When I was growing up, my mother often repeated the adage “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” It’s rare that you hear that advice today (we live in very different times), but, for better or worse, I took it to heart and soon uncovered the strange power of silence. Far from preventing people from passing judgment on me, it did the opposite. By remaining quiet in a room full of people talking, and then offering a sharp observation, it increased my presence and influence. Sometimes people listen more carefully when you do finally speak, or they attribute meaning that isn’t there to acts of silence.
Silence—or, in fact, just saying less—is an art that can be strategically practiced by authors trying to garner attention for their work. It is an especially critical strategy when trying to influence people who hear about new books all day, every day—such as editors, agents, booksellers and retailers, mainstream media, and reviewers. Such people, approached constantly by authors who want to talk about their books, feel immense relief when engaging with someone who knows how to give just enough information that allows for a conversation and a natural connection. None of them want a protracted speech that boils down to, “Please pay attention to me and my book.”
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