Conrad Black was relaxed and smiling when he appeared before fans at a virtual book signing in Toronto Monday night - a sharp contrast from the drawn and sombre figure Canadians came to know during his recent criminal trial.

In a video conference from Florida, the former press baron joked that pressing maple leaves was becoming a trend, referring to a recent spoof he participated in on CBC-TV's The Rick Mercer Report.

Black also addressed comments by former prime minister Jean Chrétien about the incident that led to his choice to give up his Canadian citizenship.

He said that, despite affirmations to the contrary in Chrétien's new autobiography, it was Chrétien who suggested Black try to become a senator while attempting to become a member of Britain's House of Lords.

Black signed copies of his latest biography, The Invincible Quest: the Life of Richard Milhous Nixon, for fans in Toronto. The book was published in Canada in May and comes out in the United States on Oct. 22.

To ink the books from afar, Black signed an electronic writing tablet with a magnetic pen and then pressed a button. A pen in Toronto, linked to the writing tablet, inscribed the books in real ink. The long-distance signing device, called the LongPen, was the brainchild of author Margaret Atwood. Fans were also able to talk to Black through video conferencing.

Black is confined to either Palm Beach, where he has a home, or Chicago as he awaits sentencing next month on his convictions for mail fraud and obstruction of justice.

With files from the Canadian Press