How to Read for an Audience
And Touch People’s Hearts
Paperback | 100 pages
by James Navé and Allegra Huston
You’re sending your writing out into the world, and you want the world to take notice! A great public reading touches people’s hearts, and turns listeners into fans.
“But I’m an introvert!” you say. “I can’t do that!” And we say, yes you can. This book began when Navé coached Allegra—who was terrified of public speaking—before she went out on book tour for her memoir Love Child.
It’s not enough to just read the words aloud. Whether you’re reading in a live venue, or for a podcast or YouTube, you want to cast a spell, draw your listeners into your story, and create an intense emotional connection. We’ll show you how.
Plus, we’ll give you all kinds of tips and tools to calm your nerves and build your confidence. You can do this!
Ships to US only. Non-US customers order print-on-demand through your local bookstore or online retailer.
Praise for How to Read for an Audience
“James Navé’s help is practical, unique and gets to the psychological core. He is encouraging in that most helpful sense: he shows you how to find your courage. Before I could become a bestselling author, I had to become an author, and there is no better coach/ advisor/ shaman for ‘becoming’ than Navé. I grew with his encouragement, guidance and funneling my fog into focus. He has guided me on how to present myself both on the page and on the stage.”
“This is a book I would recommend to every author. It’s a skill that all writers need help with, particularly as they begin their careers. Performing in public rarely comes naturally, and this clear and sympathetic guide will swiftly become an indispensable tool for anyone faced with the challenge of standing in front of an audience.”
About the Authors
James Navé
For more than 30 years, James Navé has coached countless poets and writers to become public readers and speakers. He's written two books, The Road (1998) and Looking at Light (2012), and has taught creative writing at the University of Oklahoma, the University of Alabama, Duke University, and the National University of Ireland, Galway. James co-founded the poetry performance theater company, Poetry Alive!, and for eight years conducted creativity workshops and retreats with Julia Cameron, bestselling author of The Artist’s Way.
He is currently director of the Taos Storytelling Festival, and hosts a weekly radio show, Twice 5 Miles Radio - Fertile Ground for Conversations Worth Listening To, on WPVM-FM 103.7 in Asheville, North Carolina. James holds an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts. To learn more about James, please visit jamesnave.com. James is available for coaching and for author visits, both in person and remotely.
Allegra Huston
In 30 years as a book editor, Allegra has worked with two Nobel Prize winners, three Booker Prize winners, Sir James Goldsmith, and Jane Goodall. Allegra has conducted creative writing workshops for the National University of Ireland, Galway, the University of Oklahoma, the Taos Writers Conference and the UK’s prestigious Arvon Foundation. She is the author of a bestselling memoir, Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found (2009), and a highly-praised novel, Say My Name (UK 2017, US 2018). Allegra is also the author of numerous screenplays, including one for the award-winning short film Good Luck, Mr. Gorski, which she also produced.
Allegra holds a First Class Honours degree in English Language and Literature from Oxford University. To learn more about Allegra, please visit allegrahuston.com. Allegra Huston is available for workshops, lectures, and author visits in person or remotely.
Praise for Twice 5 Miles guides
“Deft, clear, and charming, without a wasted word. The series, which might as well be subtitled ‘things writers are too embarrassed to ask about,’ promises to immediately fill a tremendous need in the lives of those who still live and die by the book.”
“These books should be required reading for all writers and editors, as well as for all creative writing teachers and students. Whether you’re a newbie beginner or a well-seasoned pro, these books will make you a better writer.”