Some people like to experience a little of a book before they buy it. That’s why many folks enjoy going to book readings. These types of events serve two purposes for potential readers: They get to experience a taste of the book before they buy and they get to experience a taste of the author, as well.

Many readers develop relationships inside their heads with their favorite authors. Book readings give the author and opportunity to nurture this relationship, which leads to more book sales.

There are a couple of ways you can host a book reading without ever having to leave the comfort of your home. Here are some suggestions for hosting your own virtual book reading.

Step One: How Will You Deliver Your Book Reading?

• Telephone – Using a conference call service such as Free Conference Pro or Instant Teleseminar, you can perform your book reading to an audience of people listening in over the telephone or the web.
• Video – You can stream video of your book reading live over the Internet using a service such as UStream.tv.

Step Two: How Will You Organize Your Event?
If all you do is show up and read a selection from your book, you probably won’t get much return on time invested. You should make it more like a real book reading event, complete with a host introducing you and a Q&A session that follows.

Finding someone to be the host of the event not only makes the event more interesting and engaging, it can also expose you to a wider audience because the host will invite people from their list, as well.

Adding a Q&A session at the end further engages the audience and helps you nurture that relationship many of your readers crave.

Step Three: Record Your Event
Be sure to record your book reading event so you can continue to share it with potential readers. You can post clips from the audio reading and make the entire recorded call available for download. You can post the video recording to video sharing websites such as YouTube and Facebook, thus adding additional traffic sources to your book’s web page.

Additional Tips for Effective Book Readings

• Sit up straight when you read. This will let your lungs take in more air and give your voice more power. Slouching softens your voice and makes it harder to understand.
• If you are video taping your reading, be sure to wear clothing that contrasts with your background. You don’t want to blend in with the woodwork!
• Also, if reading on video, be sure to look up and into the camera lens often. No one enjoys looking at the top of your head for minutes on end.
• Choose a compelling section of your book to read. If it is fiction, make it a section that will leave them hungry to read the next part, but also a section that can stand on it’s own without backstory. If it is nonfiction, make it a section that informs or entertains on its own, but also leaves them hungry for more.
• Be gracious … to your host and your audience. You don’t want bad behavior to burn bridges or cause a cascading negative effect on your book sales.

 

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