Audio for Authors: Sell
More Books When Your Readers Can Hear You
By Julie Hood
Are you looking for new ways to sell your book? What if your potential readers
could hear from you any time of day? Adding audio to your website is a
simple but effective way to feed your readers' fascination with the author of
their favorite books.
Here are just a few of the ways you can use audio on your website to attract
readers:
1. Welcome. Introduce yourself to your potential readers. Tell them about your
book-- how it was developed and what made you write it. Describe your upcoming
events and recent successes. Improve the branding of your website with a visual
and an audio experience. I did this on my website at
http://www.organizedwriter.com/book.htm.
2. Virtual readings. Do a virtual book reading. Read a favorite chapter, and
post it on your site for your visitors. Then add a comments section to get
feedback from your readers.
3. Interviews. Conduct a virtual interview, and answer the questions you are
most often asked about your writing and your book. With some audio services you
can even record over the phone. Using three-way calling, you could have a friend
act as interviewer while you answer and record the questions.
4. E-mail audio postcards. Some programs let you send e-mails with a link to an
audio postcard. Announce your new book to your e-mail list with a personalized
invitation to purchase (or invite them to listen to the first chapter on your
website). I used this feature to announce an upcoming tele-class I was doing.
5. Bonuses with purchase. Provide audio bonuses when readers purchase your book.
Two-for-one offers with a favorite audio as a bonus may be just the incentive a
potential buyer needs to buy your book.
6. Background. Give background information about your book, its characters, the
setting, and the history behind the story. Personalize this information by using
audio so readers can hear it directly from you.
7. Reviews. Make sound bytes out of your best reviews, and post them
strategically around your site. Ask fans to call in reviews and testimonials you
can use on your site. My audio service has a separate phone line available just
for testimonials.
How it works
I record audio over the phone, or I record using a microphone for my computer
and upload it to my audio service. Then I post the audio link on my site.
Visitors see a panel of buttons similar to those on a VCR and can use the
"play," "stop," "fast forward," "reverse," and "pause" buttons to control the
audio. You can set the audio to start automatically when the web page opens, or
you can require that the visitor press "play." In addition, even if you don't
have a website, you can use the audio postcard function to send audio by e-mail.
Recording software
You can use the telephone to record your audio, or you can use special software.
Windows does have a sound recorder built in, but I was not happy with the
results.
My favorite is Audacity, a free, open source software program available at
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/. The program has lots of fancy features but
is reasonably easy for a beginner to use, especially if you read through the
documentation in the Help section of the website.
I also use Sony's SoundForge Audio Studio 7.0. It has a few more features that
are not available in Audacity. You can read more about it at
http://tinyurl.com/9dr2p.
Tips for recording
Write a script. Make notes about what you want to say; you may even need a full
script. When I do speaking engagements, I usually just work from a short list of
notes, but for some reason, when recording, I need a full script. I try not to
improvise too much because it tends to disrupt the flow.
Watch your P's and B's. P and B sounds tend to "pop" across a
microphone, and you get a distracting noise. You can reduce the chance of this
being a problem by speaking across the microphone instead of into it, and using
a windscreen (a paper towel or women's stocking over the microphone may help).
Audio Studio also has a noise reduction feature to remove some of the extra
sounds.
Test microphone positions. Experiment to find the best place to put your
microphone. You want to be close enough that your sound can be collected but far
enough away that you don't get a lot of extra pops and clicks.
Find someplace quiet. Make sure your environment is quiet. The rumble of an
airport, traffic or even a phone ringing can interrupt your recording.
Audio Service
Are you looking for an easy way to add audio to your book marketing toolbox? My
favorite service is available at
http://www.organizedwriter.com/webaudio.htm. It's incredibly easy to use,
very reliable, and you can send unlimited audio postcards.
The best part about adding audio is the personal touch it adds to your website
and marketing campaigns. Just as you are the best person to sell your book,
adding your voice (next to a picture) puts more "you" into your site-- which is
sure to add interest from visitors and potential buyers!
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Want to try out audio to sell your books? Send free audio postcards at
http://www.organizedwriter.com/webaudio.htm.
Ready to use
audio to sell your book? Send free audio postcards at
http://www.organizedwriter.com/webaudio.htm. Audio is part of the
book marketing program Julie Hood uses to sell her best-selling e-book, The
Organized Writer: 30 Days to More Time, More Money and Less Frustration at
http://www.organizedwriter.com .
