Book Club Presentations that Rock

As an author, it's easy to take the casual approach to book club meetings, after all, you're probably sitting around in a circle in the living room or kitchen. You may or may not be standing, and those sitting around you know one another and because of that it might be hard to gain the attention you need.

You've probably heard of book club presentations; what you may not have heard of is book club presentations that others will remember.



This is what I've discovered works for me at book club presentations:

1. Smile. There is nothing worse than a too serious writer.
2. Introduce yourself briefly. I bring along my published books and speak about my writing as I pass each book around the circle to give readers a closer view of what I've done.
3. Begin with a question. It can be related to the book that has been read by the group or a question that has to do with reading your particular genre.
4. Keep the presentation light and open to questions. Use a hand-out, so the group can follow along. Since I expect that all those attending have already read my book, I delve into questions that relate to the book's characters, setting, and plot and take the readers beyond the actual story to deeper values such as symbolism.
5. Sometime during your presentation, give away a free gift. This might be a postcard with the information about your book on it, it may be a book mark, it might even be a small gift that you've purchased that goes along with the theme of your book. (For Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones, I give away a cellophane bag of 5 labelled stones).
6. Be ready for some sales! Most of those attending will have already purchased your book beforehand, but there will always be readers in attendance who will be excited to read your new book now that they've heard a little about it.

In the end, book club presentations are a great way to now only share what you have accomplished, but allow for some great discussion and the development of new friendships!

Author's Marketing Timetable

Schedule Your Marketing

I was with a client today discussing the timetable of his upcoming book, and I was reminded again how quickly the marketing jumps up and grabs you. Here you are, writing your little heart and soul out, when suddenly the marketing is right behind you, taking a-hold of your shirt-tail.

Here is some help:

1. Six months before your book is out in print and eBook formats, you need to begin marketing your book. You may or may not have a cover for your book yet, but a cover is preferred. (This one always strikes me in the behind because I'm forever getting my cover done at the last minute. That doesn't mean I haven't been working on it through the previous six month period, only that it hasn't been finalized yet).

Without a cover you can still do some blog posts, some interviews, some sneak peaks about your book (such as the first chapter reveal and so forth), what you'll not be able to do is much of the visual marketing that you need so people can see early what they'll be investing their money on. So get your cover ready as soon as you can.

Schedule all of your marketing, as much as possible, before you even see your book in print. Make sure you give time to what you'll want to be doing the week before and the day of your book's release.

2. Once your manuscript is finished with the last edit, and before you actually publish your book, get some feedback on it. You'll need at least 5 readers, writers and/or editors, to look over, make changes, and give you suggestions on your book. Give your readers a month to get the manuscript back to you.

3. After you see the return of your manuscript from various readers, take some time going over the comments and changes. Don't make ANY CHANGES until after you've seen all of the manuscripts and can make a judgement call as to what should be taken out and what should be added. Some of the comments will be valid, others will be merely opinion. Lay the manuscripts out. Page one matching page one, etc. Go through them, spending some time and making sure the changes you make are the changes you feel good about. This may take you a month or so.

4. With your finished copy, go over the manuscript one more time. It's amazing what you'll find.

5. Get Reviews, as many reviews as you can, before and after the publishing of your book.

6. Publish. After you've published, focus on your book heavily for at least six months following its release. Make sure you continue with your marketing agenda.

If this sounds like a lot of work, it is. But be assured, the more you do to get the word out about your new book before it's released, the more success you will have after it's taken flight.

Any questions I haven't tackled here? Feel free to ask me.

Kathryn

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Terry Treetop

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)

My name is Terry but everyone call me Terry Treetop because I love climbing trees, although I am a little chubby,  I am very light when it comes to climbing trees. I have red hair and freckles, and I am almost 6 years old.

I leave in a small city in North Carolina, where the grass is high and the woods are all over. We have a small house with a big backyard, where my father built me a tree-house.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time I like to sit in my tree-house and look out with my binoculars. I look at the wonders of nature, and many times I go out there to learn more about animals and their habitats.

What is your favorite color and why?

My favorite color is green because this is the color of fresh leaves, grass and high woods.

What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

My favorite food is apple pie, because my mom makes it so tasty, yummm.

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

My biggest quirk is my extraordinary ability to climb trees. When I climb, I use every branch and tree bump to go higher and higher, and I love to climb all the way to the top and find a safe place to sit there and look around.

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why?

I hate when people hurt animals for no reason, because I think that animals deserve to be well treated, just because they are creatures of nature.

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?

Of course I love my mom and dad the most, but after them, I really like my tree-house. In this house I can day dream about adventures around the world. When I am all grown-up, I want to live in a wooden house just like that.

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?

I will tell you a secret: When I grow-up, I want to be a scientist that explores the beauty of nature and helps animals and trees to prosper and flourish.

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?

Can you please make me also a good swimmer? I would love to meet some amazing sea animals.

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.

When you were a child, did you ever day dream about the things you will do when you are grown-up?

Oh, yes! Let's see, I wanted to be an airline stewardess first (now they're called flight attendants). I also wanted to be a model, but I quickly learned some of the things I would have to model, so that was out for me. Now, many years later, I can see why I wanted to be those things. I love to travel and I love all things beautiful! Especially beautiful clothes! Thanks for asking.

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A big thank you to Terry Treetop. Learn more about him at the links below:

Website: www.thekidsbooks.com

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Tali-Carmi/e/B00D73P72I