Chapter Fifty-Two
Going Public
How to Ace Readings, Signings, Interviews, and More
It was a dark and stormy night in Northern California. I was in a large bookstore to read from my debut novel, Holy Hell, and this was my very first author event. Only four people had shown up, but I felt triumphant that it wasn’t zero.
In honor of the occasion, I’d brought a box of fine chocolates to share. My small audience sat comfortably and paid attention as I spoke. At the end there were no questions, but everybody came up for an extra chocolate.
One person told me she’d enjoyed my reading. I tried to hand her a book, desperate to make at least one sale, saying, “Wouldn’t you like to get one? I’d be glad to sign it for you.”
“Oh, no,” she said. The others were drifting away. “Goodnight, Ed!” she called. “Goodnight, Jerome!” The woman turned back to me. “See, we’re all homeless, and we come in here to warm up. We can’t buy anything.”
“Oh,” I said, then stammered the only thing I could think of: “Well, would you like to take the rest of the chocolates?”
“Yes, thank you.” She took the box and left.
A low point to start from? Perhaps.
Since then, I’ve given a book and bus fare to a guy who attended one of my readings, showed up for an appearance in 104-degree heat to find that the air-conditioning had broken (zero attendance there), and been snubbed by store clerks who perceived my mystery series as beneath them.
Fortunately, I’ve also enjoyed well-attended events and built lasting relationships with many booksellers and readers who appreciate my work—and tell their friends.
Having worked as both a bookstore manager and a media spokesperson before becoming an author, I’ve experienced the business from several angles. The main lesson: Your public persona as an author is not about you. Really. It’s about your work and your audience. And all you need is a little preparation to serve them both well. Let’s look at the most common scenarios you’ll face.
BOOKSTORE APPEARANCES
The standard venue for a public appearance by an author is still the bookstore. Here’s how to ensure each event you do is a successful one.
Know that you’ll be judged by your own cover. It might not be fair, but people accord greater respect to those who dress in good clothes. Show up in an outfit you’d wear to accept a literary prize. Be fastidious about your grooming (and breath). Look sharp, and you’ll feel sharp.
Arrive early. Introduce yourself to the manager, and get squared away. You will have phoned or e-mailed weeks in advance to make sure they’ve stocked your books. (Always double-check all logistics—date and time, book inventory—even if you’re published by a traditional house with someone assigned to make arrangements for you.) Check out the physical space, and set up your stuff (a good pen for signing, bookmarks or other giveaways, sign-up sheet to join your e-mail list, water bottle, throat lozenges). Find out where the bathroom is.
Typically, you won’t have much room to work with. It’s reasonable to expect—and nicely ask for, if need be—eight to ten chairs, a table, and a little space for them. If nothing’s set up, say, “Okay if I just pitch in and help?” Then drag chairs over, hunt down your books, and make a good time of it.
Avoid demanding more from the bookstore unless you’re a major or especially charismatic author. I remember one big-name author telling me quite frankly on the phone before his event, “I’m an alcoholic, and I’m going to need a bottle of scotch and a glass within easy reach, or things won’t go well.” Given that we expected to sell several hundred copies of his books, I gladly ran to the liquor store.
Unless you’re that guy, bring your own liquor. Better still, unless you’re that guy, show up sober and tidy.
Be charming no matter what happens. Realize that you are an entertainer and will be judged by how well you amuse and accommodate. When introduced to bookstore staff, look them in the eye, say their name twice, and then call them by name evermore. (It helps to picture a person’s name engraved across her forehead.) Most mortals get upset when things go wrong; you can elevate yourself to special status by reacting with good humor to any mishap, such as a fire alarm getting pulled or the coffee machine breaking down.
Take command of the clock. Here is a good way to manage your time for a one-hour appearance:
- Five minutes: Introduction, thank-you for coming, thanks to the host, invitation to sign up for your e-mail list. (Note: Be prepared to introduce yourself if no one is on hand to do it.)
- Ten to fifteen minutes: Read, with intro or commentary.
- Ten to fifteen minutes: Talk about your book and yourself.
- Ten to fifteen minutes: Q&A, thanks to audience and host.
- Ten to fifteen minutes: Sign books, kibitz, wrap up, and go.
Read well, lively, and little. Audiences like to hear a short anecdote as to how your book came about. Then, a couple of passages totaling ten to fifteen minutes work well as an appetizer to entice your listeners to buy the book.
For fiction, avoid passages with long descriptions and/or lots of dialogue (imagine the task of trying to alter your tone or pitch for each different voice). An effective reading shows your protagonist engaged in some action and reveals a bit of his personality or motivation at the same time. Unless you’re starting at the very beginning, provide some context: “Okay, Officer Rodriguez has just gotten dumped by his girlfriend, but he doesn’t know how his luck is about to change. We pick up with him as he’s called to investigate a suspicious smell coming from the apartment next door.”
Ideally, do a practice run in front of someone (or someones) who can provide constructive criticism. Vary your voice tones, put your emphasis in different places, vary your loudness and softness, use gestures. Also, it’s okay to pause for effect. (This is a good time to look up and make eye contact with someone in the audience.)
It has become the fashion for authors reading aloud to laugh, or barely suppress laughter, at the witty places. Do not stoop to this. If your work is funny, reading it with straight earnestness will make them laugh. A well-timed pause can make all the difference. Take my word for it.
Keep them listening. When you finish reading, it’s okay to say a few things about your writing process and how you came to be an author, but mostly your attendees want to hear why they should spend their hard-earned money on your book. They want to know how it will change their life or make them think in a new way.
Based on that, a good way to give a successful little talk is simply to tell anecdotes. How did you come up with the characters and their foibles? In all genres, audiences love to hear stories about the research you did for your book. I’ve held rooms spellbound as I relayed how my friend, a surgeon, educated me in how it feels and sounds to set a broken bone.
Always take questions at the end. Do this before you offer to sign books. Be generous in answering, and let one question lead to another.
If things are slow, I might jump-start the situation by pulling out a few cards and saying brightly, “As it happens, I brought a few questions from the old mailbag just in case!” Of course these are of my own devising, and the crazier the better: I’ve “asked” myself about rabbits, golf, revenge, theatrical makeup, arson, and more, all of it relevant in some way to one of my books.
Enjoy your audience; let them see you having fun. If someone starts to monopolize the Q&A, just smile and say, “Let’s you and I get together after I’ve wrapped up, okay?”
Adapt your talk to your audience. All these tips work great whether you’ve got an audience of twelve or 120. But the number one question I’m asked about bookstore appearances is this: What if nobody (or almost nobody) comes? It’s a valid concern—we’ve all been there. But knowing how to handle it can set you apart.
If your census is between one and four, I suggest you forsake the lecture format, make a circle of the chairs, and just have a conversation. Forgo the awkwardness of standing in front of the room, and put your audience at ease. Often other customers will be drawn in. You can still talk about your book and even read, but keep it loose and informal. The point is to bond with your listeners. Ask them what they’re reading, what they’re hungry for, whether they love only happy endings, even what they like to drink while reading.
If the worst happens and nobody turns out, chat up the staff. If they’re busy, stay out of their way, but if there’s downtime, ask them things. Booksellers are a fount of information. “Which book or author has most affected you?” “What books are getting your customers excited these days?” “Do you see any trends in the [fill-in-the-blank] genre?”
You can also sell books by roaming the store. Hold a copy of your book, walk around, smile, and introduce yourself as “today’s author.” Tell them something nice a reviewer has said, then say, “Here, take a look!”
Sign properly. When it’s time to sign books, say, “Now I’ll be glad to personalize a book for—well, everybody!” Take your position behind your table, make eye contact with one and all, get the spelling of each name right, and sign the title page (not inside the cover or on a flyleaf).
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
Writers tend to be horrible at schmoozing. That’s because of a mistaken idea that they’re supposed to “get something” out of other people, which feels awkward and uncomfortable. In fact, good schmoozing is about engaging with people.
You can get comfortable by realizing that everybody wants to be liked. It’s magic when you take the initiative to make a friendly comment, smile, ask people about themselves, and pay attention to what they say. Enjoy people. Try to put everyone at ease, but stop short of being totally ingratiating. Do this by not hogging the spotlight. Listen with alert kindness. One of the best schmoozers I’ve ever seen made a point of introducing people to one another at events, always with some little connecting comment: “Do you know Dmitri? He teaches at the college!” She flitted around throwing people together all over the place, and everybody loved her.
When doing an event with multiple authors (always a great idea), be hearty and be happy to see them. A golden open-ended question is, “What are you working on now?”
It’s a good rule of thumb to follow etiquette rules you might have been taught about polite conversation at dinner parties. Just as you wouldn’t assume everybody around you shares your religion, do not assume they share your political slant. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, but keep conversation topics in the neutral zone (unless, of course, your book or platform is related to a specific position or opinion).
MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Writers sometimes get featured in print, on the Web, on TV and radio. A useful and efficient way to prepare for these opportunities—while simultaneously creating an effective promotional tool you’ll use again and again—is to start by interviewing yourself, in writing. Think of the things you’re most likely to be asked, and write your answers out in basic Q&A form: What led you to write this book? Why is your book important? And so on.
You can then post this in a Q&A section on your website and even use choice responses in press releases and other promo materials.
And, having thought through these questions and more in advance, you’ll find that you’re now prepared for most any interview. Having a microphone in front of your face makes most people’s adrenaline spike, so knowing what you want to say will help you stay calm. Speak slowly, and you’ll sound normal.
The key to nailing an interview is to realize that the interviewer, who is usually at best vaguely familiar with you or your book, will be glad if you take his questions and run with them. Tell what you would like the world to know about your book, using the anecdotes you’ve worked up already. That way, the outcome of the interview is in your control, regardless of how lackluster the questions may be. It’s not unusual for an author who is featured in a local newspaper to get a call from a radio producer who spotted the article. Or for a writer who gives an entertaining talk on a popular podcast to be invited to appear on TV. Taking the time to prepare and grant a good interview will likely pay off tenfold as one opportunity leads to another.
GUEST BLOGGING AND BLOG TOURS
Whether you’re invited to contribute to an existing blog or you’re actively organizing a promotional “blog tour” of your own (or just looking to expand your online platform), writing guest posts is a fun way to engage with potential readers. Ask the blog host what she’s looking for, and accommodate as best you can. If the content is all up to you, consider your target audience’s point of view: What might they find interesting, amusing, even salacious? (A little gossip goes a long way—remember my bit about the writer and the scotch?) You might include a short excerpt from your book or write up anecdotes just as you’d tell them in an interview.
Let your social network know when your post goes live, making sure to appreciatively acknowledge your host. It’s good form to check back on your post, especially the day of and the day after. Reply graciously to all comments, keeping the conversation going.
FOLLOW-THROUGH
Write a thank-you note for every appearance. For physical events, handwrite a note, address it to “The Management and Staff of XYZ Bookstore (or Library),” and let them know how much you appreciated their time and trouble. If you were a guest for an interview or blog, write an e-mail saying the same. Aside from the fact that it’s the decent thing to do, a thank-you might help you get invited back.
Every chance for a writer to interact with the public is a special opportunity. By understanding the bigger picture, and by preparing yourself to maximize your impact and handle whatever happens with grace, you will stand the best chance of making a terrific impression, selling books, and creating good karma.