Shameless self-promotion

Well, I guess I can cross "appearing on a nationally syndicated radio show" off my bucket list. I did that earlier this week with my appearance on Coast to Coast AM, hosted by George Noory. It was sort of a trial by fire for somebody who'd never done a radio appearance before, if you don't count an Internet radio show that probably had an audience of fifty people, which I did several years ago.

I did the show because I felt a certain obligation to my publisher, White Crow Books, to promote my new book The Far Horizon, and because I didn't quite know what I was getting myself into. When I was told that Coast to Coast wanted me as a guest, I assumed I would be on for maybe five minutes. Only once I called the show-runner did I discover that I was expected to be on for two hours. (!) This gave me pause, but she kindly assured me that it was broken up into segments, with a lot of commercial breaks and so forth.

Anyway, in a triumph of bravado over common sense, I agreed to do it. Fortunately, I had already scheduled a podcast interview a couple of days before the radio show. (It hasn't aired yet; I'll post the details when it does.) The podcast, besides being very worthwhile in itself, gave me a chance to get accustomed to talking about my book and answering some standard questions.

Still, it's one thing to talk to a podcast host on a recorded show and another thing to talk to a radio host on a live show that goes out to much of the country.

Because Coast to Coast airs in the middle of the night, my segment wasn't going to start until 3 AM Eastern time. This left me all kinds of options for how to spend my time leading up to the broadcast. I ended up doing some animation (puppet animation is a hobby of mine; you can look at some of my stuff on this Vimeo channel), then watching a movie on Turner Classic Movies – The Blue Dahlia, a pretty good film noir with an unfortunately compromised ending – and then reviewing my notes for the interview. 

I had an idea of the general trend of questions I would be asked, and I had notes on the kind of answers I would give. The last couple of hours before the broadcast were spent pacing my living room, notes in hand, crossing things out and jotting down stuff in the margins. As it turned out, I never referred to the notes at all once the show began. But they did help me to focus my thoughts.

Was I nervous? Yes. But I had done theater in college — in my triumphant tour de force, I essayed the role of Orestes in a three-act abridgment of the Greek trilogy The Oresteia — and I knew that nerves typically pass as soon as the show gets started. There's a lot of truth to the recurring motif in the wonderful movie Shakespeare in Love about how, in the theater, everything just somehow works out. I figured it would work out in radio, too.

Orestes 

Plus, having had some serious anxiety issues in the past, I knew I could dampen my anxiety if I were to pop half a clonazepam tablet and then sip some Coors Lite as needed. This mellowed me enough to avoid spacing out when the broadcast began. I make no apologies. You try talking off-the-cuff on a show that broadcasts live to 600 stations.

George Noory was very pleasant and guided me smoothly from one topic to the next. I found, much as in my college theater days, that as soon as the program began, my anxiety went away and I started talking very naturally. I was actually surprised at how relaxed I was as I chatted on the phone, almost oblivious to the fact that a large audience was listening in. To be honest, I hardly thought about the audience at all. I just looked at it as a conversation between myself and George. That kept me from panicking, probably. I had trained myself to think of it as a one-on-one dialogue.

One tip I would offer is that if you must think of the audience, imagine them as friendly. Do not imagine critics who are ready to snipe at you. That will only make you self-conscious and hesitant. It's best not to think of the audience at all, but if you must, think of them as on your side.

In the past, I've always shied away from promotion, much to the consternation of my earlier publishers (primarily Penguin). I'm still not a big fan of it, because of the pre-show jitters and the significant amount of preparation involved. But it worked out okay in this case, and at least it gives me a good story. Not everybody has been interviewed on the radio, so it's the kind of thing that's good for an anecdote. And maybe it will sell a few books.

The one serious point I would make is that, twenty years ago, and probably even more recently, I never would have imagined I could do this. There was a time when social phobia (the writer's curse) had me hamstrung to the point where I was limited in going out at all, even to the grocery store. Facing the cashier at the checkout counter was an ordeal. Finally I got the help of a psychiatrist who prescribed the proper medication (Effexor, for me) and trained me in the appropriate cognitive-behavioral techniques. As a result, I largely got over my phobias, to the point where, with the proper preparation and rehearsal, I can now talk comfortably with a radio host before a national audience. 

If I can do it, anyone can do it.

If you're suffering from such insecurities, which are not uncommon in our high-stress age, please find a psychologist or psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety issues. Not everybody is equally qualified to treat this complicated problem. And don't listen to well-meaning amateurs who say that all you need is to relax or take a nice walk in the woods. Anxiety issues involve a chemical imbalance in the brain and require professional treatment. Over-the-counter supplements rarely are sufficient, and positive thinking, on its own, will probably not do the job. Disregard any outmoded stigma about seeking psychiatric help and make the phone call. You will not regret it.

If you're interested in seeing how I did on the radio, you can stream or download the show here. But you've got to pay for it. The cheapest way is to sign up for a month-to-month membership ($6.95 per month) and then cancel the membership after you've heard my show or any other show that interests you. Of course, you may find you want to maintain the membership and listen to more shows. There's a lot of good stuff on Coast to Coast. Leslie Kean, for instance has been interviewed about her important book and Netflix series Surviving Death. Speaking of which, I haven't watched it yet, but I intend to get to it next month.

Comments

[James Oeming]

Hot diggity dog, Michael! I'm stoked that you were a guest on Coast-to-Coast, and that I can hear a replay! BTW, I am much enjoying your book, which approaches the subject matter in a novel way that adds to, and reinforces, my comprehension of the subject. It is a valuable original contribution to the literature; it is not simply a re-packaging of existing thought. It plows new ground.

[Michael Prescott]

Thanks very much, James! I was trying to do something a little different than the "most convincing cases" approach — not that there’s anything wrong with books like that. I’ve relied on them extensively. But I hoped I could add something a little bit new.