Reading your Writing Right!

Last time I gave you some ideas on how to make your live reading more pleasing to your audience. Today I have a few more thoughts that may help.
Whatever you plan to read, have it neatly organized and annotated before you get on stage. No one wants to watch you searching through your book to find your reading. It’s unprofessional and looks like exactly what it is – you didn’t prepare.
Generally, I don’t read from my book. I copy the section I plan to read into a Word document. This way you can mark up the copy. Bold what you want to say louder. Cut out most of the dialog attributions – “Bob said” is often unnecessary when you’re reading out loud. Cut any line that slows down the action. Also, sometimes there’s a sentence (or even a paragraph) that’s important to the book but not really relevant to this section. You can cut those too. When you have the piece in exactly the shape you want it, print it out on regular paper. I usually print it in 14 point type, just to make things easier.
Now a few words about selecting your readings. First, make sure they represent your book. If it’s a dark, intense thriller, don’t read that one light hearted, humorous scene. It’s unfair to the people who might buy your book, and you don’t need reviews on Amazon about how your novel was not what the reader expected.
On the other hand, if you have a chance to read more than one excerpt from your novel, try to pick scenes that vary the tone. If one scene is heavy on the dialog, try to find one that’s all action.
All that being said, you also need to choose a reading that is appropriate for the audience. In some situations profanity, sexuality or strong violence may be unacceptable. In a library or book store, children may wander in at any time. Noir at the Bar, thanks to the location, has no such issues. And radio and TV have their own limitations. When in doubt ask the host where the lines are before you accidentally cross them. 
Also, be careful to avoid spoilers. Maybe you think the big finish or the vital clue is the best scene in the book. You might be right, but if you give too much away your listeners won’t feel there’s any reason to buy your book. You want to give them a feel for how good your writing is, but don’t give away the entire plot.
Finally, once you know you’ve picked the right section to read: practice, practice, practice. Read it out loud until you know how to modulate your voice, you know where the emphases go, where a little pause will help, where you should slow down for tension. Remember, it’s a performance and you want to keep your listeners entertained! That way, they’ll want to take that experience home with them.