This past Saturday I was presented with the honor of giving my first author talk and book signing for an audience at an indie bookstore (if you’re reading this, thank you, Northshire Bookstore!). It was an amazing, enlightening, and moving experience, that not only transformed me as an author, but as a person, as well. With this being my first event I didn’t fully know what to expect, but did my due diligence of research prior to the event in hopes of gaining a bit more insight.
The experience? Totally different from what I expected, only better, I daresay. It was much easier than I had anticipated, and much more enjoyable. I did, however, learn a lot along the way, which I will share with you here.
#1: Ask your host lots of questions before the event.
I really want to emphasize this one. I didn’t ask enough questions prior to my event. Having known more of what I should expect for my introduction, whether there would be a microphone, podium, etc, would’ve helped to deliver a smoother presentation for my audience. I already had a general idea of what my talk would be like prior to coming in, and when things ended up going differently than my head had thought (for example, an introduction already provided for me that would negate the first portion of my talk that I’d planned), it can change everything on the fly. The more prepared you can be, the better. Except . . . .
#2: Be prepared, but don’t overly rehearse your talk
It’s not exactly like public speaking in college (even if it is darn close–and I was so grateful that I had my single course of public speaking from college to lean on, or I would’ve been completely lost!). Something I found during my author talk is the need to improvise, the need to adapt to the audience. If people are looking bored you may need to transition sooner or skip topics, or maybe a funny story comes to mind while you’re talking and you need to give it. Above all, you need to be able to connect with your audience. You need to have a conversation with them, not preach to them. Too much rehearsal can make a talk seem unnatural and going off-script more difficult.
Having said that, it is so important to be prepared and have an idea of what you’re going to talk about before you stand up in front of your audience. What I did myself was write out my talk in a document, printed it out, and practiced reading it aloud to get a feel for how it flowed and how much time the talk would roughly take. From there, it was easy to pare it down by omitting what didn’t work and unnecessary details.
Note: giving your talk is almost always going to be longer than reading your talk, as you have to account for pauses and the natural delivery of speaking.
I then created note cards to bring with me to the podium in case I forgot where I was going, but don’t be afraid to improv and skip/add details in the moment. The key thing is to be as natural and confident as possible, and if you miss something, don’t panic thinking you have to find a way to weave it back in.
It also really, really helps to practice aloud several times, so you can get through all your words, feel confident in what you’re going to say, and (a major thing for me) find parts of your talk that don’t work well.
#3 Do invite friends and family to come to your event, if possible.
If you’re anything like me, you’re shy to tell people you know in real life that you’ve written a book. Even more shy to share when and where it’s available, and the events that I’m attending. Finally, though, after securing an event at a local bookstore I decided that it is important I share my event with those I care about, and I was shocked by the response. I received such an outpour of love, compassion, and support, making this event possible. Without this supportive network of friends, I don’t think my debut talk would’ve gone anywhere near as smoothly (I would’ve also had a much smaller audience!).
Your host will likely advertise the event on their social media platforms, but unless it’s a huge venue or you have a very popular name, expect the bulk of this work to fall on you to bring people in to your event. Especially just starting out.
#4 Arrive early to do-up your signing table
I didn’t know what traffic would be like, and arrived at the venue almost thirty minutes before my talk. However, I am so glad I did, as this gave me time to settle in, drink some water, and apply some finishing touches to the table where I would be signing books. Freebies are always helpful to bring, and it can not only secure a reader in the future by having some kind of business card or bookmarks with your logo to give out, but bring people in to your table if you have some interesting artwork that catches their eye. Bookmarks and stickers are great ideas. And don’t forget to bring a clipboard and pen for people to join your newsletter list!
#5 Be gracious and humble.
This one maybe goes without saying, but make sure that you do thank your guests for coming, along with your host for having you. It is a big deal and great honor that people come to listen to you speak because they want to hear what you have to say, as well as the venue allotting you this dedicated amount of time. Many even go so far as to manage set-up, sales, and clean-up. They are doing you a favor. I found my signing to both be an uplifting and humbling experience. It did wonders for my self-esteem to be able to do something I never thought I could do as an introverted person, but I know I could not have done it without the support of the staff bringing everything all together and taking a chance on me, as well as the outpour of love from my dear friends who made up the bulk of my audience and book sales.
What are some of your tips? Always happy to gain more insight and wisdom for next time! 🙂