Talking to the People (or People Helping People)

Tip of the Day, Librarian Edition: Thinking of a career in public librarianship? Go to your local library and ask the reference librarian on duty some questions. We love to talk about our careers, and will take your inquiries as reference stats. Bonus!
On Saturday, I was a panelist with four other public librarians who spoke to a group of Masters in Library Science graduate students at the University at Buffalo. It was a great experience and I was honored to be asked.

I got a lot out of the Q&A format, and I hope the students did as well. My perspective of my career broadened by listening to the students' questions/concerns, and the responses from the other librarians around western NY.

For example:
--one panelist has been a librarian on four continents
--one had to stand between an angry husband with a gun and the man's wife who worked at the library until the police arrived
--one talked about the need for librarians to listen to what the public wanted, not just to tell the public what we will provide
--one discussed the library's role in being useful to refugees
--one had a cool local history program, where historians talked about old objects and collections important to the region
--one talked about loving the creativity allowed in her job
--and I, of course, talked about needing passion for your job, a forward-thinking apporach, and the idea that one must always try to keep oneself relevent in librarianship as books and access to information continues to change.

What questions would you have for a public librarian about her field?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

ePublishing Panel or I Did Not Vomit

Tip of the Day:  Imagining people in their underwear during a presentation doesn't help everyone. Instead, keep a cup of water nearby and a cough drop to suck on. You'd be surprised how much those really do help. ;)

Last fall, my friend Jane Hertenstein contacted me for some advice about epublishing. We spent hours on the phone going over everything she needed to know about getting her books changed into ebook. She owned the rights and was really excited about this new technology.

Once her books were live and she was happy with her experience, she thought it would be great if I shared my knowledge with her SCBWI group. I could get up in front of an audience and talk.

Now, in real life, I really enjoy talking. I have a bit of a reputation (within my family, at least) for never shutting up. However, when it comes to speaking in front of a live audience, to people I don't know, I don't do well. My hands shake and sweat. My voice cracks and my mouth goes drier than the Sahara. I get nervous. I say stupid things and embarrass myself.

I promptly turned her down. Not only was I not confident enough in my speaking skills, I really felt I was too new to epublishing to get up in front a group and declare myself some kind of expert. So, I suggested a panel with me and my friends.

Jane agreed. We tried to set a date for winter, but it just didn't work out, so we decided to do it in March. My friends Karly Kirkpatrick and Norm Cowie sat on the panel with me and Susan Kaye Quinn came in support (I didn't know her when Jane & I set up the panel or I would have invited her to speak too.)

I spent a month being really nervous. Like heart-pounding, scared-to-death, convinced-I-was-going-to-vomit-on-Norm nervous. I considered backing out. As the months passed I focused more on my career and less on the upcoming meeting. My books took off. I learned so much more about epublishing every day. By the time March rolled around, I really felt like I had something to contribute to the panel.

My nervousness faded. I knew I had something to say - a lot of somethings, in fact. I told Jane the day before the panel that she might need to use bodily force on Karly, Norm, and me because we are all skilled in the art of talking.

How did the panel go? Fantastic! I felt like I really was able to impart my message to people. (ePublishing isn't for everyone and it isn't simple. ePublishing is a business, totally separate from writing.) I met some writers whose names I knew from the SCBWI listserv I belong to. It was a really fantastic afternoon.

Moral? Don't agree to speak on a panel as an expert unless you feel like you are one. Had the panel occurred last fall or winter (like we'd originally discussed), I would have been far more nervous because I didn't feel like I knew enough. By March, I had real facts, data, and experience to give out.

Since then I've been contacted by two other people to give talks about epubbing. Will I do it? Absolutely! And next time, I think I can even do it alone. :D

Karly, Megg, Norm

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber