Author Readings

Author readings don’t have to strike fear in your heart. This post will talk about why, where, and how to have a successful reading.

Why

Writers tend to shun the spotlight. But the reality is writers are responsible for marketing their own work. To be successful, you have to put yourself in front of your target audience. Nonfiction authors reach their audience through interviews, articles, and presentations. Fiction authors will write short fiction, enter contests, do interviews, and yes, read portions of their work to live audiences. Reading short work aloud in public is great practice for when you publish that novel you’ve been working on.

Where

So, where does one give an author reading? Check with your local writers group, library, bookstore, and pub. Pub? Open mics are popping up all over. Google Open Mic or Spoken Word Open Mic to find venues near you. A word of caution, some specialize in poetry, music, or comedy so it’s always a good idea to attend once before participating, to make sure you’re in the right place, unless, of course you don’t mind singing that poem, wink, wink. Some writing groups host a featured reader at monthly meetings. Central Oregon Writers Guild (COWG) is one example.

How

As the featured reader coordinator of COWG I developed five tips for readers:

Breathe  

Now, this might sound obvious. Of course, we need to breathe whether we are reading in front of a group or not. The truth is we breathe differently when nervous. Early attempts at reading in front of a crowd left me breathless, which in turn made me shaky. My voice faltered and the people at the back of the room were left guessing (unless they were lip readers). One deep cleansing breath before reading, and a conscious effort to take in enough oxygen, will keep your voice strong even though your knees may be shaking.

Speak Slowly

A common tendency is to start reading at a normal pace, then speed up as you go along. By the end of the author reading wordsgetsquishedtogether and are hard to understand, leaving your readers in the dark. One trick I have learned is to close my lips at the end of each sentence. The audience doesn’t seem to notice and it forces me to slow down.

Make Eye Contact

Even though you are reading off a phone, tablet, or a piece of paper, take the time to connect with your audience. Look up, let your readers know they matter, draw them in. I always use a 14-point font, and double-space with an extra space between paragraphs. That way, when I look up to connect with my audience, I can quickly find my place when I go back to reading (because I keep my finger on the page).

Practice

Multiple readings is when you get to play with rhythm, timing, voices, tone, and expression in your voice. Also try a few gestures if appropriate. An author reading is more than just reading, it’s a performance. Ham it up. Make silly faces, change the volume of your voice from conspiratorial whisper to booming command, depending on your piece. You want to engage your audience, so please, no monotones!

Thank your host and audience

When you step up to the mic, thank your host. They have provided you with an opportunity to reach your audience. It also shows you have class. At the end of your author reading, avoid that awkward silence when you know you are done, but the audience doesn’t. A simple thank you alerts them that you have come to the end. With any luck they’ll burst into applause.

Reading aloud can be scary. The more you do it the easier it gets. If you’re reading this post, I bet you’re a writer with something to say. Select one of your polished pieces, find a spoken word open mic, review the five tips above, and have fun!  Share successful author readings as well as horror stories in the comments below.