By Josh Mosey | Digital Marketing Strategist
When preparing to interact with literary greatness, you don’t want to go in unprepared. Although there’s a solid chance that a famous author is just as weird and nervous as you, there’s no reason to make things awkward.
Bring a Sidekick – Share your nervousness with a friend to cut it in half. Bonus: they can pull you out if you start geeking out too much.
Disguise Yourself as a Normal Person – Dress like a regular person instead of the die-hard fan that you are. Sunglasses can’t hurt. False mustache optional.
Wrong Place, Right Time – Act like you stumbled upon the literary event by chance. “Oh, fancy meeting you here! Mind signing my book?”
Write a Script – Plan your chat, get a friend to filter out the weird bits (“You’ll never believe where I have your book cover tattooed on my body,” etc.), and rehearse until it flows like casual banter.
Practice the “I’m Not Starstruck” Nod – This is a quick lift of the chin that subtly says, “Yep, you're cool, but let's not make a spectacle.” It’s the ultimate VIP acknowledgment.
Give Them Space – Respect the author’s personal bubble. Practice with a tape measure at home so you know how to stay at least forty-two inches away from them at all times.
Pick a Safe Compliment – Be bookish but not creepy. Compliment their writing, not their looks. “Your punctuation choices are on point!”
Don’t Overstay the Welcome – Know when it is time to move on. There are folks behind you who are just as geeked to get their fifteen seconds of fame-related interaction.
Congrats! Remember this as the day you got close to literary greatness, not the one where security showed you the exit. Woo hoo!
Add a comment to: Meeting Famous Authors 101: Eight Tips for a Smooth Encounter