Preparing your book reading, presentation

Editing client publishes his first li... Affirmation: I can write anything I s...

Preparing your book reading, presentation

If you��re a little anxious about speaking in front of a crowd for a book presentation, that��s understandable; public speaking is one of the biggest fears people have. But with a little preparation �� and after you��ve made a few public appearances �� you��ll soon find that it��s actually a lot of fun!

Preparing for a book presentation generally involves two components: writing the presentation and then practicing it.

Writing the presentation
Usually the book reading follows a simple format: introductions by a host; a few introductory words by you; you reading your book aloud; an audience Q&A with you; and then the book signing. You��ll want to select in advance which passage you read.

A presentation that doesn��t involve a reading is much like an expository speech: an introduction by the host; an introduction by you; three or four major points that you cover in detail; a conclusion in which you summarize your points and thank the audience; a Q&A session. This means you��ll need to prepare a speech and possibly a PowerPoint presentation or slide show.

A meet-and-greet and a simple book signing generally have no structure �� you just sit and wait for others to pass by. Still, you��ll want to think of a short pitch that you can use to introduce yourself and your books as people stop by.

Don��t wait until the night before to write up your presentation! Rushing your work on it often results in a mediocre performance and that some key points will be forgotten. In addition, writing the presentation a few weeks in advance means you��ll have plenty of time revise and practice it.

Practice the presentation
Practice reading your passage for a book reading or your presentation speech out loud at least a couple of times. You don��t have to memorize the text, just familiarize yourself with it.

Make sure the presentation doesn��t go longer than the time allotted to you. For a book reading, 10-15 minutes usually is enough; if reading a short story from an anthology, just go with a single story. For a formal speech, you��ll need to see how long you have, but if the workshop is about 50 minutes long, you��ll want to speak for about 35-40 minutes. This will allow some time for questions and any introductions by a host. Have in the back of your mind some additional material that can be presented in case there are only a couple of or even no questions.

In addition, think about how you��ll answer any questions you might be asked. Begin by attending a few book readings or presentations by other authors to get a feel for what kind of questions your audience might ask. Then think of some answers to them, as they relate to your book. After you��ve done a few book readings, you��ll discover that the same questions keep popping up.

Practicing in front of a friend also can be beneficial. Use their constructive criticism to perfect your presentation.

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.

<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>