Last night in my marketing/platform class, guest speak Jo Jo Jensen gave us plenty to think about. Her new venture, Chapter and Voice, may be the next big thing. She and her crew do professional voice-over work, and for a fee will record a “tease” of your book. Usually about 8 minutes long, Jensen explained that her product might revolutionize the way agents and editors make first contact with an author’s work.
Writing Tip for Today: I don’t have a crystal ball, and other products have been touted as the next big thing, only to slink off into oblivion. Consider that a few years ago, the in thing was to carry around a CD of your stuff so you could hand it to prospective agents, etc. Didn’t exactly take off. And the jury is still out on whether book trailers help sales. But audio, in my little opinion, is different. Consider these things:

• With a brief audio clip, the agent/editor/reader gets an immediate, easy to use sample of the work itself. Book trailers haven’t been able to capture readers with the use of the actual text. They tease through images, music and occasionally voice-overs.
• An audio mp3 lets agents and editors multitask. We’ve all heard how agents read hundreds of queries per week. How refreshing to give the eyes a rest or be able to answer emails or other things as you listen.
• Your work comes to life. Many authors assign the celebrity they think should play their character when the movie version comes out. Hardly ever happens, but a good voice reading your work can infuse emotion, personality and style into your words.
• You own the mp3 and can do whatever marketing you can think of with it. Picture Amazon with a chance to hear the book while you decide whether or not to buy–it’s much like Amazon’s Search feature, only quicker and cooler.
• Don’t know if this audio teaser thing is the Next Big Thing or not. But Jensen and her Chapter and Voice concept really got my attention. Go here to learn more.