Offer more than just a book reading or lecture

Tips for naming your self-publishing ... Writing Inspiration: Make your book��...

Offer more than just a book reading or lecture

When giving a presentation about your book or a topic related to that title, you may want to consider going beyond a simple reading, lecture or Q&A. In an era when anyone can watch a video about virtually any topic at any location simply by whipping out a cell phone, many people expect more than just a lecture.

The most obvious solution is a slide show that complements the text of your presentation. It need not be a PowerPoint program, though putting such a show together is easier than you might imagine and worth learning if you have the time. If crunched, though, you might want to simply assemble a group of pictures, rename them so they are numbered in the order they will be presented, and then show them using your laptop��s media software with you clicking on the mouse to the next pic. When I recently gave a talk about wildflowers that can be sees while hiking a specific area, I showed pics of those blooms in my presentation. Make sure the pictures are large (over 90 KB in size) and hook at least a 17-inch monitor to your laptop for showing the slides.

Another option is handouts. Don��t inundate audience members with them, and be sure that they include information they would find useful. For example, with the wildflower presentation, on a single page I gave a month-by-month list of when plants bloomed in the area. Always be sure to leave some kind of info at the bottom of the page, such as a website URL, where audience members can purchase your book(s) related to the topic.

Yet another possibility is audio. While you don��t want music or other sounds playing as you read or speak, you can use audio to supplement your piece just as would pictures. During a presentation on birdwatching opportunities when hiking a region, I collected audio snippets of various bird songs and calls (all available online for free) and used my laptop��s media software to play them.

Indeed, anytime you can appeal to the audience member��s senses through sound, taste, smell or touch, you will make an impression upon them. So be creative �� if you wrote a cookbook, offer food samples; if you wrote a book about beauty products, bring some samples for the audience to sniff or to even rub on their skin.

Book sales will be sure to follow!

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

&amp;lt;A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets&amp;lt;/A&amp;gt;