The Hidden Secrets Behind Becoming an Unforgettable Author Panelist—And Why Most Fail Miserably
It’s not necessarily about what you know
Have you ever asked a question at an author panel and felt like the panelist completely missed it?
That happened several times at a local writing event I recently attended, only I wasn’t in the audience. I was on the panel.
It was a full house. Dozens of eager writers of all ages and experience levels filled the chairs, pens poised over notebooks, ready to soak in whatever wisdom we experienced authors on the panel had to share. But what unfolded left me, well, a little stunned.
Audience members asked clear, thoughtful questions about how to build a routine, the best ways to publish, how to manage deadlines, and more. Each time, I watched as my fellow panelists gave answers that had little, if anything, to do with what was asked.
One writer, in response to a publishing question, launched into a story about her book’s inspiration that never circled back. Another, in response to the question of what was most important to do when self-publishing, offered only a story of their experience that was only distantly related to the question asked.
No one asked a single clarifying question. Not once.
I don’t think these writers meant to give a bad impression. But in that moment, it felt like the panel was performing more than connecting, and I felt that the people sitting in front of us, at best, weren’t being seen, and at worst, were being ignored.
In the hours that followed, I got clear examples of what not to do if you want to truly connect with readers and fellow writers.
It made me realize just how often we, as authors, unintentionally miss the mark. In most cases, I think writers have the best of intentions, but no one teaches us this stuff. No one pulls us aside and says, “Here’s how to show up in the room so that people feel heard, not talked at.”
If you’ve ever sat on a panel, spoken at a workshop, or dreamed of sharing your writing journey with others, you may be surprised to learn that you don’t have to say the smartest or the most impressive thing. You should, instead, do something far more powerful and rare.
