Fuel virtual book tour reading #2 underway

After checking my stats and chastising myself for not being more dedicated or assiduous about my podcasting of the virtual book tour (it's been over a month since I posted the first installment), I've decided to take a different tack.

Question: What is it that keeps me from podcasting these readings on a regular basis?

Answer: The fact that I've bitten off more than I can comfortably chew on one sitting.

What does not work, is setting up the expectation that these virtual book tour readings are going to be just like real-life readings. They're not. They can't be. And one of the big differences is in the time spent.

Producing a virtual book tour podcast takes time. It takes two to three times the amount of time of the total reading, what with preparation, production,publishing, and promotion. It's not the same paradigm as a real-live reading, where the bookstore takes care of the promotion and the setup, and the author comes in to read and sign books, then leaves. It's much more author-intensive. And while real-live readings may require preparation by the author, still, when the evening is done, it's done. With a podcast, you have to invest some serious time in making it happen. Yes, it can pay off more in the long run, and you've got a permanent product, but it still is more labor-intensive.

That being said (and finally realized in the fulness of time), I've scaled back my podcast efforts, to encompass only one chapter per reading. This will make for a total of 12 readings, when all is said and done (more, if I break up the first reading into its separate chapters). That's twice the amount of my original plans.

Which is in fact fine. I was talking to my mother a while back about a live author reading she went to, and she said it wasn't long enough. Well, my mother is the kind of person who fills her glass to the brim, and then balances it carefully while she sips from the top. I had created the first reading in the "tour" with the intention of giving folks their time's worth. But you know what? Podcasts aren't supposed to be really, really long. In fact, it's best if they're kept short.

It's true -- this medium is audible. People take in information they hear better, when it's in short bits. Putting too much into an audio file just invites confusion and forgetfulness. Better, to keep it short and sweet, and give people something to look forward to next time.

And better, to keep production time to the lowest possible, so you can crank out the work without overtaxing your schedule... or your credibility.

It's all about content. And it's all about delivery. So, find a way to make it work quickly and smoothly, without sacrificing quality.