Unaccustomed as I am…

At two o’clock today I will be at author event at Larkhall Library talking about my books. It will be the third of four engagements with South Lanarkshire Libraries. In today’s blog, I thought I would write about the importance of such events in the life of an indie author.

Writing is a pretty solitary pursuit; huddled over a keyboard, a writer becomes lost in his or her own world. Getting out and speaking about your work is the one time when you can lift your head and interact with people who aren’t your characters.

If like me, you are not a naturally gregarious person, standing in front of strangers can be pretty daunting. I know the first time I did, it was truly terrifying. In fact, those first few times I felt exposed, a bit like the old nightmare of being naked in public - which would have been more terrifying for the public but that's a different story. I had done some acting back in school, which was equally daunting, but when I got on to the stage the only thing that mattered was remembering my lines and having fun because I was for a short time, someone else. When you speak as a writer it is much more personal than that, there is no script and what you are talking about is you. A writer's work is part of them, the offspring of their imagination and at times I felt vulnerable.

What you soon learn is that people are genuinely interested in you and your work. They want to engage with you and they will ask you questions that you didn’t expect. For example, in my last talk there was a great deal of interest in self publishing and we had a great discussion about the pros and cons of producing your own books. What I have found is that the interest people have in what I say makes it easier to speak with every passing event; I have become more relaxed and enjoy it more.

There may be many of you that dread the thought of public speaking and think there is no way on earth you could do it. I would say to you that it is a fear that you have to overcome if you are going to engage with your readers and potential readers. Here are some quick tips that might help.

• Start by speaking to your local library or bookshop, they will be only too keen to help a writer from their area and they are often looking for ways to encourage people to come to their establishment.
• Before you go, practice what you are going to say but don’t have a rigid script. It doesn’t matter if you forget to tell your audience everything; you often get a chance to pick up on anything you missed during the Q&A.
• Tell people about your journey to becoming a writer and why it’s important to you.
• Don’t be scared to be yourself, the people who come don’t expect you to be an actor, so be honest.
• Show your passion for what you do and your audience will be more interested in you and your books.
• Have books to sell or leaflets to advertise your books if they are only available online.
• Most importantly, enjoy it. You will get to meet some great people and you may even inspire a few of them.

I hope these tips will encourage you to get out and talk about your work. It’s great fun and you will create a new group of readers and maybe even friends.

If you would like to know how to self publish and sell your books, go to Indie Authors Scotland for information on our Bookcamp training course.