Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. I’ve been uttering this well-worn phrase a lot since January, when my new novel, Before and After, was published, and I started offering people the opportunity to have a reading with me over the phone. Like all writers I’ve always wanted to do whatever I could to connect with readers, and while it would be wonderful to do a nationwide tour of readings at book shops to legions of adoring fans – the cold reality for first-time authors like me is that invariably no one gives a hoot about your magnum opus (at least, not at first). So, you have to look for any way you can to build those connections. Consequently, I have been booking in readers for a free 10-minute slot, where they can get comfortable wherever they are, have a brew and listen to me read a section of the book over the phone. We then chat, they can ask any questions about what they’ve heard, or about writing in general, and if they decide to buy the book afterwards, then so much the better. If they don"t, I vow not to call them back in the small hours – or ever, for that matter. To date, I’ve done around fifty readings with an audience originating from countries around the globe. It’s been illuminating, occasionally embarrassing, but overwhelmingly positive for me – and hopefully the audience too. “It was actually my wife who booked a slot for me on my birthday,” says Darryl Adie, who sat politely through his ten minutes last week. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was actually quite a relaxing experience. I love to listen to the radio, but this was very different. Knowing that there was a person reading this extract just for me, well, I really enjoyed it. What it made me realise is that entertainment these days is beset by distractions, usually from your phone, but during the reading the phone was on my ear, so it focused my attention.” Of course, reading aloud is nothing new. Literature originates from a tradition of public performance. Before Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press enabled the written word to be disseminated as a form of mass media, stories belonged to an oral tradition, recited at gatherings and festivals, sometimes accompanied by music. Literature was about performance and the audience as a whole; only in later years has the well-turned phrase been consumed silently in a reader’s head. These days reading aloud has become the territory of performance poets and parents. Even here, the tradition of reading bedtime stories to our children is on the wane. Despite an awareness that reading to kids is extremely positive for their development, a recent study by the charity BookTrust found that 14pc of children had less than 15 minutes of being read to per week, and 6pc were never read to at all. The perverse expectation seems to be that as soon as children are capable of reading then they are left to their own devices. However, this completely overlooks the range of emotional and physical benefits that reading aloud has for both reader and audience. “Often, when an adult reads to a child, or vice versa, there’s also usually physical contact and cuddling happening,” explains Natasha Tiwari, a psychologist, educational strategist, and founder of the Veda Group. “Biologically, this causes a flooding of oxytocin, known as the bonding hormone, which makes us feel good. Its presence in the bloodstream has been linked to lower rates of depression, anxiety and stress. "In a world where both children and adults are more anxious than ever, this is utterly crucial for mental wellbeing.” Even though my own readings have been taking place over the phone, I would argue that this biological impact is still present. When I do a reading I find that my breathing rate slows and I become calmer. But what about Adie – did he feel a surge of bonding? “I’m not sure! I would say that I felt happy, but then it was my birthday. Perhaps more research would be needed. I do feel like the story was more vivid than it might have been if I’d been reading it myself. I’ve since bought the book and read it all and the section that you read to me still stands out in my memory.” Tiwari says that this is in part due to the additional elements that reading aloud can bring to a text, over internally processing printed words on a page. “93pc of communication is non verbal, and the reader can really bring an audience into the story with their tone of voice, pace and using voices and actions. This is true whether it’s over the phone, in a video call or in person. This stimulates more neural networks in the brain, and the result is that for both reader and listener it becomes easier to tap into our natural capacity to think creatively and “come alive” in the moment and be in a flow state – a state of being better known as play.” As Adie experienced, there is strong evidence that reading aloud has cognitive benefits when it comes to recall and comprehension. A 2015 study by Victor Boucher and Alexis Lafleur gave students a list of words. They then asked them to read the list in different ways. Firstly, they were asked to read the words in their heads; then to read the list whilst moving their lips but making no noise; and then to read them out loud to themselves. When it came to comprehension and recall, the best results were produced when subjects were asked to read the words aloud to another person. So given all of the health benefits that can be extracted from reading aloud, why is it not more popular - not just with children but also between adults who want to cash in on all that free oxytocin? “The real sadness is that people feel exposed when they read aloud,” says Tiwari. “Sometimes a person may not feel confident reading aloud, or they may find themselves uncomfortable at hearing their voice aloud. But the benefits far outweigh the discomforts. Like all fears, once faced, they stop having power over us, and the impact to our health, relationships and wellbeing is immeasurable.” The moral of the story then is that if you’re thinking of picking up a book and reading to a friend or loved one, don’t wait until you’re sitting comfortably, just begin. Before and After is available as an ebook or paperback on Amazon now. If you would like to book a personal reading with Andrew Shanahan, then visit beforeandafter. youcanbook.me/