure add up quickly and the worst part is that you’re not even on vacation!

#9. You’ll reach more people. One of the miracles of modern business was the invention of the internet, where you can reach out to new clients or in my case, new readers, on an immense scale. These days, it’s a lot more likely you’ll find people surfing the net then scouring the streets in search of goods or services. Why? Because we are lazy. Why else? Because we can!

#8. You won’t have to worry about people showing up to your event all at one time, in one place, or during inclement weather. It’s really a bummer when you spend the money, time and energy flying into a city for a book signing only for a snowstorm to wipe out any chance you have for attracting a crowd. Don’t like leaving your livelihood up to Mother Nature? You never have to worry about that on a virtual book tour. Blackouts, yes; snowstorms, no.

#7. Agoraphobics are welcome. Up until recently, you’d have a very rough time selling any books if you suffered from agoraphobia. Now, agoraphobics can be authors too. Afraid to leave your house? No problem. Order in some Chinese food and settle down at your computer. You’ll be just as productive—and save a fortune on sedatives.

#6. You can sleep in your own bed every night. I don’t know about you, but staying at a hotel for a couple of nights almost guarantees me a trip to the chiropractor when I return home. A virtual book tour lets you lounge in the comfort of your own home and your own bed. And if you spent as much money on yours as I did on mine, you’ll be happy to get the use out of it.

#5. You will avoid the anxiety of airport screening machines. Who needs to wonder if your nude image is making its way from monitor to monitor for personal viewing, while you’re on your way to Toledo? Avoid the intrusion and the humiliation (not to mention the radiation) with a virtual book tour.

#4. You can multitask. That’s right. While I’m answering interview questions and writing guest blogs, I can also eat lunch, answer phone calls, obsessively check my email, and even buy accessories for the new dog I’m expecting in two weeks…Sorry, I’m back now and you have my full attention.

#3. You can relax. Whether you have chronic fatigue (like me) or just general life exhaustion, it’s nice to know that you can undertake a virtual book tour with a minimal amount of physical exertion. In fact, about the worst affliction you can suffer is carpal tunnel syndrome.

#2. You won’t have to worry if your husband/wife remembered to feed the cats. If you don’t have cats, insert dog here. If you don’t have a dog, try goldfish, turtle, hamster—you get the picture. Notice I’m not worried about the kids.

And the number one reason a virtual book tour beats the heck out of an actual one is:

#1. You can do it in your pajamas!