European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 26, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Writers audition to show they can promote books on to by Edwin Mcdowell new York times Arilyn Greene exp Els to be on television often this summer so on this blustery Winter Day she was being pu1 through her paces. When you Sil. Pul your Fanny Back Cross your legs and incline Forward into the camera her speech coach Dorothy Sarnoff. Told her think of the 10 most hostile questions you do not want to be asked and be ready to answer them succinctly with a smile on your  Greene is neither a politician nor a Public figure. She is in act a private investigator rom Schenectady n y., who says she has found More missing children and adults than anyone else in America. Ordinarily she would be Content to remain Well Oul a the spotlight but nol now this summer Crown publishers will bring out Greene s Book. Finder and Steps Are already under Way to Iran lorm her Inlo a polished Pilchman Jor her Book in the High slake would of publishing whore most books have Only a Brief he before being remaindered writers and publishers arc increasingly vying to get the author on television and radio talk shows to increase sales you can t just while it now said the director of publicity far Macmillan Susan Richman. Now you also Havo to sell  As advances Havo escalated Well Inlo six figures Lor books thought to have Strong commercial Appeal television talk shows have become the most important vehicle Lor bringing books to a mass audience. Television is so important in lad thai authors Are being sent by publishers to speech teachers to consultants who teach camera presence end to consultants who recommend changing not Only one s liar silo but also one s image they also put authors through mock interviews and Leach them How to make their sales pitches. And some agents Tor their part arc oven sending videotapes along wish Book proposals to show How Well their clients handle themselves on the tube. Belore James Spada went on tour Tost year o Pio mole Grace  Best Selling biography of Grace Kelly he was taken shopping in Beverly Hills by a los angles Media consultant Anne ready who helped him pick out an expensive doubly breasted Fallian suit o Wear during interviews. Among the authors who have attended Sarnoff s speech dynamics Al ices up to $3 goo for six hours Are Danielle steel Jean Audi. Gail Shechem William Novak the co author of books with Lee Iacocca and Thomas p. Tip o Neil Susan Cheever and Robert  the author of the great Golly Haing Ngor who won an Academy award Lor his role in the killing Fields received coaching irom a los Angeles speech leather to prepare him Tor his Lour in behalf of his Book cambodian Odyssey written with Roger Warner and published in february by Macmillan. Cheryl Crane Lara Turner s daughter was coached by ready in preparation for promoting her current Best Selling Book a Sloier Arbor House with Cliff Jahr nil Mayo  author Marilyn Greene left being coached in television interview tech Juet by Dorothy Samoff. We be Gollen so Many videos lately thai the editors have had to gel Var s in our offices said Belty Prashker the editor in chief of Crown publishers. Similarly editors at Simon & schuster report thai the submission of videos is rampant according to Julia Knickerbocker the director of Public relations. Video submissions were virtually unheard of three years ago Al Harper & Row. Now according to Daniel g. Harvey the director of publicity advertising and promotion Ollyn we will Pul Oil making an offer on a Book until we con see a tape or meet the author we frequently bring a television Monitor into Board meetings i there s a tape the editors feel is Worth  like other houses Harper s has turned Down books deemed to require television publicity to make them successful but whose authors Weie unconvincing on the videotapes and seemed unlikely to improve much from coaching. A video Cut a Cully making the rounds of publishing houses features clips from various speeches and Public appearances by Rose Bird a Farmer chief Justice of Iii in Al Sheehey Speen dynamic Gra Tuata saturday March 26, 1938 California. Her office put the video together and we re offering a collection of essays tilled a sense of Justice said her literary agent Michael Carlisle of the William Morris Agency. I m hoping la Lind a publisher who will say of essays Are Tricky to sell but she is very promotable " coaching and videos Are opposite sides of the same publicity Coin and nowhere is that demonstrated More clearly than with the recent Book not without my daughter by Brilly Mahmoodi an american who was held hostage by her husband in Iran. Before Thomas Dunne is. Martin s press published the Book which is co written by William Hof far Mahmoodi was seen on a television interview by the publicity director of St. Marlins Karen mender she had a lot to say mender said but i fell Sho needed to be much More forceful presenting her   is. Marlin s Send her for several hours of Insl Duclion to Barbara drowning a coach in Mew York before dispatching her on a 15-City promotional Lour. In order to help sell the Mahmoodi Book overseas Carlisle her agent sent inner sled foreign publishers a video Apo of the author s appearance on the Donahue show. Most videos consist of clips from the author s appearances on network or local television but some Are made especially la tout a proposed Book. Those Are the least effective said Nansen Neiman. The publisher of Warner books. Stephen Rubin the editor in chief of Bantam books agrees. There s nothing worse than seeing a badly produced videotape of some Egmon Lacal author making a fool of himself he said. Novelists or author of serious non fiction Are rarely asked to audition before their books arc signed up but the line Between editorial and promotion has become increasingly blurred at most houses and in is not unusual for marketing and publicity directors to attend editorial meetings. Patty Neger an associate producer of Good morning America one of the coveted forums for authors said that coaching whether by an outside Consul land or someone in the publisher s publicity department is a Good idea. But she cautioned against i Host who give Loo much emphasis to tenseness. Succinct Bur not yes or no she said. As soon As an author says just yes or no i say  Emily Boxer the Book Edt Loi of the today show another important forum for books said coaching can make someone who is an eight Inlo a nine on the other hand it won t Lake someone who s a two and Mako Ihm  still not every House is sold on the Virtues Al videos. John Macrae ii Henry Holt s editorial director said that he has automatically returned videos unopened and that he will never accept them and no one has submitted a video to Ailred a. Knopf Barbara Jonah Riggs Knopf publicity manager said. It would be the joke of the Ollice if they  the stars and stripes Paga 17