When I self-published The Pet Washer, I didn't plan to become a speaker. I was approached by a school and I was incredibly nervous and excited about talking to kids in this capacity. I called my brother about the opportunity. He's a musician and he encouraged me to speak. He said five words that changed my entire opinion. He said, "It's like gigs for us." I realized the truth, speaking in one form or another is part of the job--especially if an author wants to be successful. Local gigs build our confidence, hone our relationship to our audience and prepare us for the future. They are something to embrace, not fear.
Today I spoke at a 3rd-6th grade elementary school. I was booked for two assemblies, one from 9-10am and one from 10:30-11:30am. We met in the cafeteria. The first group consisted of 173 kids and the second group consisted of 168 kids. With the second group, I hit my stride and had the best speaking engagement to date.
I'm grateful I practiced in classrooms and libraries first. I'm grateful I started with the toughest crowd on earth, eighth graders. I'm grateful I learned how to make PowerPoint presentations, that I got advice from fellow authors before attempting to speak, that I conducted a survey and let kids critique me, that I remembered to bring water and that I didn't drink too much coffee!
I have learned to engage the students immediately. I ask questions and get a show of hands as often as possible. I make eye contact all the way to the back of the room. For the younger group, I brought props and dressed them up as my characters. I showed the older kids my Pet Washer Series website and showed them how to feed the fish at the bottom of the screen.
I shared my education at Berkeley and some personal stories. I showed them photos of the pets that inspired my characters. Toward the end, I taught them the six elements of a story, how to create dramatic conflict and then we brainstormed a story together. I set up the writing prompt and the teachers offered extra credit to the students who completed the story at home.
After each assembly, I was mobbed, nay, trampled, by students wanting my autograph. I signed pieces of paper, notebooks, Pet Washer books and hands (I hope parents aren't upset about that!) And this is after I answered, "No," to the question "Are you a famous author?" Kids are the energy and hope of the world! They love it when adults take time out of their day to speak to them, and more importantly, to listen to them. They also appreciate that I wrote an entire novel. I had them guess how many words are in it. They were guessing 500, 1000 etc. They were shocked to hear it contains 36,000 words and that my latest novel is 73,000 words.
Every author should consider speaking. You might be thinking, "I could never do that." Or, "I would never want to do that!" Or, "I can't wait to do that!"
Whatever you're thinking, I encourage you to try it. Kids and adults are curious about authors. So many people don't like to write at all and they are fascinated by wordsmiths. But there are reasons to speak that will also help your writing. These are the unexpected benefits:
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- Direct access to readers. They say, "Know Your Audience," I say, "Meet Your Audience!" I learn what lights up kids' eyes when I talk about my book. For instance, students consistently enjoy hearing that princesses wear yellow to lemonade parties and they dye their pets yellow to match. So now I know my readers get a thrill out of crazy, princess behavior and I've learned which princess they like the best and that Gildon is their unsung hero--all of this knowledge will shape book two and three!
- Encouragement. Interacting with readers in person reminds me that I'm not writing into an empty universe. The kids enter my Pet Washer world with me, if just for a short time. I leave every speaking engagement excited to write! Kids also prod me to hurry up and finish book two. They are dying to see what happens next. There is no better motivator for a writer than expectant readers!
- Philanthropy. Whether donating my time or accepting a speaking fee, the feedback I get is that kids are inspired to write. I hear this from the students themselves, the teachers and from parents. There is nothing like an exuberant child waving her story at me and gushing about the day she will become an author. They also remind me of myself.
- Fan mail. You haven't gotten mail until you've gotten fan mail! I received 40 letters after my last speaking engagement at an elementary school. The children drew pictures of my characters, told me their dreams, thanked me for my time and asked me more questions. I write for me. I keep writing for them.
- Press. Often a speaking engagement will be picked up by the local press or radio station. Send a press release of where you will be and what the event is i.e. Read Across America Day. The worst that will happen is they won't cover it, but if they do, it's free advertising.
There are many options available to speak to kids and adults. There are career days, English, Creative Writing and Journalism classes at local schools and colleges, local writer groups, libraries and book clubs. Odds are a book club will purchase your book first and then book you to speak about it.
Even if you aren't speaking about your book, but you are speaking about the career of writing or self-publishing, you can still hold up your novel and give a brief synopsis. You will learn something new every time you speak and you will gain exposure for your book, if nothing else.
To Do: Take the plunge and offer yourself as a speaker!
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Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
author of The Guardian Herd series and The Pet Washer series
novels for children aged 8 and up!
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