This week, UMW Toyota conducted an Outreach Program with the theme of Challenging Knowledge for their employees. They asked MPH to hold a book fair at their spacious premises in Section 15, Shah Alam and as part of the program, MPH roped me in to give a talk.
My topic was Honk! If you want to read - Getting your kids (and yourself) to read. As usual I was worried about the crowd, or rather lack of it. But I needn't have. I had a captive audience. Approximately 50 employees turned up for the talk and 15 books were sold at the event. Best haul so far. After the talk, we adjourned to their cafeteria for some snacks. The cream puffs were excellent! And so were the gifts they presented to me : a tea and coffee making set as well as a pair of ballpoint pens.
This event turned out better than any book talk I had conducted at bookstores. As a bonus, I got to meet an old classmate whom I haven't seen since primary school days! Authors, this may be the way to go to promote your books.
UMW video-taped the talk. Alamak, all my flaws at public speaking are immortalized on tape.
Another segment of the crowd. SK was the moderator.
En. Rohiman Haroon, Asst GM of External Affairs. He's a voracious reader and prolific writer too (he wrote the script of Embun).
The proud owners of Honk! who stayed behind for a photo session. Intan Salmee is on the far right. She helped Rohiman to organize this talk.
Busy signing books.
More books to be signed. My handwriting became cakar ayam - fowl scratches.
2 comments:
WAH.....Lydia ah, 15 copies! Better than talk like dungu at bookshops lah!
Like dat, I oso wan, I oso wan!!
Captive audience, I like that phrase. Does that mean captive buyers? hehehehe.....
You tell your MPH bosses, this is the way to go, tell big corporation to organise such ties with MPH, as a programme to enrich and 'enculture' their staff with more book knowledge, and MPH and we local authors can do more to sell our wares there. Haiya....why lah, MAS or A Asia didn't think like UMW hor?
Yvonne, have you approached the airlines before? If you could have a talk there, I think you'll be able to sell many more books.
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