by MarcyKate Connolly
One of the things you may not think much about when you’re writing that first book or just dipping your toe into the query trenches is that if you do get that book published, you may have to talk to a lot of people.
As in, in front of them. Standing up. Trying desperately to keep your lunch down and not flail so hard you actually take flight.
If you’re shy like I am, this might be a bit of challenge for you.
I recently had the opportunity to speak to a couple of groups (one as a guest speaker at a local reading council and another as a presenter on Scrivener), and while I’m definitely still learning, I thought I’d share what helped me stay calm and keep on.
Namely, passion.
I was terrified for that first event. They wanted me to talk about me and my publishing journey, a topic I suspect would make many shy writers feel squeamish. (They want to hear about me? But I’m boring!) It was a challenge to find a way to make it engaging, and fortunately I was able to also read an excerpt from my book (which is infinitely more interesting than me!).
Practicing my speech beforehand helped considerably for that first event, but the second was easier (even though I had to talk for 2 hours instead of only 30 minutes!) because it was a topic I was passionate about: Scrivener. The fact that it was a familiar atmosphere (NESCBWI, my favorite conference), also made me feel more at ease.
This is not to say it went entirely smooth—we had some technical difficulties with the microphone, and with getting a room full of people at various levels of usage all on the same page with Scrivener. But it was a topic I loved, knew inside out, and could easily wax poetic about for hours. So, I did.
If you’re fairly shy too, and the thought of public speaking makes you twitch, here’s my suggestion: start small, and start with what you love. If you can, arrange something in a place that is familiar like an event at your local library or a presentation or panel at a local conference you’ve been to in the past. Even better if you can choose something you love to speak about – maybe it’s revision, or story structure, or fairy tales, etc. If you’re passionate about the subject matter, and the location is familiar, an event like that can be a great way to ease into it before you have to stand up in front of a group of strangers.
Since I’m still learning too, I’d love to hear your thoughts on ways to feel more comfortable and be successful at public speaking!
MarcyKate Connolly writes middle grade and young adult fiction and becomes a superhero when sufficiently caffeinated. When earthbound, she blogs at her website and spends far too much time babbling on Twitter. Her debut upper MG fantasy novel, MONSTROUS, will be out from HarperCollins Children's Books in Winter 2015.
Showing posts with label public speaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public speaking. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Tips for Going Clubbing—Book Clubbing That Is
by Sophie Perinot
As an author you will have the opportunity to do a number of types of speaking engagements. In the eleven months since the launch of my debut novel, I’ve done book talks, author panels at book festivals, and even a college lecture. All of these were fun and every one of them was a promotional opportunity. But when it comes to sheer bookselling power the grand champion of the author speaking engagement is almost certainly the book club visit.
Once you publish a book you will begin to dream about book clubs. No, literally. Ask my husband—I dream about book clubs. Not stress dreams. Not standing up at a lectern and realizing you’ve forgotten your pants dreams. Nope, book club dreams are the kind of dreams you wake up from feeling warm and fuzzy. I mean do the math—every book club is a chance to make ten, maybe even twenty sales upfront. Make a positive impression during your visit with club members and that dozen copies is just the tip of the book sales iceberg because enthusiastic readers talk. They tell their friends about your book, they pass a promotional postcard for your novel along to someone at work who they know is a member of a different book club and tell her, “This author does Skype visits and she is fantastic.”
So what are the secrets to being a good book club invitee? In searching for a summary of my personal approach to book club visits a quote from Shakespeare in Love popped into my head. In that movie Lord Wessex (boo), instructing Lady Viola with respect to her upcoming audience with Queen Elizabeth, says:
Exactly! I would just add the Boy Scout motto on to the end of that—“be prepared.”
Be submissive—in the “amenable” sense of the word. Being amenable means being, “ready or willing to answer, act, agree, or yield; open to influence.” Attending a book club is different than standing at the front of a room and giving a speech. As a book club guest you are part of a dialogue. You need to be willing to answer questions. You need to LISTEN not just talk. Be open to the comments of members; yield the floor. Let what you are hearing from the readers affect the presentation you’ve planned. A person who feels truly listened to feels valued. And that is precisely how you want readers to feel.
Be modest. Yes you are an honored guest and even—and let me tell you it is SO weird to experience this—a minor celebrity when you show up for a book club meeting (or pop up on the host’s computer screen). At the most spectacular club I’ve attended thus far the hostess had the event catered and made little hand tied bouquets of lavender for all the attendees to commemorate the fact that my heroines come from Provence. But if you let your status as guest-of-honor go to your head and start to act like a “C”elebrity then you risk losing points and readers. You want to be remembered as the author club members connected with on a personal level. Personal connections—in addition to being tremendously fulfilling, and I think talking to readers is absolutely the single best part of this writing gig—sell books. It’s called word-of-mouth, folks, and it is the most powerful book-selling tool on earth.
Be grateful. Look out at the club members. In a market absolutely swamped with product, every single soul present (well, except for the couple who borrowed library copies) bought your book. They read it. They are the audience you’ve pined for since first you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). Thank them. Thank them for reading your novel. Thank them for sharing their thoughts about it. Thank them, in advance (and while gently nudging), for reviewing it on Amazon or Goodreads. Thank your hostess for arranging things. If you are attending the club in person, say something nice about the food. But be sincere or don’t bother. Obsequiousness is a real turn off. Be a genuine and polite guest, not an ingratiating flatterer.
Be brief, because to quote the real Shakespeare, “brevity is the soul of wit.” You should be prepared to make some sort of presentation (see my next point) but keep it short because the real heart and soul of a book club meeting is the discussion of the book. Yes, the club invited you because they want to hear you speak, but better to leave them wanting more than to render them drowsy and eager to make an escape.
Be prepared. In spite of everything I’ve said above about being a listener you were, in fact, invited to speak. Book clubs invite authors because an author visit offers value added. The club members are perfectly capable of discussing your book without you. They want you in the room for the thrill of getting inside information. You need to give them something the average reader doesn’t get. You get to decide what that something is. Start by thinking about what you’d want to know about a favorite author or a favorite book. Or perhaps by thinking in terms of what “enhanced features” might be included if your book were a DVD.
Here are some suggestions for adding value to your visit: Go biographical, offering up facts about your past or present. For example, in the Metro DC area where I live many women have transitioned from high-powered careers to being at home and back again, so I often speak about my own struggles with those adjustments. Offer a peek into your creative process. I like to tell readers about the scene in my novel that I wrote first, sharing the story of where I was when the voices came to me. Flesh out the meat of your story. This is particularly interesting to readers if, like me, you write historical fiction. I often talk about the history behind my story, particularly about common misconceptions about historical women. For those who write other genres, consider sharing a scene that ended up on the editing room floor.
Those are my personal clubbing tips. Do you have any you’d like to share in return?
Sophie Perinot is the author of THE SISTER QUEENS, the story of a pair of 13th century sisters who became the queens of England and France. Currently she is holed up in the 16th century working on a novel set in Valois France. You can learn more about Sophie and her work here. And YES she would love to visit with your book club!
 |
| The first book club I visited. You never forget your first. |
Once you publish a book you will begin to dream about book clubs. No, literally. Ask my husband—I dream about book clubs. Not stress dreams. Not standing up at a lectern and realizing you’ve forgotten your pants dreams. Nope, book club dreams are the kind of dreams you wake up from feeling warm and fuzzy. I mean do the math—every book club is a chance to make ten, maybe even twenty sales upfront. Make a positive impression during your visit with club members and that dozen copies is just the tip of the book sales iceberg because enthusiastic readers talk. They tell their friends about your book, they pass a promotional postcard for your novel along to someone at work who they know is a member of a different book club and tell her, “This author does Skype visits and she is fantastic.”
So what are the secrets to being a good book club invitee? In searching for a summary of my personal approach to book club visits a quote from Shakespeare in Love popped into my head. In that movie Lord Wessex (boo), instructing Lady Viola with respect to her upcoming audience with Queen Elizabeth, says:
"Be submissive, modest, grateful and brief"
Exactly! I would just add the Boy Scout motto on to the end of that—“be prepared.”
Be submissive—in the “amenable” sense of the word. Being amenable means being, “ready or willing to answer, act, agree, or yield; open to influence.” Attending a book club is different than standing at the front of a room and giving a speech. As a book club guest you are part of a dialogue. You need to be willing to answer questions. You need to LISTEN not just talk. Be open to the comments of members; yield the floor. Let what you are hearing from the readers affect the presentation you’ve planned. A person who feels truly listened to feels valued. And that is precisely how you want readers to feel.
Be modest. Yes you are an honored guest and even—and let me tell you it is SO weird to experience this—a minor celebrity when you show up for a book club meeting (or pop up on the host’s computer screen). At the most spectacular club I’ve attended thus far the hostess had the event catered and made little hand tied bouquets of lavender for all the attendees to commemorate the fact that my heroines come from Provence. But if you let your status as guest-of-honor go to your head and start to act like a “C”elebrity then you risk losing points and readers. You want to be remembered as the author club members connected with on a personal level. Personal connections—in addition to being tremendously fulfilling, and I think talking to readers is absolutely the single best part of this writing gig—sell books. It’s called word-of-mouth, folks, and it is the most powerful book-selling tool on earth.
Be grateful. Look out at the club members. In a market absolutely swamped with product, every single soul present (well, except for the couple who borrowed library copies) bought your book. They read it. They are the audience you’ve pined for since first you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). Thank them. Thank them for reading your novel. Thank them for sharing their thoughts about it. Thank them, in advance (and while gently nudging), for reviewing it on Amazon or Goodreads. Thank your hostess for arranging things. If you are attending the club in person, say something nice about the food. But be sincere or don’t bother. Obsequiousness is a real turn off. Be a genuine and polite guest, not an ingratiating flatterer.
Be brief, because to quote the real Shakespeare, “brevity is the soul of wit.” You should be prepared to make some sort of presentation (see my next point) but keep it short because the real heart and soul of a book club meeting is the discussion of the book. Yes, the club invited you because they want to hear you speak, but better to leave them wanting more than to render them drowsy and eager to make an escape.
Be prepared. In spite of everything I’ve said above about being a listener you were, in fact, invited to speak. Book clubs invite authors because an author visit offers value added. The club members are perfectly capable of discussing your book without you. They want you in the room for the thrill of getting inside information. You need to give them something the average reader doesn’t get. You get to decide what that something is. Start by thinking about what you’d want to know about a favorite author or a favorite book. Or perhaps by thinking in terms of what “enhanced features” might be included if your book were a DVD.
Here are some suggestions for adding value to your visit: Go biographical, offering up facts about your past or present. For example, in the Metro DC area where I live many women have transitioned from high-powered careers to being at home and back again, so I often speak about my own struggles with those adjustments. Offer a peek into your creative process. I like to tell readers about the scene in my novel that I wrote first, sharing the story of where I was when the voices came to me. Flesh out the meat of your story. This is particularly interesting to readers if, like me, you write historical fiction. I often talk about the history behind my story, particularly about common misconceptions about historical women. For those who write other genres, consider sharing a scene that ended up on the editing room floor.
Those are my personal clubbing tips. Do you have any you’d like to share in return?
Sophie Perinot is the author of THE SISTER QUEENS, the story of a pair of 13th century sisters who became the queens of England and France. Currently she is holed up in the 16th century working on a novel set in Valois France. You can learn more about Sophie and her work here. And YES she would love to visit with your book club!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Connect the Dots for a Successful Public Presentation
by Cat Woods
Fast Fact: Public speaking is not high school speech class.
Evidence: Me
During my demonstration speech (you know, the one where you can't even hang on to your note cards because you have to SHOW how something is done?), I crushed the eggshell I was supposed to decorate.
After another I shook so badly, I couldn't walk back to my seat in a straight line. If a cop had been present, I'd have landed a DWI for sure.
As far as I was concerned, the word speech should have been reserved for tenth grade English and diagramming sentences. Since that time, however, I've presented at social organizations, professional organizations and Young Writers' Conferences. I've found myself at the front of the room in libraries, schools and churches.
The moral of this story: If I can speak in public, so can you. It's as simple as connecting the dots.
We must do a little research. We must know our audience and the reason behind our presentations. We must have clear goals. We must care so deeply about our topics that we can allow our presentations to meander within the confines of our expectations.
Last week I spoke to a fourth grade class. January was the teacher's month to help her students make a real world connection between what they learn in school and how this knowledge is necessary and applicable into adulthood.
In more ways than one, I connected the dots.
I have never walked out of a presentation drained. Instead, I'm energized and focused. I feel renewed excitement, motivation and connection toward whatever topic I spoke about. The minute that changes, is the minute I pack up my microphone and store it in the attic with the remnants of my shattered eggshell.
How about you? How does public speaking make you feel? If you're an experienced presenter, please share your tips with those just starting out. If you've never given a public presentation beyond your high school speech class, tell us why not. Do certain topics or audiences seem more appealing than others? More terrifying?
Curious minds want to know.
Fast Fact: Public speaking is not high school speech class.
Evidence: Me
During my demonstration speech (you know, the one where you can't even hang on to your note cards because you have to SHOW how something is done?), I crushed the eggshell I was supposed to decorate.
After another I shook so badly, I couldn't walk back to my seat in a straight line. If a cop had been present, I'd have landed a DWI for sure.
As far as I was concerned, the word speech should have been reserved for tenth grade English and diagramming sentences. Since that time, however, I've presented at social organizations, professional organizations and Young Writers' Conferences. I've found myself at the front of the room in libraries, schools and churches.
The moral of this story: If I can speak in public, so can you. It's as simple as connecting the dots.
- Connect with your topic. You're a writer. You're passionate about the process, the business, literacy, your book, your genre, your audience, etc.... Whatever you are speaking about, make sure you are engaged in the topic. You must first believe before you can ask others to do the same.
- Connect with yourself. Before entering a room, take a deep breath. Give yourself a pep talk. You are smart, funny, warm and compassionate. You know this topic like the road map of veins on the top of your hand. Stand confidently, no matter how uncertain you feel. And for heaven's sake, wear clothes you like. If your new suit is stiff, you'll be stiff.
- Connect with your audience. Right off the bat, you must personalize your presence with the guests in the room. Smile—the kind that reaches your eyes and not just turns the corners of your mouth. Maintain solid eye contact. Make each individual in your audience feel as if you notice them and are personally thrilled that s/he is here. Your audience's comfort level has a direct impact on your comfort level. Breaking the ice is your job.
- Connect your audience to your topic. This could be the single most important connection you make in a presentation. To keep audience members from memorizing the vein patterns on the backs of their hands, you must engage them immediately and make them feel as if they have a stake in the presentation. Give them a reason to be there and a reason to listen. Make it personal.
- Connect with the energy and use it to guide your presentation. Watch your audience for cues on when to elaborate or when to gloss over something. Presentations are not about you. They are personal experiences between your audience and your topic. You are the messenger.
We must do a little research. We must know our audience and the reason behind our presentations. We must have clear goals. We must care so deeply about our topics that we can allow our presentations to meander within the confines of our expectations.
Last week I spoke to a fourth grade class. January was the teacher's month to help her students make a real world connection between what they learn in school and how this knowledge is necessary and applicable into adulthood.
In more ways than one, I connected the dots.
- My Topic. Hello! English, grammar, characterization, yada yada yada. Easy peasy. But I took it one step further. I figured out how writers use each and every subject in school.
- Myself. I got out of my jammies for once and actually did my hair. I wore the appropriate--adult, but not boring--clothes and tapped into my inner fourth grade kid. Humor.
- My Audience. They're kids. That's easy. A smile. A raised eyebrow. A little wave to the shy girl who so wants to be noticed but will never tell you that. A conspiratorial wink to the class clown when the teacher gives him a hard look and a subsequent finger to the lips to let him know we share a secret and we're in this together—quietly. It's easier than you think to play a room as long as you know your audience. Once, when talking to the local Kiwanis chapter, I connected to my audience via the strongest presence in the room. I told them I was woefully unprepared to speak to such a prestigious group of professionals, but when the judge asks, "What are you doing for lunch?" and follows your "Nothing" with, "Well, you're busy now," you have no choice but to say yes. Even if you only had one hour to prepare. It worked because every business professional has felt pressure from above. This icebreaker connected us on a very real level.
- My Audience to My Topic. The teacher wanted me to talk about parts of speech. The kids wanted to hear anything but that. I met in the middle and asked if they'd ever had to write a paper for their teacher. I asked if it looked like it had been shot with a red pen when they got it back. Then I showed them my working binder of a manuscript with all the red lines and notations and scribbles and stickies and told them they were just like me. With that simple prop, I showed them that we were on the same level: imperfect, yet ambitious (a very fourth grade trait). That alleviated all the angst they were feeling and nudged their curiosity about the process. Seriously, how does a mess like my binder end up in the library?
- The Energy. I explained how a writer writes, read them a short story I'd written and answered questions. When questions slowed, I hit them with a bomb. "What subject in school does a writer never need to use?" Math. Of course. It's so brain-opposite from the written word that it's obvious even to the youngest readers. I then walked them through the various ways writers might get paid. By the word, the page or the completed project. They had to figure out which would be the better deal for the story I had read them. A whole new round of questions followed based on this new tangent. At the end of my presentation, a student raised his hand and said, "So, a writer really needs to know a lot about a lot of things." Bingo! The kids were happy, the teacher was happy and I was happy.
I have never walked out of a presentation drained. Instead, I'm energized and focused. I feel renewed excitement, motivation and connection toward whatever topic I spoke about. The minute that changes, is the minute I pack up my microphone and store it in the attic with the remnants of my shattered eggshell.
How about you? How does public speaking make you feel? If you're an experienced presenter, please share your tips with those just starting out. If you've never given a public presentation beyond your high school speech class, tell us why not. Do certain topics or audiences seem more appealing than others? More terrifying?
Curious minds want to know.
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