You will need a microphone and a bit of practice reading to make sure you do best you can. I used a cheap sound machine to put in a few crickets (roughly $20 at Walmart) because I was reading a night scene. I call them evil crickets because scene involved vampires, but that's beside point.

I would suggest picking a small dramatic passage, one you feel comfortable reading. Shut yourself in a quiet room if possible because it will take a number of "takes" to get it right and it is amazing how recording can be a cue for dog to start barking. Size can be an issue. Wav files are fairly large--a bit over a meg--for even a minute worth of reading. You can convert it to Mp3 to save a bit on size. For mine I picked a very short passage and got it to about 500k.

Once you have your sound byte, upload it to your webpage so readers can download it and listen. Or ask your publisher to place it as a download with your book listing on their store site.

For those who would like to hear my Mp3 sample, surf on over to www.atlanticbridge.com and check out my listing for THE DARK RIDERS. Or alternately, surf to my personal webpage, http://howardhopkins.com and download a wav sample.

For example, I have a members only list for my Massive Passive Advertising Machine team http://www.bpcpublishing.com/promo.htm When I bought PopUp Generator software, which came with resale rights, I sent a quick mail to my MPAM team and presto, I sell a few copies of PopUp Generator http://www.bpcpublishing.com/popup_generator.htm

Now MPAM team members who bought PopUp Generator are also included in my customer list. The next item that I purchase with resale rights will be announced to both of these lists. It's a never ending chain of guaranteed sales.

It's not a complicated process, and it certainly isn't rocket science. It just takes a little initiative, a pinch of creativity and a drop of energy to make it work. Include this technique in your marketing toolbox and your sales will improve. Guaranteed!

Good luck and God Bless.