Give a good Reading

Last Saturday, I moderated a panel at MileHiCon called 'Improving your Reading'.  There were four other writers on it, Ed Bryant, David Boop, Ronnie Seagren, and Barb Nickless. Here are some of the gems shared.

1. Rehearse. Walking into a reading without preparing and practice can cause a writer to stumble over their words or freeze up. It was also suggested that perhaps memorizing the section would be helpful.

2. Pretend to be reading to  young children.  Use voices, facial expressions, even body language, to entice the reader into being interested in listening and then buying your book. if appropriate  use props. For instance, if the story is about dragons, a stuffed one sitting on the table or podium can draw interest.

3. Project. A microphone may not always be available so learn to speak loud enough to be heard in the back of the room.

4. Make eye contact with the audience. It makes them feel like they are an important element and helps the writer to make a connection.

5. Giveaways. Some writers give away a free copy of their book at a reading and autograph it as well.

6. DO NOT picture the audience naked. There are some  people one simply doesn't want to see that way.

7. Time the reading. Many avenues only give a certain amount of time, so make sure the selection fits into that space. Also, if the time is shared, be considerate of the other writer and don't run over into their time.

8. In the event a writer is fortunate to get to read for an editor, don't read any differently than if reading to an audience. It shows him/her how well the skill is honed and how it will help sell books.

9. Practice. Even before the book is released. There are many avenues available to do this and allows the writer to get comfortable reading in front of others. It also helps with premarketing and can give an idea on how well the work will be received.

10. Be prepared for stage fright. Everyone gets butterflies in their stomach. As one writer said 'Try to get them to fly in formation'. It's better to be nervous beforehand than to freeze up on 'stage'.

Reading is a performance art and can enhance the sale of books. Simply reading it or treating it like a normal public speaking gig, is not really good enough. If a writer is unsure of their skill level, check with the local college or continuing education classes or see if someone teaches it at a local writing conference. The more prepared a writer is, the better they'll do.

And since many writers nowadays must do much of their own marketing, this is one of the many skills that must be developed.