Last year, I had an opportunity to read my work aloud at the book launch for Bizarre Bazaar, RMFW’s 2022 anthology. I was an accomplished public speaker before the pandemic, but after two years of nothing but Zoom events, I felt a little rusty. This experience forced me to relearn how to read my work aloud.
In the process, I learned how valuable (and fun) author readings can be. They’re a great way to get exposure for your work, connect with your audience, and earn some new fans. But like most things, readings aren’t as simple as they appear. Here are a few tips I learned to nail your author reading.
Brush up on your speaking skills.
Like writing, public speaking is a muscle—it will atrophy if you never use it. Unfortunately, it’s also stressful for many of us, so we tend to avoid it. But the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Several years ago, I overcame my fear of public speaking by tackling it head-on. I took any opportunity I could find: open mic night at conferences, giving presentations at my day job, teaching a class for my local writers’ organization. I wasn’t great, or even mediocre, at first—and that was okay! I saw it as a learning experience.
I also joined Toastmasters, which is a fantastic place to build your speaking skills in a supportive community of like-minded people. They walk you through fundamental speaking techniques like using hand gestures, varying your voice, and crafting visual aids. They give you plenty of chances to practice and get constructive criticism—something that, as a writer, I was well prepared for.
At first, my goal wasn’t to get good at public speaking. I simply hoped to get comfortable enough in front of an audience to give a ten-minute speech without wanting to throw up. But after several months of effort, I learned that not only could I be a decent speaker, I could also—dare I say—enjoy it.
Choose your piece.
Once you’re comfortable with the basics of public speaking, you may find author readings a little different from other types of presentations. You don’t need to make a slideshow or write a speech, but you will need to put some thought into what you read.
If you spend five minutes before your reading explaining to the audience what’s going on in the story, their eyes will glaze over. Instead, choose a section of your story that makes sense and is engaging out of context. I ended up reading a couple of scenes from the middle of my story “We Are Celia.” I found the middle scenes had more conflict and drama than the beginning, when the world was being set up, without giving away the end. Make sure to end your reading on a cliffhanger, so your listeners will want to see what happens next.
Also consider your time allotment when making your selection. For a five-minute read, three pages (double-spaced, size 12 Times New Roman) is usually a good amount. Most people read much faster in their heads, so practice reading aloud to be sure it will fit in your time slot.
Practice, practice, practice.
Practice reading your piece as much as you need to feel confident. I found it helpful to print out the story so I could make notes in the margins and highlight the section I planned to read. You could also use sticky notes to mark your selection in the book itself.
When practicing, focus on enunciating each word clearly. If you’re soft-spoken like me, make sure to project your voice. Nerves often cause us to speed up when reading in front of a group, so always err on the slower side.
I started out reading my piece to my dogs, just to get the hang of the words. Then I read it to a friend and asked for feedback. Was I talking too fast? How was my posture? Was it hard to tell the speakers apart in that dialogue scene on page four? The more I practiced and tweaked my performance, the more confident I felt.
Have fun!
When I gave the reading at the Bizarre Bazaar book launch, I realized it was okay not to take it too seriously. Joking around made both me and the audience feel more at ease. Remember, your listeners want you to succeed, and they’re happy to get to know you a little.
After the launch, my non-writer friends who attended told me it was surprisingly fun. I think they’d expected an hour of sitting still, listening to dry readings, and trying not to fall asleep. Author readings shouldn’t be this way—and if you do your job well, they don’t have to.
[Photo by Priscilla Du Preez https://unsplash.com/@priscilladupreez on Unsplash]
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Rachel Delaney Craft writes YA, MG, and speculative fiction. Her short stories have appeared in publications such as Cricket, Spider, and Cast of Wonders, and her novels have won the Colorado Gold and Zebulon Contests. She also edited the anthology Wild, a finalist for the Colorado Book Award, with her friend and fellow RMFW member Natasha Watts. She lives and writes in Colorado with her partner, two dogs, and a succulent collection that is slowly taking over her house. Find her on Twitter @RDCwrites or at racheldelaneycraft.com.
