Talk Up Your Book: How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences, and More [Paperback]

Patricia Fry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2012

A unique and significant guide to selling more books through personal appearances and online interviews, brimming with information and resources as well as tips and ideas from nearly two dozen author-speaker professionals.

The most powerful tool in your book promotion toolkit is your personality. The fact is that personality sells books. Readers want a relationship with authors of the books they read. If you aren’t a celebrity or a world-known author, it is up to you to create that relationship. Finally, here’s a book that tells you how to develop a greater rapport with your readers, and thus SELL MORE BOOKS through more effective live presentations, well-attended book signings, successful book festival experiences, and more personalized social media techniques. Learn how to get speaking gigs at conferences and how to land and more expertly handle radio, TV, and Internet interviews. 

This book will teach you how to: 

 ·        Find and create speaking opportunities at appropriate venues
 ·        Handle yourself skillfully in front of an audience
 ·        Eliminate your noodle knees
 ·        Improve your speaking skills
 ·        Improve and protect your speaking voice
 ·        Come up with speech topics for fiction and nonfiction books
 ·        Organize workshops and present them on your own
 ·        Get publicity for your presentations
 ·        Land speaking gigs at conferences
 ·        Form a bond with audience members
 ·        Write a pitch letter and press release
 ·        Create better handouts and use them more effectively
 ·        Develop better communication skills
 ·        Attract more people to your book signings
 ·        Sell more books at book festivals 

 If you’re ready to take your book promotion to the next level, this thorough guide is for you!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patricia Fry has almost forty years of experience as a career writer. She is the author of more than thirty-one books, most of which relate to writing and publishing, and has contributed hundreds of articles to magazines and newsletters such as Writer’s Digest, the Los Angeles Times, and the Artist’s Magazine. Fry established her own publishing company, Matilija Press, in 1983, and is the executive director of the Small Publishers, Artists, and Writers Network (SPAWN). 

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press; 1 edition (November 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581159226
• ISBN-13: 978-1581159226
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #998,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Fry is the author of 37 books (and counting), including "Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author," "Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author," "Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More" and "Catscapades, True Cat Tales." She started her writing career in 1973 and had her first book published by a New York publisher five years later. She established her own publishing company, Matilija Press, in 1983, before it was fashionable or even convenient.

Patricia supported herself for many years by writing magazine articles, and currently spends most of her time working with other authors on their projects. She is the executive director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), a networking organization for anyone interested in or involved in publishing.

Her interests, outside of writing and publishing, include grandchildren, her kitty cats, travel, gardening and her daily meditation walk.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Book Promotion Masterpiece January 20, 2013

By A. William Benitez

Format:Paperback

Once again Patricia Fry has created invaluable information on book and ebook promotion. I almost missed out on this book even though I am a writer/publisher because I also have a full time job as a network administrator for a large hotel and was certain that I didn't have the time for public speaking. I'm really glad that I chose to buy "Talk Up Your Book" anyway.

As with the first two of Patricia's books that I purchased, "Talk Up Your Book" is loaded with down to earth how-to information that will help you promote your book even if your time is limited. In her clear and easy going manner Patricia covers the benefits of public speaking, attitudes about it, and how to become more comfortable with public speaking. She goes on to cover how to find and create speaking opportunities and even how to set up your own speaking events.

Everything you would ever need to know to create and deliver a good speaking presentation is described in great detail. She not only tells you how she does it but also presents the methods of other well-known and not so well-known writers who promote their books with public speaking.

Whether you will be promoting your book at conferences, festivals, Interviews, Webinars, Podcasts, etc., Talk Up Your Book will help you make the presentation and the promotion of your book a success.

Bill

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Check it out, authors! January 20, 2013

By Sandra Beckwith

Format:Paperback

Patricia Fry's "Talk Up Your Book" is a detailed, helpful resource for authors looking to learn more about how they can promote their books through public speaking -- to groups, at conferences, at bookfairs, and so on. Fry offers specific how-to steps that every new author will find valuable. For more specifics, please read my review at [...]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Greater Sales Results December 28, 2012

By Kathleen Ewing

Format:Paperback

One of the cool things about being a writer these days is if you have an excellent product between the book covers, you will stand out. Patricia Fry does just that by distilling her decades of knowledge in the publishing industry.

You've all heard this advice before, but it's worth repeating here. If you are even contemplating writing a book, whether fiction or not, Talk Up Your Book is a must read. As the author explains, public speaking and just chatting about your book one-to-one are the top methods for selling books. Buy the book. Read it. Take notes. Create a strategy. Practice. Implement. Repeat as needed. It will pay off for as long as you are willing to pursue it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Successful promotion for your books December 26, 2012

By Helen Gallagher

Format:Paperback

As much as we love the freedom of publishing in the 21st century, one truth remains: books don't sell themselves.

According to Patricia Fry, the reality is that personality sells books. And here in "Talk Up Your Book: How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences, and More," she tells us exactly what that means. If you're serious about successfully promoting yourself as an author, this is the book you've been missing.

"Talk Up Your Book" is a guide to what it really means to market your book. It is a wake-up call to authors who think their book will be discovered and sell well without effort. Marketing requires much more than book signings or store events. Fry, author of more than 30 books, gives you the tools you need to handle self-promotion, public speaking, interviews, and conferences. The book is filled with ideas and a blueprint for success with speaking skills, getting paid to deliver workshops, write press releases, and sell more books at festivals and events.

Fry has a unique first-hand perspective and helps the reader prepare to handle unexpected circumstances and conduct successful events, as she shows you how to pitch a conference, get paid for speaking, and become a pro at radio, television and social media. Her ideas work because she shares her first-hand strategies for critical skills, such as building rapport, with your audience.

Helen Gallagher
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Book on a Scary Subject December 6, 2012

By C. Hope Clark

Format:Paperback

For writers, speaking is nightmarish. To go from seclusion at the computer to an audience is like jumping from snow into fire. It's just not going to feel good. Patricia Fry, however, with thirty+ books to her credit and an immense library of knowledge about succeeding in a career of words, has now produced a book that addresses speaking as a writer. As someone who's written about the fear of writing, and traveled for five years on book tours and the conference circuit, I understand this fear well. She empowers writers with tools, preparation ideas, and skills to pull of a public presentation and feel good about it. This is an excellent book for the author or writer who seeks to expand his or her platform with public appearances.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Public speaking-do not be afraid November 30, 2012

By Leslie Korenko

Format:Paperback

You cannot just publish a book then sit back and wait for the orders to pour in. You have to promote it so readers know it is out there. THIS is the book you need to accomplish that. The book is like attending a panel discussion at a high-end conference where a dozen successful authors share their secrets, tips and funny stories about publishing, speaking and promoting. Why take a class when you can get it all here and absorb it at your own pace?
I loved that it was NOT a one size fits all. If there was one perfect solution, we'd all be No. 1 best sellers. The techniques are as varied as the authors and it was interesting to hear how each adapted basic techniques to their own personal style.
Patricia Fry delivers exactly what she says she will. Follow her advice and you can very effectively promote your book with speaking gigs, get comfortable attracting and making presentations, pull people to your event, and even get paid to do it. A must-have for anyone who is unsure about speaking about their book, or for the veteran who needs a refresher course that will expand, rejuvenate and energize their presentations.
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