The LA Times has an article about what book tours are like for the authors now that publishers are not backing them. It sounds very do it yourself and rewards those who sacrifice writing time for marketing time.

Book tours used to be about local media. “You would go to these places to get reviews, interviews, TV and radio,” Miller explains, but with print outlets closing down and cutting coverage and new technologies enabling long-distance video interviews, “it is becoming less important to do that kind of tour.”

Bookstores are also becoming harder to find. When its B. Dalton shut down this year, Laredo, Texas, population 200,000-plus, became the largest bookstore-less city in the United States. In January, when “Eat, Pray, Love” author Elizabeth Gilbert came to Los Angeles to sign her new book, “Committed,” she wound up at Costco in Marina del Rey.

As the book tour takes on new shapes, what will it mean for writers — and for readers? Authors like Boyle don’t just read — they perform and stay until they’ve signed every book. They know the value of connection. But how will their lesser-known counterparts connect?

via Book tour? More like a safari – latimes.com.