Literary readings suck, but they don’t have to.

As a novelist, I attend a lot of literary events both as a participant and to support my fellow authors and their work. At these events, authors often read their own writing to the public. To put it politely, it is not a form of entertainment that I usually enjoy. Why? Because most writers are terrible at it.

“Wait a minute, Johnny. “Most writers?” Are you saying that the majority of writers are terrible at reading their own work in public.”

Yes. Absolutely. Fucking terrible.

Maybe that seems overly unkind, but have you been to a reading lately? I do not think this is a controversial statement. While there are good readers and good events, the bulk of them are painful.

They don’t have to be.

When my first book came out, it hadn’t even occurred to me that I would be doing readings. And that’s where the problem lies. It’s not an inherent part of the writer’s work. A writer writes. The words are meant to be read silently by someone else.

There is no obligation for a writer to do a reading. But if an author chooses to do a reading, then it’s their responsibility to do it right. When the opportunity first arose for me, I took a lot of time to prepare for the event. My first reading was in front of 150 people, so there was incentive to not ass it up.

Until writers accept that a public reading is its own artform, nothing will change and readings will be events that people are dragged to rather than events people actually want to attend. When working in a new medium, one has to respect that medium and learn to understand what works and what doesn’t.

Heed my words, dear ones. Heed them. Not just for your own benefit. But for your otherwise bored audience. That’s right. Think of me. Do it for Johnny.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD LITERARY READING?

It’s not that literary readings are inherently bad. It’s like any other artform. There is a range of quality, but it takes work and conscious effort to make a reading interesting, entertaining, and absorbing. I like music, but I don’t like dissonant sounds played loudly into my earholes. Don’t be that guy.

What makes any live event good? It simply comes down to something compelling happening on the stage. Whether a singer, comedian, or chainsaw juggler, it’s about a simple relationship between performer and audience. Be interesting. Don’t be boring. Have something to say and don’t take all day to say it.

The mechanics of a literary reading start the reader in a hole. Reading from a piece of paper (or screen) is not the most dynamic action. Even a comedian, who is also alone on stage, can move around a little. A reader reads, which puts more weight on the content and the delivery. Remember, the only other times you’ve been read to in your life, the goal was to put you to sleep.

That’s also the good news. It’s not a lot to work with, but it keeps things simple. There’s not much to think about with just an author and a microphone. To make it simpler, the author is usually standing in front of an incredibly sympathetic audience. Usually. The writer still has to win an audience over by reading from a book, but the audience is on his/her side.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. YOU DON’T MATTER.

One of the primary reasons that a reading event is unsuccessful is because the writer thinks that it’s about him/her. They think they are there to sell books or to get their name out there or to show off or whatever else. Shelf that ego and think about the people that matter: your audience.

A reading event is not about the author. It’s about the audience. It is not about getting something. It is about giving. The author is there to hold the interest of the audience. To read compelling material in a compelling way. Sure, the reason the writer agreed to do the event in the first place might have been to sell books or something, but once that writer is on the stage, they are a performer. It’s about the crowd in front of them. (or three people, in the case of most readings. Fun fact: That’s where the phrase “Three’s a crowd” comes from.)

It’s the same with the approach to any medium. It’s about the work and showing respect for what has to go into something to make it great. You may write a book with the intention of getting it published and making a jillion dollars (which happens all the time — like every day). But when you sit down to actually do the work, you can’t think about publication. It is all about the book, the story, the words, the work.

A live reading is not a book report. And it’s not an advertisement for one’s book or career. It is a performance. Writers have to accept that. In a literary reading, the writer is the performer. Too often a writer treats it as the commercial rather than the TV show. It’s got to be a song, but not a drum solo that everyone just wishes was over (See: all drum solos).

If you’re interested in further reading, check out my piece on how to choose the best material for a live reading.