While visiting Boston
this past weekend to see a good friend, I came across a street entertainer. He
gave a very nice performance that lasted at least 30 minutes. He probably took in hundreds of dollars from
just that performance. I imagine he’ll
do many more throughout the day or night.
He will easily clear a thousand bucks – cash -- by day’s end. Authors can
learn from his showmanship.
Street entertainers, like authors, are a dime a dozen.
They’re all over the place. Every
city’s tourist traps have them. In Times
Square, people make money simply by wearing a Spider-Man costume and then
shaking down people who pose for pictures with them. In other cities you’ll see clowns, dancers,
comics, jugglers, acrobats, and other talented, energized individuals hustling
for a dollar.
Their windows to earn
are limited by weather, daylight, age, and their physical capacity to
relentlessly use their bodies to their limits.
What does an injured or retired street performer do later in life to
make some money?
The guy that I saw
was not only a very good dancer, but he was funny – a showman. He used humor, particularly sarcasm and
played on stereotypes. He would build up anticipation, show some good
attitude, and sometimes merely use silent mimes to get a point across. But what he did best was gyrate and contort
his body in which every onlooker knew he or she could never do.
He wisely spoke to
the audience to build a relationship up.
He took some volunteers to his stage, humanizing the show. One was a cute little boy. Another was a guy who lacked rhythm and
played a useful role to contrast the talented dancer’s moves.
The entertainer did
many things right to lure you in and get you to open your wallet, including:
·
Having
a real talent -- great dancer.
·
Using
80s music, knowing middle-aged people would be drawn in -- a long with their
wallets.
·
He
smiled and made you laugh.
·
He
asked for money by explaining why he’s deserving of it.
·
He
invited the audience to clap and participate.
·
He
stated his credentials – been performing for 10 years and once got on TVs America’s Got Talent (made the cut to
final 12).
·
He
didn’t give it all away – he didn’t have to dance for 30 minutes.
In fact, he probably
only danced during a fourth of the show, thus preserving himself to do more
shows.
So how can authors
follow his lead?
They can be more
charismatic and interactive with the reading public. They can use humor and props to excite people. They need to get out there and perform (readings and
speaking), and blatantly ask for the support of others by explaining what goes
into writing a book.
And if authors can move like he does, well, they’d have a best-seller on their hands.
And if authors can move like he does, well, they’d have a best-seller on their hands.
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