How to Survive Author Events and Podcast Interviews
Workshop for Authors and Writers Ready to Up Your Performance Game
Does being interviewed as an author fill you with a dread worse than the worstest horror movie? Have you been left in the dark by your publisher, expected to simply land on your feet and get the job done on publicising your novel? Are you avoiding doing events or podcast interviews because you’re too scared you’ll mess it up? Would you prefer to lock yourself in the loo than stand on stage and talk about your novel?
Answering yes to any of those questions puts you in good company. I’ve lost count of the number of people who tell me how much they hate public speaking, how they lose sleep over the thought of doing a podcast, and how the idea of standing up in front of an audience sends them straight to the loo - and not always to lock themselves away.
But did you know there are simple techniques for getting through an interview, and even enjoying it?
On 28th November from 7pm to 9pm GMT on Zoom, I will be putting on a 2 hour workshop (with a short break) for my paid subscribers - and you get to join in this workshop and 3 other workshops for a subscription price of just £50 for the year. Not a Subscriber? Read on for how you can join in, too.
I have nearly forty years experience (crikey, that makes me sound old … I’m only 26 in my head) of presenting or performing in one way or another - including having my own podcast, doing national and regional radio, presentations for work for audiences up to 1,000 people, and performing stand-up comedy - and I’ve learned a lot of useful skills and approaches that help me to stand in front of an audience and talk about my book, along with the themes I cover, in a way that is entertaining. I’ve also learned how to read from my novel in a way that makes people want to buy the book and read it for themselves. Despite being a debut author I’ve had a queue of readers wanting me to sign their book after each event I’ve done.
In this two hour online workshop I take you through how to keep your nerves at bay, including how to use those nerves to help you perform well; I guide you through how to pick the things you’ll talk about - and those you won’t; I share actionable steps for handling interview questions, using a microphone, and being remembered; and a select few attendees get the chance to do a short reading with a critique on how to improve.
If you need to lift your event game, get ready for doing book events, ease your way into doing podcasts, this workshop is for you. It’s free for paid subscribers to my substack, Write Times, who get four workshops included in the annual subscription of £50. Subscribe below if you’re not already a subscriber, and book your place now.
Alternatively, tickets are available to non-subscribers. The early bird ticket is just £10 until 5pm GMT on Sunday 10th November, or when the early bird tickets run out - they’re restricted to the first 10 people. After that, general tickets are £20.
Not ready to be doing author events yet? Think you don’t need this yet? It’s time to start getting ready, even if you don’t have a book deal. One of the mistakes I see authors making is waiting until the book is nearly out, or has even been published, to start getting word out about the book. In truth, the best time to start talking about your book is now, whatever point you’re at along the road to publication.
Subscribe now, and get your place for free on this workshop, or buy your ticket HERE.
What workshops are coming up? These are the planned workshops for the next year - more may be added.
28th November 2024: How to Survive Author Events and Podcast Interviews
February 2025: Creating Habits to Handle Imposter Syndrome
May 2025: Navigating and Surviving the Query Trenches and Submission Benches
September 2025: How to Create Relatable Characters
Each workshop is for 2 hours, and starts at 7pm GMT.
Do I need a password to book tis event, or am i being a bit thick? jx