A Television Interview Soon after my first co-authored electronic book was published it became painfully apparent that it would not be easy to change the reading habits of my peers. Try as I might to get the attention of any media to take an interest in electronic publishing, my promotion fell on deaf ears. Lead by Example I demonstrated my e-book reader at every opportunity. Unfortunately, one person marching out of step with the crowd will, at best, be looked upon as a loveable eccentric. I needed a hook, something to grab the media's attention. E-publishing needed to be legitimized, recognized by others who had nothing to gain from its existence. My plight was made no less frustrating by the knowledge that hundreds of e-authors were out there butting their heads against the same wall. A Common Banner It seemed logical that if e-book authors and promoters were united under a common banner, our efforts would produce better results. Read An E-book Week was born. Read an E-Book Week is registered with Chase's Calendar of Events, a day-by-day directory of special days, weeks and months used by event planners or anyone looking for a reason to celebrate. By having the week recognized in an official publication, e-book promoters acquire a legitimacy they didn't have before. Make a Pitch Armed with an official date, I approached our local television station. Each morning they have a two-hour block of time dedicated to regional events. I led off with my well-practiced line: "The second week of March has been officially declared Read An E-Book Week. Would you be interested in doing a segment on your show?" I was successful! They were quite pleased to do a piece on e-books. They set a date and time and asked me to bring an e-book so I could demonstrate it on the computer during the interview. Do the Show This type of situation was perfect for my children's e-book: Kelly's Baby Brother . The book has colourful photographs of children, and the pictures are large. Links from specific words within the text take the reader to a picture of the word. This demonstrated well on the computer. The interviewer was very good to work with. Before our segment, he asked me what information I wanted to convey to the viewers. I suggested I could ask him what he would do if he couldn't sleep, it was -40 degrees outside and he had nothing to read. I noticed the cameras caught a shot of the snow outside the windows of the studio when I asked the question. For my follow-up question, I asked him if he realized he could purchase a book at 3:00 a.m. while he was sitting in his pyjamas, and it would arrive in his computer just minutes later. He was genuinely surprised by that information. We then went to the computer and I moved through a few pages of the e-book to show the audience how the book unfolded and how the reader moved through the links. Take a Bow The interview went very well. The host was easy to talk with, and the dreaded "blank mind syndrome" did not occur. When I complimented him on his skills he was gracious enough to say he was paid to make sure the guests were comfortable. They want you to look good--it's better for the show. Go for it! I highly recommend approaching a television station that has this type of local events show. They're looking for interesting subjects to feature and e-books fall into the interesting and unique category. Rita Toews is the author of CHRISTMAS STARS and KELLY'S BABY BROTHER, and co-author (along with Alex Domokos) of the soon-to be-published MASQUERADE.