I just heard from a friend who attended a conference workshop where a professor droned on endlessly, repeating what was on his elaborate, dull PowerPoint.
I've been to a few of those as well. I think some people are just better writers than speakers. I'm pretty sure I'm one of them, which is why the few times I've done it I've never been satisfied with my performance. Because it is a performance. The audience expects it. Most of them know how you write. Now they want to see the real person behind it. I personally would rather hear from the writer than to have them read passages from their books.
I balance my gigs: I read and save plenty of time for Q&A because that's super important. I've had to school many organizers about that, people who want to set aside only ten or fifteen minutes for Q&A. I explain that when it comes to the reading, less is more. And I always do a brief intro of some kind so I'm not starting cold. That's another problem: authors who get up and read without making any initial connection with the audience.
Joyce Carol Oates was uncomfortable on stage with an audience, which didn't surprise me, while Judith Guest was amazing. So was Stuart Dybek, but not Charles Baxter, who couldn't get out of his teacher mode. Annie Proulx came in knowing she would be talking to a group of published writers and she treated her audience rudely and dismissively, as if we couldn't possibly know what she was talking about. She hurried through it and left. I loved "The Shipping News" but felt differently about her after that.
So in effect every writer who takes to the stage is open to expectations, and they should go in being aware of that. This is about them now, not their book. Their book is the vehicle that got them there.
That's one reason I have avoided author events unless I know the person does well because I don't want to be put off their work.
I agree about the last part of your comment, with exceptions. When I had four German book tours, the events were sometimes as much about my books as about me, sometimes more so because few people had read the German translations yet, and in one case, the German translation hadn't been published. That being said, I have always loved Q&A and engaging deeply with the audience.
The worst event I ever attended was Peggy Noonan at a writers' conference (!). She was the keynoter for some reason and read from yellowed notes and bragged every other sentence, it seemed, about how important she was. It was beyond contemptuous. And she got a whopping big honorarium she did not remotely deserve.
Loren D. Estleman is my favorite MI writer and he's always fascinating. We have even done an event together at MSU. He also gave me good career advice when he and Debbie were up in East Lansing, and he wowed my students in a Michigan Mystery class. His work is so consistently great.
We belonged to a local writers group together just after Loren had published his first or maybe his second book. He was fun and casual about his writing so it wasn't obvious back then that he would go on to do what he's done. I've liked everything I've read of his.
I've been trying to say this to my fellow authors for years now. You put it so much better than I ever have. I'm avoiding most author panels these days because of it—the gig is rarely worth the rise in my blood pressure.
During Covid I did a panel on Zoom with two other authors. One has a known tendency to talk too much, which she admits, so the three of us devised a plan to touch our earrings if she was going on too long. She did, and we did, and of course she ignored us. I have a feeling it looked to the audience as if the two of us were pulling our ears off!
The last panel I did was well before the pandemic and I said yes because it had a yearly audience of a thousand or more. I'll just say one thing: my books were the only ones that sold out. :-)
Yikes. Val McDermid told me about one event, sponsored by the McCallan where there was whiskey aplenty and one author got so sloshed before it started that they headed to the toilet and disappeared after puking. In Germany at bookstores the events were sometimes ticketed and Sekt was served. I never had any until Q&A. :-)
I think I've witnessed all of these. The worst was a panel moderator who had her sheaf of notes to present, and left the panelists sitting there. I meekly suggested that we should allow questions from the audience, and she waved her papers and said, "But I'm not done yet."
Having seen two of your presentations, I can say that you have the technique down. I wish other writers and speakers would read your guidelines and follow your example.
Thanks! I was lucky to start my career as a speaker back in 1990-19991 with some acting experience. And on my first six-month book tour my spouse came along thanks to a sabbatical and gave me director's notes after each event. It was a tremendous learning experience.
This and all the reasons given in the comments are why I've stopped going to book events unless the person is a close friend and it's a first or rare second book. I've seen too many oblivious writers in person and on panels, where it's even worse because it's harder for the moderator (if there is one) to get the speaker's attention and break in. Too bad. I used to enjoy them.
I've been to a few of those as well. I think some people are just better writers than speakers. I'm pretty sure I'm one of them, which is why the few times I've done it I've never been satisfied with my performance. Because it is a performance. The audience expects it. Most of them know how you write. Now they want to see the real person behind it. I personally would rather hear from the writer than to have them read passages from their books.
I balance my gigs: I read and save plenty of time for Q&A because that's super important. I've had to school many organizers about that, people who want to set aside only ten or fifteen minutes for Q&A. I explain that when it comes to the reading, less is more. And I always do a brief intro of some kind so I'm not starting cold. That's another problem: authors who get up and read without making any initial connection with the audience.
Joyce Carol Oates was uncomfortable on stage with an audience, which didn't surprise me, while Judith Guest was amazing. So was Stuart Dybek, but not Charles Baxter, who couldn't get out of his teacher mode. Annie Proulx came in knowing she would be talking to a group of published writers and she treated her audience rudely and dismissively, as if we couldn't possibly know what she was talking about. She hurried through it and left. I loved "The Shipping News" but felt differently about her after that.
So in effect every writer who takes to the stage is open to expectations, and they should go in being aware of that. This is about them now, not their book. Their book is the vehicle that got them there.
That's one reason I have avoided author events unless I know the person does well because I don't want to be put off their work.
I agree about the last part of your comment, with exceptions. When I had four German book tours, the events were sometimes as much about my books as about me, sometimes more so because few people had read the German translations yet, and in one case, the German translation hadn't been published. That being said, I have always loved Q&A and engaging deeply with the audience.
The worst event I ever attended was Peggy Noonan at a writers' conference (!). She was the keynoter for some reason and read from yellowed notes and bragged every other sentence, it seemed, about how important she was. It was beyond contemptuous. And she got a whopping big honorarium she did not remotely deserve.
Peggy Noonan. Ugh. We had Elmore Leonard as a keynote speaker once and he of course was everything you would expect. A writer's writer.
Loren D. Estleman is my favorite MI writer and he's always fascinating. We have even done an event together at MSU. He also gave me good career advice when he and Debbie were up in East Lansing, and he wowed my students in a Michigan Mystery class. His work is so consistently great.
We belonged to a local writers group together just after Loren had published his first or maybe his second book. He was fun and casual about his writing so it wasn't obvious back then that he would go on to do what he's done. I've liked everything I've read of his.
some preachers are like that too.
that is why their church attendance goes down instead of up.
I've been trying to say this to my fellow authors for years now. You put it so much better than I ever have. I'm avoiding most author panels these days because of it—the gig is rarely worth the rise in my blood pressure.
During Covid I did a panel on Zoom with two other authors. One has a known tendency to talk too much, which she admits, so the three of us devised a plan to touch our earrings if she was going on too long. She did, and we did, and of course she ignored us. I have a feeling it looked to the audience as if the two of us were pulling our ears off!
The last panel I did was well before the pandemic and I said yes because it had a yearly audience of a thousand or more. I'll just say one thing: my books were the only ones that sold out. :-)
I would add, don’t show up for your presentation drunk. I attended one of those.
Yikes. Val McDermid told me about one event, sponsored by the McCallan where there was whiskey aplenty and one author got so sloshed before it started that they headed to the toilet and disappeared after puking. In Germany at bookstores the events were sometimes ticketed and Sekt was served. I never had any until Q&A. :-)
I think I've witnessed all of these. The worst was a panel moderator who had her sheaf of notes to present, and left the panelists sitting there. I meekly suggested that we should allow questions from the audience, and she waved her papers and said, "But I'm not done yet."
That is appalling, but I've seen that too. It's one reason I avoid panels because people run over and then the allotted time is up.
A good moderator is golden.
Amen.
Having seen two of your presentations, I can say that you have the technique down. I wish other writers and speakers would read your guidelines and follow your example.
Thanks! I was lucky to start my career as a speaker back in 1990-19991 with some acting experience. And on my first six-month book tour my spouse came along thanks to a sabbatical and gave me director's notes after each event. It was a tremendous learning experience.
This and all the reasons given in the comments are why I've stopped going to book events unless the person is a close friend and it's a first or rare second book. I've seen too many oblivious writers in person and on panels, where it's even worse because it's harder for the moderator (if there is one) to get the speaker's attention and break in. Too bad. I used to enjoy them.
That's a perfect word to describe them: oblivious!
We have a career only if anyone else besides us cares about our work. Alienating potential allies doesn't do you any favors.
Good point. People need to think along those lines.
I'd like to see more irreverence. It's the same cardboard cutout every time. Course, the same applies to the books
When i moderated mystery conference panels i wrote funny intros for each panelist to break the mold..