A live reading can be a hit or miss affair. Apart from the nerves of reading out your work, the potential for stumbling, stalling – ‘dead air’, or missing your place is enormous. Your aim is to promote, generate interest and hopefully avoid the crowd nodding off or scrolling.
I was invited to do a reading at The Murder One Crime Writing Festival in the Lexicon Library in the beautiful seaside town of Dun Laoghaire in South County Dublin. So I approached this with all the preparation of a marathon runner.
Selecting the passage to read
One month out, I selected the chapter – it had to introduce the main character, Crowe but in a scene that tied the story in, but could also be read as a stand-alone. I decided to go for the atmosphere of the piece.
The scene involves the body of a missing celebrity bookie being discovered on the rocks of a lighthouse. Crowe, being the nearest SIO boards the inshore lifeboat and rides out to examine the body.
A rescue helicopter is at the lighthouse, so the thundering rotors and the winter storm set a dissonant aural scene. It also allows for Crowe’s ‘quirks’ to appear, giving a thumbnail of the character.
Preparation for the reading
The key really is Pace, Connection and Confidence. I timed the first reading out loud of the passage, including stalls, missed places and stumbling. It clocked in at nearly 15 minutes. As I had only fifteen minutes as a reading slot, I felt it was dragging in places. So the next step was to start paring back the text to improve the pace.
Next, I recorded myself on the phone. I have a terrible habit of making a smacking sound with my mouth at the end of a sentence. I also have a lazy mouth with an inclination to slur over words. And I rattle on at a million miles an hour which gives a very ‘rushed’ feel.
That had to stop.
I did numerous recordings and with a pen over the passage replayed it over again until I had removed all the problem words, and sentences. I cut entire paragraphs. I had a real issue with pronouncing ‘Chesapeake’, so I removed it entirely to avoid the stumble.
After a week. I had the reading down to ten minutes, ten seconds.
Appearance
I think this is important. I’m 60, so the days of humorous T-shirts, jeans and runners are well and truly over. I had a good look at my wardrobe. I was also thinking about the audience – it’s a crime writing festival not a ComicCon. Dark trousers, dark shoes, dark shirt, no tie. New belt and a simple watch. I was lucky too that I had a smart jacket, though pocket squares are apparently out. I put my recently acquired reading glasses there (needless to say I forgot to put them on, giving everyone a very ‘human’ moment trying to find them when it was my turn at the podium!)
Books
I live 40 kms away from the venue. I had to think of books, their weight / transport – how many, what format? I opted for six – three paperbacks, three hardbacks – enough to appear on the book display, but not too many that stacking presented a problem. I remember being on the panel at a UK festival a few years back and watching a writer bring a suitcase full of their books and loading it back into the car without a single sale. So. I recommend only 6 to 8 copies to bring.
Freebies
I opted for postcards. A simple image of THE PAYOUT GAME on the front and lines / stamp position on the back. A footnote with my website too. Bookmarkers get lost, I think, but a postcard offers more ‘exposure’. You can post it out to someone if you’re in the mood, or enjoyed the book and want to recommend it.
I remember travelling around Europe in the 90’s and every cafe seemed to have free postcards to take and I would hoard them into my backpack.
I brought twenty of mine and they shifted like hot cakes at the book signing.
Dress rehearsal for the reading
It sounds a bit ‘overkill’ but I would recommend it. You are going to be living in this outfit for the day, smart casual, but comfortable is important. I dressed for the gig. I find talking to an empty chair better than talking into a mirror. I recorded it and spoke directly to the chair. It helped me focus. The clothing felt comfortable and the final read-through came in at ten minutes, nine seconds.
It felt ‘right’.
The event
I always blow my nose before the reading. The mucus flows under lights and you will get warm, very fast. The last thing the audience needs to hear is you gagging on slivers of snot running down your face. So in the green room I eschewed the snacks (tempting though they were), drank the water and blew my nose. I did slow breathing to settle the nerves.
The reading
We had a good audience. In fact, a really good one for an 11am start on a Sunday morning. The panel was Karen, James, Bryan and myself. We had two signers – Aoife and Sinead signing in ISL, which was a wonderful touch – when we were introduced in the Green Room, I asked if they needed me to go slower – ‘Nope, fire away, we can handle it.’ they replied.
And they did brilliantly.
The introductions were made by Michelle and we filed out to applause. It’s the one thing you have to remember – your audience wants to hear you and is rooting for you. There is a moment when you grab the audience – they go very quiet and you can hear a pin drop. That sweet spot can be very elusive, but the moment Crowe is trying to winch up to the helicopter, I felt I had them. I didn’t rush it and acted out a few moments in the piece. That sweet spot, that magical instance lifts you. Every writer is gripped with self-doubt; is this good enough? Is it worth reading out? Are they enjoying it? And I felt it was going well.
There was a moment, where, to quote the great Duke Ellington, ‘You walk into the applause’. I left the last sentence hang and then said ‘thank you’ through the clapping.
Book signing
I practised my signature, sounds a bit trite but worth it – if someone comes up to you after using hard-earned cash to buy your book, the last thing they need is a scrawl. I was fortunate to sell a few – I positioned my free post cards at my section of the table and told everyone who were buying from my fellow panellists to take one. Everyone loves a freebie.
I brought spare pens too. The last thing you want is the ink failing.
On every frontispiece where I wrote I titled it ‘Murder One 26’ and said a simple thank you ensuring they spelled their name out.
It’s that moment, just after the sweet spot, that you feel validated and that whispering imposter syndrome dissipates momentarily.
I was thrilled for Karen, James and Bryan. We did brisk business and shook hands, departing as friends.
(c) Robert Craven
Website https://www.robert-cravenauthor.ie/
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Author photograph (c) Ger Holland
About The Payout Game:
On the Dublin coast, nothing stays buried for long…
Garda Inspector P.J. Crowe is looking forward to a quiet Christmas in Roscarrig, a town on Ireland’s rugged east coast.
But when a body is discovered on the rocks below the lighthouse during a charity regatta, Crowe’s plans for peace are abruptly shattered.
The victim — one of Ireland’s most flamboyant celebrity bookies — is a man more accustomed to the bright lights of Dubai and New York than the bleak shoreline of North County Dublin.
When the death is hastily ruled a misadventure, Crowe isn’t convinced. His investigation draws him and his small team — Nesbitt, Redmond, and newcomer Megan Loughnane — into a dark underworld of illegal dog fights, crypto betting, and ruthless politics.
As the stakes rise, Crowe must uncover the truth before another life is lost — and before the killer cashes out for good.
The Payout Game is the third gripping instalment in Robert Craven’s contemporary Irish crime series, following A Kind of Drowning and Malign Intent.
Order your copy of The Payout Game online here.
And read more from Robert Craven on Writing.ie here.
