“I’m a writer, not a speaker,” my friend said when asked to make a presentation at a library. Many of us would agree with her. We write in solitude to an unseen audience and we like it that way. The written word expresses what we have to say leaving us no desire to stand behind a podium and talk. Yet many of us are invited to speak because of our writing. How can we deal with these requests? For me the public speaking journey has taken unexpected roads down scenic byways and I not only survived the trip, but have grown to enjoy making presentations. Let me share with you some of the things I have learned along the way.
First and foremost: Know Your Topic (KYT). We can all tell the story of the funny thing that happened yesterday, because we know what happened. The more we know our topic the more we have to say and the more comfortable we’ll be saying it.
“But what could I possibly speak about?” someone wails. The person inviting you will sometimes suggest a topic, but often they allow you to choose your own topic. There are three possibilities: what you care about; what you know well; or, what you want to learn more about.
What You Care About
Do you have a passion for your writing? Or the method you use to create, or edit? Do you have a unique way of keeping your office organized? Do you have strong beliefs about a topic? Have you had a dream come true? Then talk about one of those things.
What You Know Well
Do you know your genre? Have you studied the markets? The styles and techniques? Do you have favorite books you like to read? Or do you know what inspired you to write? Of course you do. That means you can talk about these subjects.
What You Want To Learn More About
Do you like to do research? Are there topics you would like to study? Are you trying new areas? You don’t have to be an expert to talk about what you’re learning.
The Audience
This is not like your first twelve years of school, where you were given a topic that you didn’t know or care about, and you had to present to classmates who cared even less. Remember, you have been invited to speak before this group because of your writing. It’s doubtful many in the audience were forced to attend. Even in school settings, students are usually interested in a special guest because it’s outside their normal routine.
Many people like to meet someone who does something they can’t do. Others are interested in how you got where you are. They may want to understand how you do what you do. Or they may be looking for help with their own writing or want to discover whether writing is for them.
“But I’ll be so nervous,” someone says. Yes, but there are methods to help.
Toning Down the Butterflies
Again, the first step is KYT. Knowing what you want to say, gives you confidence.
Prepare. Whether you write out a speech, outline your talk, or do note cards, plan what you are going to say and how you want to get it across. After you’ve got an initial draft, ask yourself if this is the best organization. Have you left anything out? Is every section necessary? Do you have quotes, facts, or anecdotes to reinforce your message? Have you answered the obvious questions? Is there something you really don’t want to leave out? Place it early in your talk and/or mark it with emphasis. Reorganize until you are happy with what you’ll say. I usually have a couple sections of my speech that I mark “could cut if run out of time.” Plus I sometimes have a filler activity is my speech goes too quickly. Also you’ll want to carve out time for questions.
Plan your props. Will you be using physical items to show and tell? Show slides, overhead transparencies, or a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate your talk? Make sure you discuss with the person who invited you the feasibility of visuals in the setting. Will you have handouts? Find out how many you’ll need or ask if they can make copies for attendees. Are you planning an audience participation activity? Or none of the above.
Practice. I’m not suggesting you memorize, but you do want to be familiar with what you’ll say. You’ll also want to have some idea of how long your speech will take. Is there a word or ordering you stumble over? Perhaps you need to change it.
Think about gestures you might want to put with your talk. Or at the least think about where you will put your hands so you’re not worried what to do with them. If you stand with your arms held loosely away from your body versus tight up against your sides, you’ll be more relaxed. Practice looking up.
Practice speaking clearly and slowly. Practice pauses and where to breathe. I often practice in front of two different audiences: my dog–who has almost quit giving me strange looks–and a mirror. The former gets me comfortable with hearing my voice out loud. The latter helps me remember to smile, raise an eyebrow or whatever is appropriate. Both help me watch out for filler words and nervous motions.
If you decided to use props, practice how to use them without turning your back on the audience. If you find something to difficult to use, get rid of it. Will you be speaking into a microphone? Find somewhere to practice with one. “Sound” people are usually willing to explain the intricacies of microphones, how close to be, and other tips, such as no tapping the microphone to see if it is on.
Once you’ve really practiced–and I know this is a suggestion we all hate–video yourself and watch it. Where you cringe at what you’ve done, you know you need to change. Ugh. This is much worse than a critique group.
The day before. I like putting my speech notes in plastic pockets in a three ring binder. This means I can’t drop the notes and get them out of order; it’s very easy to find my notes amongst my supplies when I arrive; and it’s really easy to review. I go over my speech again, reminding myself of what I plan to say. If there’s something minor I want to add, I might use a sticky note. Don’t make major changes on your speech now or the day you talk!
Pack up your props, handouts, notes, laptop and cords and cables or usb drive for computer presentations, cough drops, tissues, etc. I like using a large rolling laptop case so everything is together. If you bring your own projector, make sure you have all cables, connectors and cords.
Now go do something else! Refresh yourself and forget about tomorrow’s speech. Do something you enjoy. Go to bed at a decent time and get a good night’s rest.
Keep Control of the Butterflies
On the day of your speech, make yourself as comfortable as possible. Choose comfortable clothes and shoes to wear. You don’t want to worry about your feet hurting or being too hot or cold, although, I’m rarely cold when I speak. Nervousness is more likely to cause me to perspire with heat, so I wear a top or dress that won’t show sweat marks under the arms as well as one that won’t make me feel too warm. But I also usually have a sweater “just in case.”
Be prepared before you head to your engagement. Take water, a cough drop or two, tissues, and anything else that you’d be frustrated to be without. Double-check that you have your notes, plus any other necessary supplies. Take the directions to the venue if you’re unfamiliar with the location; also take your contact person’s name and phone number with you. Leave with plenty of time to arrive at your destination–there’s nothing worse on nerves than rushing in late.
Right before speaking is when the nastiest nerves hit. Try to ignore that sick feeling in your stomach and remind yourself that you’re prepared. Sometimes it helps me to remember that I’ll probably never see these people again. Or think about something else, preferably something pleasant! And remember that once you get started, nerves usually settle down.
When you stand up to speak, take a moment to get yourself organized. Smile at the audience. Breathe! Remember they came to hear you or hear this topic because they are interested.
Pretend that gal sitting in front of you is your next best friend. Think of your nerves as a revved up engine running around your body giving you extra energy to help you speak up. Focus on a friendly looking face. Think how unscary it is to talk to one person. Open your mouth and start talking to him.
Fixing Problems as You Go
If you feel yourself racing through your sentences, force yourself to slow down. Take a deliberate breath. Consider any nods or smiles as signs of encouragement–the audience is not your enemy.
Have a handout? People often cannot pass papers and listen at the same time, so be prepared to repeat anything you say while handing items out. Or don’t speak while papers are being passed.
If you lose your place, pause and find it. You could say something like “before I go on, I want to make sure I haven’t left anything out” if you don’t feel comfortable with a moment of silence. Or you could ask “does anyone have any questions so far?” Although, I prefer asking audiences to “save all questions to the end.”
Need a drink? Pause and take one. If you need to blow your nose, turn your back on the audience to do so, but watch out for lapel mikes; they’ll amplify that noise, too.
Most audiences are respectful of speakers, but occasionally you’ll have a problem to deal with. Two people in the back of the room whispering? Stop what you’re saying and look at them. Usually, they quickly become aware of your attention and will be silent. If not, ask them, “Did you have a question?” If they continue talking while you talk, politely ask them to leave the room as they’re making it hard for everyone else to concentrate. Sometimes someone asks a question that is totally off topic or deliberately heckling or inappropriate. It’s okay to tell them that it is something you’re not prepared to discuss. Or say, “let’s talk about that when this session is done.”
Any Questions
Don’t assume when no one jumps in with questions that there are none. Sometimes people need a moment to formulate questions. Or sometimes they need a prompt such as “was my explanation of _____ clear enough?” Don’t despair if there are few questions. You may have covered the topic so thoroughly no one can think of anything else to ask. Also, some people prefer to ask questions privately.
Closing
Thank them for listening, or inviting you, whichever seems more appropriate. If they applaud, smile.
If at First You Don’t Succeed
Perhaps you just need more practice. Just like our writing usually needs more than one draft, your speaking can improve with work. Give it time.
You may also want to try a different type or size of audience. Maybe you’d be more comfortable talking to women only, or being in a smaller setting. I’ve found my favorite age to talk to is 4th graders–one class room at a time–and to other writers.
Try something different. A reading, a skit, or whatever you can dream up.
Sit in on some other writer’s talks. Something that works for someone else may work for you. Check out public speaking classes, books and videos. Recently my husband has been sharing tips from the book called Confessions of a Public Speaker (O’Reilly, 2010) by Scott Berkun. I plan to read it myself. Ask other writers how they solve a problem you’ve come across. Check out TED talks–TED is a nonprofit organization that shares ideas worth spreading–a great place to be inspired.
Some writers prefer the expressway of speaking to large groups, while others like the country lane of a small group in a cozy bookstore circle. But you won’t know what works best for you unless you take a few speaking trips on your own.
Tag: the business side of writing
Double Identity – Pen Names
“I wish I’d thought to use a pen name,” children’s author Jennifer J. Stewart says after discovering another children’s author with the same name. “I’ve been confused with her (wrong books ordered for events).” Using her middle initial J, as she does now, might have helped avoid confusion. “But what’s worse,” Jennifer says, “is the ‘Jennifer Stewart’ without the J who is an ‘actress.’ Yeah, she acts without any clothes on! You get more than an eyeful if you go to her website instead of mine.” Most creators of children’s books don’t have Jennifer’s identity problem, but for writers not yet published, searching the internet for their real name or potential pseudonym could save some later grief.
Pen names are also developed because they are easier or more memorable than a writer’s real name. Pam Bachorz thought about writing as Pam Bayshores. “My last name isn’t exactly pretty and could be hard for kids to remember when talking about my book and looking for it on the shelf.” Spelling her name how it is pronounced would simplify the issue, but in the end she went with the correct spelling.
Other women authors use their maiden name as a pen name. Alexis O’Neill says she had already established a reputation in her field before she was married. “I decided to use a pen name, my pre-marriage name, because I had always liked it and because Quimby is a much less common surname than Johnson,” says Katherine Quimby. And, “It is who I was when I first thought about writing and storytelling…” Of her pen name, Carol Nevius (rhymes with devious) says, “It honors my parents, and there is no other pb author using it.”
Another reason for employing a pseudonym is to separate it from a writer’s every day life–personal privacy or job related–or from their writings in other genres. “I wanted some variation of my name so friends and family would know what I’d written, but not a name that would appear in a phone book or a lookup search engine,” says Michele Ivy Davis. Using yet another name for articles for law enforcement/safety force magazines keeps Mickey’s adult articles separate from her children’s writing. Similarly, Lynda S. Burch says, “I only use a pen name for my books written in another genre. I write romantic suspense and have had published over 20 children’s books. I did not want a person picking up a book of mine and thinking they were getting a kid’s book instead of an adult.” Cheryl Zach agrees. “I wanted to distinguish the adult books from my teen and children’s books, both for readers and book sellers.” Verna Safran says, “My legal name is the name of my ex-husband, who was a reporter for the New York Times. Since I am no longer associated with him, I wanted a name of my own.”
Pen names are sometimes created by two authors collaborating or at editor request. The latter was the case for David Harrison. “I used a pen name on a dozen or more books, mostly in the 70s. At the time I was writing a lot of assignment work for Western Publishing. Because of the number of assignments, an editor asked if I would consider taking a second name.” Ruth Vander Zee wrote some board books with friends and they used a pen name to make it easier for the publishing company. Robin Koontz says, “I also use them for work-for-hire (curriculum texts mostly) when the publisher doesn’t want to seem to have a bunch of books by the same author.” Stephanie Jacob Gordon and Judith Ross Enderle ended up with the pen name Jeffie Ross Gordon, because they wrote for a series of historical YAs that had set covers with little room for the author’s name. “Two names wouldn’t fit, so rather than leave one of our names off the cover, we combined our names.”
If a writer decides to use a pseudonym, how do they pick one? Some choose family or friend’s names that have special meaning. For an article for adults, Susan Kneib Schank chose “a combo of my mother’s nickname and my ‘other mother’s’ name–representing two very strong women in my life.” Lori Cardwell-Casey needed multiple pen names for a magazine. “For one, I used the middle names of my two children. For another, I used my first two initials as my first name and my favorite book of the Bible as my last name.” Lisa Rojany Buccieri took an interesting route; “I chose my middle name and Latinized it and the Hebrew name of my rebound boyfriend at the time.” “I chose Kennon (my wife’s maiden name) and Graham (for the college Professor who inspired me to become a writer)” says David Harrison.
Others select a name that hides gender or links to the book’s audience. J.M.G. Anderton decided to use initials for the former purpose. “Also, I think middle readers and YAs like the initials.” “I use my Armenian family name,” Marianne Markarian says. “I decided to use a pen name in order to connect more directly with my target market. My children’s book is an Armenian cultural story.”
Another possibility is to assume an allonym, which is the name of another person–usually someone historical. Robin Koontz uses the name of her great aunt. “Nettie Mullins was also a writer. I have a rejection letter to her from 1890. She is one of my muses.”
Newcomers to the field might wonder how editors know whether a writer wants to use a pen name or not. It’s really quite simple: the writer’s real name is at the top of the manuscript and following the title is the “byline” to indicate the “to be published” name.
Writers should think about the pros and cons of having a double or triple identity–anonymity, privacy, and freedom versus confusion or not receiving kudos for what you wrote.
“I can be incognito when I want to. I’m ‘famous’ locally, so introducing myself as Lee Jaffurs instead of Lee Wardlaw will give me a certain amount of anonymity when I want or need it.” “It can produce an interesting psychological effect,” says Lee Braff. “When I was starting to write, it fell very protective and freeing; I could say anything I wanted to, because who would know? I was protected by my pseudonym! I hadn’t expected to feel that way.” “As to using a pen name, I love it. It frees me to be me. It uncovers a very silly side of myself that was hidden away in my sketchbooks,” says HildaRose. “I have less evaluation of myself as my pen name. It is like having another person in myself who I can joke with as I draw.”
On the other hand, Lori Cardwell-Casey wishes she hadn’t agreed to use pen names in a parenting magazine. “Every time something was published, it felt as if it was lying to the readership, somehow. I also felt odd about sending these clips when I sent queries.”
Elizabeth C. Bunce says, “It confuses people initially.” But to lessen confusion she has both her real name and her pen name printed on her business cards. When Alexis O’Neil books a hotel room or flight, her hosts can’t find her since she’s booked under her married name. “People who know me first and foremost as my husband’s wife or my daughter’s mother don’t necessarily connect me with my pen name,” Katherine Quimby says. Hope Slaughter concurs. “Friends and acquaintances who don’t know this don’t recognize work by me, or articles written about me, but that’s not a big thing.” When Stephanie Jacob Gordon and Judith Ross Enderle started writing picture books under their joint pen name, people at appearances sometimes wondered where the “guy” Jeff was. Cheryl Zach says, “You become used to answering to two names at conference and book signings!”
Writers might want to take a field trip to the library or bookstore to see where books would be filed under a potential pseudonym. Will it be alphabetically next to some best selling author? Will its neighbors be complimentary or detrimental? It’s a minor factor, but interesting to consider.
And what is it like signing this name? Will the author be wishing he’d chosen a shorter one or does he struggle against writing his real name? Practice can help in both cases, making the signature automatic in the appropriate setting.
How does a pen name affect a writer legally? Books can be copyrighted under the creator’s pseudonym, legal name or both. Copyright laws provide protection either way (see length differences on a copyright site). Many legal documents do ask for other names a signer goes by and it would be appropriate to list any “bynames” at that time. Another option is to go to your city, county or state and follow their instructions to create a DBA – doing business as – name. Your DBA pen name becomes a legal name.
It’s mostly a personal decision whether to use a pseudonym or not. But writers or illustrators, who have considered the angles, will be happier than those who just wish they’d done it differently.
Here’s a recent blog with the opinion of another author on pen names: Why Pen Names Suck & Can Make Us Crazy.
I do use a pen name. Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this topic. Simply share in the comments below.
Before You Sign: Contract Resources
Read, read, read that contract. Make sure you understand it. Make sure it is reasonable. Make sure you can live with the worst consequences. Be prepared to negotiate, if needed.
This is my favorite resource when I’m checking out a contract: The Writer’s Book of Checklists: The Quick-Reference Guide to Essential Information Every Writer Needs by Scott Edelstein. It has sections on:
- 8 Key Points of a Magazine, Newspaper, Newsletter or Anthology Contract
- 25 Key Points of a Book Contract
Scott has lots of good info on his site.
But there are other good resources online, too. Check out these three:
The Warrior Queen’s Guide to Contracts
What to expect when you’re expecting publication (part 1: contracts)
10 Tips on Negotiating a Traditional Publishing Agreement
If you’re more into physical books, here are some other book titles with links to info about the authors when I could find them.
Getting To Yes by William Ury
Kirsch’s Guide to the Book Contract: For Authors, Publishers, Editors and Agents by Jonathan Kirsch
Literary Law Guide for Authors: Copyrights, Trademarks and Contracts in Plain Language by Tonya Marie Evans, Susan Borden Evans, Dan Poynter
Negotiating a Book Contract: A Guide for Authors, Agents and Lawyers by Mark L. Levine
The Writer’s Legal Companion: The Complete Handbook for the Working Writer by Brad Bunnin, Peter Beren
The Writer’s Legal Guide: An Authors Guild Desk Reference by Tad Crawford, Kay Murray
You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen
Other Resources
The Authors Guild. Their website says, “The Authors Guild has been the published writer’s advocate for effective copyright, fair contracts, and free expression since 1912.”
Previously, I wrote about contracts on my blog in this entry.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road, er, Writers’ Guidelines
Many writers DO NOT follow directions. As a conference director and an instructor for a children’s literature course, I see it time and time again. I also saw it when judging a contest for Children’s Writer. It frustrates me. And I know from editors’ and agents’ talks, blogs and twitter comments, that it frustrates them. So like Dorothy, who had to stay on the Yellow Brick Road to get to OZ, you have to stay within the guidelines to get your submission read.
Here are possibilities of what might be asked for in writers’ guidelines or in submission policies:
• Full Manuscript – very common for a picture book or for a magazine piece. Not so common for a novel.
• Cover Letter – whether it is stated or not, for a book length work, it is polite to send a one page cover letter. Some book editors or agents say they read it first; some last. Magazine editors may or may not care whether there is one. However, if the guidelines ask for one, do it! For a magazine submission you may need to tell what theme you’re aiming your article or story–a cover letter is an easy place to do so.
• Query Letter – unlikely for a picture book, and not so common for magazine short stories or articles, but it depends on the magazine. Definitely common for novels, whether submitting to an editor or an agent. But unless you read the specific guidelines for where you’re submitting, you won’t know. What accompanies the query letter is as varied as the days of the month, but here are six common requests:
1. A Partial – part of the manuscript – yes, they know there is more. The editor or agent will ask for more if she likes what she read.
a. First or First Three Chapters – yes, it’s always the beginning of the novel. If those aren’t your best chapters, rewrite until they are.
b. Number of Pages – 5, 10, 100 – again follow the directions. If on the last page of what you are requested to submit, you have an incomplete sentence, delete it so you end on a full sentence.
2. Plus Synopsis or Outline – in addition to a paragraph in your cover letter, an editor or agent may ask for a breakdown of your story. Some may want a chapter by chapter outline. Others a one page synopsis. Yet others a longer synopsis. The guidelines may be very specific about this so you’ll probably have a number of versions of your synopsizes.
3. Bibliography – of course you’ll have this information anyway when doing your research for an article for a magazine, but whether or not an editor will require it depends on their guidelines. You may also have this info for a picture book, especially a nonfiction one.
4. Résumé – some houses and magazines only want a query with no manuscript submission of any kind. They often want a résumé. You’ll also see guidelines for queries that request partials asking for a résumé. Before the Internet I never saw instructions on how to do this, so listed a summary of published books, articles and short stories with a selection of titles and magazines for the latter two. I also included membership in writing organizations. Since then, I’ve found two online resources specifically aimed at children’s writers, but now they are gone. 🙁 So here’s one for authors in general.
5. Clips – article or short story “clipped” out of a magazine – obviously photocopies are acceptable. What they want here is to see some samples of your published works. Some magazines only work with writers after they’ve seen a résumé and clips, and then they assign articles. Some work for hire or educational publishers want to know how you write before they consider you for a project and will also ask for clips. In some cases you can reference online articles as well, though this is not as common.
6. Samples – a sample of your writing. In this case it does not need to be published. Again, this is so they can determine whether they want to try you out with an assignment.
• Special requests. These could be quite varied. I recently read in one magazine’s guidelines that they want “the date of submission on the first page of the manuscript.” Of course, many magazines will want to know what rights you are selling. However, if they only buy all rights, that is what they will assume you’re selling. Some publishers may request you to give them a marketing plan.
Writers’ Guidelines will also let you know the acceptable method of sending your manuscript or query. The standard postal mail aka snail mail is still the norm for many publishing houses and magazines. Agents are more likely to go with email. But email has its caveats: what the subject line MUST say or include, query and/or manuscript portion pasted into the email itself or as an attachment. If an attachment, it must be in a certain format, i.e. Microsoft Word. Mess up on following the “how to” on an email submission and it will probably not be read.
Okay, I know it’s not a deep concept, but really READ THE DIRECTIONS and FOLLOW THEM! You’ll avoid an automatic rejection by doing so, and perhaps you’ll get in to meet the Wizard of Oz, er, Editor or Agent.