Last night I went with a couple of (GREAT) friends to Jenny Lawson’s reading at Powell’s. In case you don’t know Jenny, she’s the bloggess at bloggess.com. She caught me with the blog post: “And then I became a grown-up. By eating a grown-up. Or hiring a grown-up. One of those.” She also just released the book: “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir).” Her book trailer is here: http://thebloggess.com/2012/04/and-then-this-piece-of-fried-gold-happened/. Yes, that’s Wil Wheaton.
Her reading was fantastic. She talks in her blog about how she suffers from severe anxiety – it didn’t show last night. She sparkled.
It left me wondering, what makes for a fantastic reading? I’ve been to quite a few, some great, some not so much. What did the good ones share in common?
Besides the obvious (be prepared, be on time, be in clothes), here’s what I’ve learned:
First: Set the Mood
It’s like your first date, and your readers are nervous too. Maybe they don’t know anyone. Maybe they’ve never been to a reading before. Maybe they have been to a reading before. You need to get them relaxed and in the mood. I suggest wine and cocktails, but that can get a bit expensive after more than one reading. So what’s realistic? Xanax. Or music. Maybe some light jazz. Or classical piano. Whatever you do, no Journey. I know – you don’t want them to stop believin’. But you also want them to able to listen to something beyond the song in their head. Avoid the catchy lyrics.
I remember one reading I went to where the mood was sooooo awkward. It wasn’t just me (although I am the queen of awkwardness). The room was super small, the heat was on too high, and the writer was pacing around the podium. I know. You can’t control everything. But you can do a lot to ease the tension. Which moves me onto my second point…
Second: Relax. No, seriously. Relax.
I know. It’s hard. You’re nervous. Excited. You want to dance or scream or dropkick something.
Try and relax. If you can’t, take it somewhere else. Don’t stand around anxiously and awkwardly: go hide in the bathroom. Eat some combos. Tell your friend to text you when it’s time. And have a glass of wine while you’re in there. Take your time: you’ll build the suspense.
Third: Selection without dereliction
Your audience has been waiting. Enjoying cocktails and light jazz. You approach the podium and read to them from your four-page description of how to prepare drywall. Umm—No.
You have lots to choose from. A whole book. Try and find a short passage that gives the audience a feel for your book, but doesn’t require a lot of explanation. Miriam Gershow is a master at this. She always gives her listeners just enough background that we know what she is talking about, while not boring us to death.
The obvious suggestion is don’t read the ending – read a section that leaves your listeners longing for more! Remember, you can also read part of a chapter, and end on a cliffhanger.
Fourth: Park it while it’s hot
You’ve ended with that cliffhanger and led into a Q&A, where you were gracious and effervescent. Like Tums. You acknowledged everyone’s brilliant questions and tried to evade their too-personal forrays into your private life. The final, most important tip is to transition into book signing as soon as the Q&A loses its luster.
This is not a master-class. You don’t have to fill your allotted time with endless stares. Tell the person who introduces you that you would also like them to use their best judgment as to when you wrap up (if you decide, you might wrap up after 1 question or wade through 50). I sat through one book reading where I was too close to the front to escape, but the questions just kept coming. Your audience definitely wants to interact with you; just remember you can do some of that at the signing table.
Above all, enjoy yourself. This night is about you and your wonderful book. But if you want to be invited back for another reading, make it fun for your audience too.