When Whitecap Books published my first children's book in 2001, I looked forward to the opportunity to travel to libraries and schools to share its content and talk about how to become a good writer. My visits began in Alberta and eventually spread to other provinces. Every trip is exciting and I still enjoy face-to-face visits but excessive travel can become weary. Fortunately, a reluctance, difficulty, or inability to be away from home need no longer prevent authors from connecting with their audiences.
Enter Skype, an eBay company that uses voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) to send voice through the Internet. You can use this free service to make video calls to anyone else signed in and you can enhance the experience with instant messaging, file transfer, screen sharing, and other features. You can even download a program called TalkAndWrite (TAW) for Skype that allows up to 10 people on different computers to view, write, and work on a document at the same time.
Skype is great for school visits, readings at bookstores or libraries, and attending book club meetings as a guest author. Before my first virtual visit, I practiced with Toronto, Ontario author Mahtab Narsimhan, who wrote The Third Eye and The Silver Anklet. We discovered a number of things.
Good lighting is important and three point lighting is recommended. This involves using a key light, fill light, and back light to ensure a more three-dimensional video. You can also use book lights to improve the experience of using Skype on a laptop.
Backgrounds must not be cluttered. You need to avoid moving too quickly or making wide, sweeping gestures. And perhaps the most difficult part to get used to is the need to look at the camera rather than at the people engaging with you on the screen. I found it helped to put a sticky note near my camera reading "look here!"
Skype is an especially ideal tool for connecting with young audiences. Children and teens already use instant messaging and are comfortable with it. Shy students may find it a more comfortable way to ask questions.
One Skype visit connected me with a school in Erie, Pennsylvania. It was fun to see the students sitting on a rug in front of their Smartboard. I talked about why I wrote my books and told a story from Dot to Dot in the Sky, Stories of the Moon. When they asked me questions, it felt as if we were in the same room.
The instant text feature makes it possible for classes to to type their questions to the author, offering another style of interactivity and the option to create a permanent record of what is asked and answered. You can download programs that record your virtual visit and this provides the opportunity to create podcasts and video that can be posted on Youtube and other sites to raise your profile.
The Writers Guild of Alberta invited me to demonstrate the technology at the 2010 annual general meeting and mini-conference held in Edmonton. In a session titled Skypediving I shared a video call with Judith Graves of Cold Lake, Alberta. She is the author of Under My Skin. Using a projector so the audience of more than 80 could participate, Judith showed us her book and kindly demonstrated some of the habits to avoid when using Skype.
Remember to:
- make sure you consider time zones when coordinating a Skype session
- try to book morning slots to avoid times when the Internet is extra busy
- place your props close at hand before you connect
- make sure those involved understand your connection may be
temporarily lost during the chat
- decide how you will handle lost connections in advance
Avoid:
- making gestures above your chin, wider than your shoulders, or below
your mid-chest
- looking up at the ceiling when thinking what to say
- clothes that are all black, all white, or covered in large patterns or
geometric shapes
- sparkly jewelry that reflects light
- untrimmed mustaches that prevent viewers from seeing full
facial expressions
Books and technology do not have to compete. You can use Skype to celebrate the great
aspects of both. When people talk to an author, even remotely, they get to hear opinions and understand the book better. The interactivity triggers learning and insights on both ends, which is fun for the author and fun for the reader. And perhaps your audience's increasing familiarity with you will lead to a higher profile and greater book sales!
I hope you will invite me to visit your school, library, conference, or book club! Visit these sites to learn more about using Skype for author visits:
Saturday, May 22, 2010
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