RECORDING THE AUTHOR SOUND BYTE

Promoting on the internet can sometimes feel like a
cold, detached endeavor. There are scores of places to
list a new ebook, request a review or drop a press
release. But most contact with potential readers comes in
the form of printed words on a screen. While that's what
you are trying to sell to begin with, your printed words
on a screen, a certain level of intimacy is missing.
Printed words carry the tone in the reader's mind, their
interpretation of the author's phrasing and rhythm.
That's all well and good but how do you create that
elusive intimacy with your reader that goes beyond the
sound of their own thoughts? Or entice new readers to
"hear" your words in your voice when they read?

For print authors--and sometimes e-authors--there is
the author signing. Of course, this is somewhat limited
by area and tour itinerary. Even so, most e-authors can't
afford author tours and the luxury of reading to their
readers and potential readers is limited.

So why not create a sound byte those readers can
download, either when they buy the book or before? Let
them hear your voice, so you are more than just a few
printed words on a screen. Become three-dimensional in
their mind, get close up and in mono.

Creating a sound byte is not difficult and in fact
can be constructed even on older computers. I created one
using Windat on Windows 3.11, but it can be done with
sound recorder on later Win versions.

You will need a microphone and a bit of practice
reading to make sure you do the best you can. I used a
cheap sound machine to put in a few crickets (roughly $20
at Walmart) because I was reading a night scene. I call
them evil crickets because the scene involved vampires,
but that's beside the point.

I would suggest picking a small dramatic passage, one
you feel comfortable reading. Shut yourself in a quiet
room if possible because it will take a number of "takes"
to get it right and it is amazing how recording can be a
cue for the dog to start barking. Size can be an issue.
Wav files are fairly large--a bit over a meg--for even a
minute worth of reading. You can convert it to Mp3 to
save a bit on size. For mine I picked a very short
passage and got it to about 500k.

Once you have your sound byte, upload it to your
webpage so readers can download it and listen. Or ask
your publisher to place it as a download with your book
listing on their store site.

For those who would like to hear my Mp3 sample, surf
on over to www.atlanticbridge.com and check out my
listing for THE DARK RIDERS. Or alternately, surf to my
personal webpage, http://howardhopkins.com and download
a wav sample.

About the Author

Howard Hopkins is the author of six horror and western
ebooks from Atlantic Bridge Publishing (www.atlanticbridge.net)
under his own name and more than twenty print
westerns under the penname Lance Howard.
His novels can be purchased at bn.com,
www.amazon.co.uk and amazon.com and he lives in Maine.