How to Prepare for Your Next Author Reading or Book Event
How to prepare for your book launch or author reading.
I love to tell stories, so here’s a tale about the worst — and I mean the absolute, down-and-out worst — public author reading I’ve ever attended.
I recognized this author’s name on the conference lineup, but I hadn’t read any of his literary works. Then, shortly after our Saturday lunch, he took the stage, where, instead of facing his audience, he read with his back to us. Really. He faced the back of the stage.
He was difficult to hear. At the end, following that extended view of the author’s rear end, folks around me clapped and whispered, “Oh, he’s a genius. An eccentric genius.”
“Genius” was not among the comments zinging through my own mind. In fact, I longed to go up there and remind our young author that manners really do maketh the man.
So that’s my worst-case scenario or horror story.
There have been a few runners up, like that time I was on a literary panel with someone who dropped f-bombs galore, then, halfway through the Q & A session, he set his head on the desk for a little nap. The other panelist and I had to carry the rest of the show as our boy snoozed (or pretended to) beside me.
Or there was that tardy chappie who left us all — the audience, the moderator and us, his fellow panelists — on stage waiting. When he finally arrived, he read a politically-provocative piece that (no surprise) stoked and polarized our audience. As Chappie faced off with a particularly argumentative audience member, the rest of us sat twiddling our thumbs and praying for a microphone failure.
So these are my top three enfants terribles tales from the book-presentation world. In addition to these, there were those authors who arrived unprepared, uncombed, or who ignored the pre-event directions to read way, way past their allotted time (a big no-no).
By the way, I just realized that all of my enfants terribles authors were male.
Great and Gracious Authors
Now, let’s talk about those other authors who arrive promptly and prepared to give the book event their all.
They are groomed and gracious and respectful.
For example, a few weeks ago, I attended a two-author book launch in which the two mystery writers interviewed each other. I rarely read mystery fiction, but the event was lively and informative, as was the audience Q & A session that followed.
Why? Because these two authors made it happen that way.
4 Tips to Prepare for a Great Author Book Reading or Literary Panel Presentation
It’s all About Your Audience
Hand on heart: I’ve never, ever read with my back to my audience.
However, when I look back at my own author presentations — especially in the early days — there are some that, at best, were ‘meh.’
So what or how could I have done it better? What or who had I neglected or shortchanged?
The audience.
The audience.
Did I mention the audience?
2. Choose and Practice What You’re Going to Read Ahead of Time
Launching a new book? Choose the excerpt to read and practice reading it aloud ahead of the event. Read only up to or less than your allotted time. Time yourself. Choose an excerpt that’s self-contained. Or a scene that showcases the book or the story’s central dilemma or plot. The opening is always a good selection.
3. Author, Be Humble
So you’ve just had a book released. It may be destined to become a bestseller or optioned for a Hollywood blockbuster. But you haven’t solved world hunger or global warming or discovered a permanent cure for rare pediatric or adult cancers. Have you?
So be humble. Not self-effacing. Not humble-bragging. Just humble and human and grateful.
4. Be Yourself
Nobody expects a stand-up comedy show or a free writing seminar. So just give us you. As we sit there before you, we’ve abandoned our living rooms or our after-dinner coffees just to come out and hear you.
So inspire us.
Impress us.
Include us.
Engage us.
Enjoyed this article? You may also enjoy: 5 Tips for Doing Great Author Events, Readings and Presentations.
Check out my upcoming author events at the News page.