Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: Cats, authors, and scientists have something in common—they’re bad at following instructions. Leave them alone, and you’ll end up with a book, a theory, and all your dice on the floor (not necessarily in that order). We were delighted by Jennifer R. Povey’s non-fiction book Herding Cats, Authors and Scientists, a short how-to guide for moderating successful science fiction convention panels. 

Jennifer, it’s great to have you here! Can you start by telling us who the book is for?

Jennifer: It’s a bit canted towards authors, because that’s what I am, but would be useful for fans, cosplayers, etc. 

Zilla: You’re an experienced fiction writer. How did you make the transition from fiction to nonfiction? 

Jennifer: I don’t feel that I “transitioned” at all, that would imply writing less fiction! (In fact, I just had a cryptid fiction novella come out). I also write a fair bit of short form non fiction, short articles and book reviews. But Herding Cats is my first non-fiction book. What it boils down to is this conversation with myself: Somebody should write a book on moderating as there’s basically no training. Who would be qualified to do that? Oh, oops… I’m not saying I’m the only person or the best person, but I am a person who can do this. So I did. 

Zilla: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve seen a moderator make? 

Jennifer: A lot of the mistakes I’ve seen are in the book, including this one, but I would absolutely say that the biggest mistake I’ve seen was the moderator who got intimidated by the topic and decided to do a completely different panel! This was not appreciated by the panelists, the audience or, ultimately, the convention.

Zilla: What do you wish panelists knew?

Jennifer: Don’t spend the entire time talking about yourself, your book, or your project. I’d say that’s the most common thing panelists do that’s “wrong” or “bad” – and I know people who have gotten themselves uninvited by making everything about themselves. You’re there to talk about the panel topic. If your book is relevant, by all means touch on it.

Zilla: What do you wish moderators knew? 

Jennifer: That you’re doing a great service to fandom. That the panelists really have consented to be moderated by you. And to drink enough water. I harp on that far more than seems reasonable, but…

Zilla: What’s the most skillful mod move you’ve seen? 

Jennifer: Hrm. I wish I could think of something specific. We tend to remember the bad stuff more than the good. So, instead, I’m going to shout out two of the best moderators I know – Joan Wendland and Hildy Silverman. Both of them run a very good panel and I’ve learned a lot from them.

Zilla: What’s your next project? 

Jennifer: I’m mostly focused on short fiction right now but have started preliminaries for another space opera series. 

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Jennifer: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ninjafingers.bsky.social

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@jenniferr.povey

Amazon order link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6VNZ2CB