Getting to the Podium: Notes on First Book Reading for Indie Authors - Guest Post From Author Damon Ferrell Marbut

Getting to the Podium: 

Notes on First Book Readings for Indie Authors

I’m hoping to bridge together here the moment you first publish and the first events you begin participating in to promote your book, in person, at readings and signings. I, along with thousands of other writers in the self-publishing world, have written on the specifics of self-publishing strategy. So I’ve considered that an article on how to prepare for a reading might be helpful. As I’m in the middle of two readings in New Orleans, one in New York and one in San Francisco over a six-week period, I hope my notes here may help others determine how to begin.

Pre-publishing buzz, in my opinion, is more important for subsequent novels that follow the debut. Since readers beyond your own personal circle of friends, family, co-workers and fellow book community members might not know who you are yet, begin steadily with your core. Don’t be unrealistic and overwhelm yourself. People will be kind at first, and express interest because they are genuinely happy for you, but forcing it in front of potential readers who are sifting through the thousands of books published daily, as well as the millions already published, might be turned off and lose interest if they feel they’re having every thread they come across flooded by suggestions to read your book. It may not be your intention, but public perception is very delicate for debuts.  Once it is published, then I think it’s easier and makes most sense to discuss it as if it were finally established on the market. It is, in truth. After its release, your novel is a product.

 So don’t rush. You took the time and likely spent money and missed other opportunities in your life to conceive, write, edit and produce your book. Mentally racing for the New York Times Bestseller list will make the physical work of marketing and promotion stressful when, if anything, it should be a moment of constant learning and discovering your niche in the market.

Skipping now to when you begin giving readings. It makes it much easier to be accepted for a reading event if you’re prepared as though you’ve already done them. You’ll need a blog or website, which are free or inexpensive. I insist you join Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads before your novel publishes, because having links to provide managers and events coordinators gives you the image of professionalism you have to take seriously if you want them to invite you to their venues. And before you approach a bookstore, small theatre, coffee shop or college English department, in addition to being comfortable with your social media, I suggest already having excerpts selected from your work, as well as an outline for what you wish to cover in your reading/talk. It’s best to be able to tell them, if they ask, what you’ll be covering. And be sure to ask how much time they’re providing you so at home you can practice timing out the talk. I have the same two sheets of reading notes I bring to every reading, but because I’d practiced it well before any reading took place, I can judge the audience by size, sustained interest, and I can check the clock so that, if I need to, I can continue with some things or cut it short and divert into something else.

But first, emails and personal networking are most effective. Most people in the technological age prefer to hide behind the screens. In a more perfect world, we could all genuinely approach one another in person and share enthusiasm about forging together in collaboration over new art. But it doesn’t work that way. Give them a chance, through email, to consider your links and the book itself to see if it’s a good fit for their customers. Like looking for an agent, it’s a subjective business for the most part, and what is dismissed by ten people could be loved by another ten. You just have to find them. In the meantime, tell your personal network what you’re beginning to do, and they’ll likely have ideas to help direct you. Everyone has “a friend who has a friend who has a friend.” Discount nothing, be patient, and never stop doing your research.

Understanding your book for what it is is crucial when it comes to where and when you begin reading publicly. It’s unwise, and can lead to severe disappointment, if you go into it assuming it will be well-received simply because it is a book, and that you plan to read from it with passion and great literary force. This is why I defend my position on developing your place in the market first, get reviews and do interviews, host others on your blog if that is how your blog is designed, scroll through online communities and get a sense of where you fit in to the expansive dialogue that surrounds modern publishing. You need accomplishments to refer to when seeking a reading.

But most importantly, above anything else, remember you are not a god when you are giving your first or your fiftieth reading. No one will see you as one, so you needn’t pressure yourself to perform like one. Living in New Orleans, I’ve met plenty of famous people, and they act like everyday, ordinary people. Be grateful people have shown up to listen and that the staff has set you up to represent their place with your work for a night. The fun stuff comes after it’s over, and people want to talk to you about your work as though they know you better, and therefore, want to connect with your writing they’ve heard sampled. It’s all about planning and timing and courtesy and patience to get there, and once there, it’s another ordinary snapshot of the human experience. The spotlight just happens to be on you. Reject nervousness, accept exhilaration, be warm and engaging, not stiff or inaccessible, and you’ll surprise yourself with how terrifying it actually is not.

Damon Ferrell Marbut is a Southern novelist and poet who lives and works in New Orleans, Louisiana. His novel, Awake in the Mad World, is currently an entrant for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

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