Creating a Handout for Your Book Talk: Smart Speaking, Smart Selling

Handouts. Old-fashioned as the word sounds, handouts can be a valuable tool for authors. Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) recommends the textbook approach to writing handouts. You think about the purpose of the handout, write a draft, and then revise it. Defining the purpose can be time-consuming, according to OWL. These steps will help you to create handouts that support -- and sell -- your book.

1. STATE THE PURPOSE IN A SENTENCE. This step clarifies your handout, which makes writing easier, and makes reading easier for attendees. According to OWL, many authors diagram the points of their handouts before they start writing.

2. REMIND READERS OF THE EVENT. If you are speaking at a conference, put the conference title, date, and place on your handout. This helps attendees to remember you, your presentation, and the points you made. You may put this information at the top of the page, the bottom, or in a box.

3. INCLUDE YOUR BOOK TITLE. The title of your book should be somewhere on the handout. For talks I have been giving recently I used the title of my book as the title of my talk. I am a nonfiction writer and this decision worked well for me. However, it may not work for a fiction book.

4. BE CONCISE. Too much print is a turn-off. The handout I created for one book talk was actually the outline of my talk. I bulleted the points and left space beneath them for people to take notes, a technique that helps listeners to recall information.

5. CHOOSE THE FONT CAREFULLY. When you type your handout choose a font that easy easy to read, such as Times New Roman, Verdana, and Garamond. Avoid cursive or "artistic" fonts because they slow reading and make speed reading difficult.

6. ADD A VISUAL. Whether it is the cover of your book, a photo, clip art, or downloaded images, every handout needs a visual. The visual should be connected to your book in some way. I have used rubber stamps for visuals and they photocopy well. Color code handouts if you have more than one for a talk.

7. PROTECT YOURSELF. Remember to put a copyright line and symbol on your handout. Years ago, I talked to a parents' group and wrote a handout to go with my presentation. It took me about six hours to create the handout. But I forgot to include copyright protection. A few weeks later one of the attendees used my handout for her talk. I was hurt because I did not think this was ethical and she was a member of my church.

8. CLOSE WITH CONTACT INFO. Include your name, address, and email address (if you choose to do so) on all handouts. Bring some business cards along, too, for those who ask for them. Creating a handout to go with your book talk shows that you did your homework and cared about your audience. Believe me, the audience will notice.

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

www.harriethodgson.com www.healthwriter.blogspot.com Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 28 years. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. Another review is posted in the American Hospice Foundaiton Website under the "School Corner" heading.

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