How
well do you improvise?
That answer will help you predict your ability to successfully promote and market your book. Maybe you need to watch improv comedians to pick up a few tricks.
That answer will help you predict your ability to successfully promote and market your book. Maybe you need to watch improv comedians to pick up a few tricks.
I
took in a show at Second City, the famed comedy theater in Chicago, while
attending this year’s Book Expo. I was
impressed at how these young comics come together to work in a challenging
environment every day. They were
strangers who train together and find a way to incorporate random thoughts and
odd utterances from the audience into their show. No sketch is ever done twice
because the changing participation of paying customers makes each show
live-by-the-seat-of-their-pants.
I
suspect authors have a similar challenge.
Each day they must make speaking engagements and Q&A’s work in their
favor.
They
must be ready to spit out social media posts and to quickly respond to comments
and give feedback of others. They also have
to be ready to isAre You A Good Career Role Model To Others?sue press releases and statements based on the news cycle,
seeking to comment on what’s in the news in a way that leads them to get media
coverage. They also must press the flesh
and network in person so that they can put themselves in a position of
discoverability.
Some
authors just don’t like doing these things or they struggle to do them
well. They can take a page out of the
Second City comedy troupes and find a way to naturally mix seemingly strange,
conflicting or unrelated topics and stir them up in a tasty soup.
What
do authors need to do that these comics do so well?
1.
Smile
all the time.
2.
Laugh
at yourself.
3.
Say
things with passion and conviction.
4.
Be
ready to go off-script.
5.
Say
what comes to your mind.
6.
Feed
off of the audience or people you’re communicating with.
7.
Know
that even if you stumble, fumble, and bumble, there’s another show or
opportunity that awaits you.
Maybe
if all else fails with your book, you can pursue a career in comedy.
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