On September 15th, 2011 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with childrens author, publisher, and marketing guru Barbara Techel. She is the award-winning author of the Frankie the Walk N Roll Dog book series. She has shared her story of hope and inspiration about her dachshund, Frankie, who is in a wheelchair, with thousands of children and adults since 2007. To date they have made over 300 appearances in Wisconsin and many more via Skype to classrooms across the US and Canada. Barbara is also a speaker and publisher. She appeared on our show to help all authors who may be having trouble getting started in speaking at schools and libraries some ideas and inspiration. A few topics we covered include:

What to include in your presentation.
Types of presentations
Ideas for what fiction authors can speak about
Pitfalls to avoid in pitching classroom appearances
Appropriate length for various ages
Managing the sales appropriately
Where to speak: In-person and via Skype
What to charge for classroom appearances
Marketing your message and appearances to schools