I had the privilege of being interviewed this morning by Helen Ginger at http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com She said that my interview will appear on January 17, 2008, so watch for it.
When was the last time you participated in an interview? It’s a great way to get exposure for yourself and your book. There are interview opportunities in newspaper columns, at websites, in newsletters and magazines, on radio/TV, in person and now in blogs.
Here are some of the most common questions that come up about those opportunities and the process of promotional interviews along with my responses:
Q: How do I get interviewed?
A: You might be invited or you might have to solicit an invitation. If you are promoting quite heavily, you will be noticed and editors, site owners and bloggers will invite you to participate in an interview. It’s more likely, however, that you will seek out those who do interviews with authors in your genre or subject.
Do an online search for interviews with authors and others in your category of interest or genre. And check out sites and publications related to your topic/genre to see if they conduct interviews. Contact those interviewers and suggest that they interview you.
When you see (or hear) an interview in a blog you follow, a publication you read or a station you listen to, contact the interviewer with information about yourself.
Q: What can I say that will make them want to interview me?
A: Come across as professional, personable and confident in your topic/genre. Provide pertinent information about yourself, offer evidence of your expertise and suggest a slant or focus that might be a bit unusual and absolutely fascinating to their readers. For example, maybe you are the author of a murder mystery and your personal history includes the fact that you once sat on a jury for a major murder trial. Perhaps your book features dog tales and you are a retired veterinarian or a former dog sled competitor.
Q: How do I handle my nerves during an interview?
A: Many interviews, these days, are done via email—at your leisure—privately, so you can edit as you go. These are my favorite kind. However, there is much to be said for live interviews, as well. If something isn’t immediately understood, it is pointed out and you can clarify. Just remember that your interviewer and your audience probably don’t know as much about the topic as you do. Keep your level of confidence UP so you come across as the expert you are. Of course, avoid talking down to your audience. I often tell people, “Pretend you are having a one-on-one conversation with a friend.â€
Q: What advice can you offer to someone who has never done an interview before?
A: Stay focused on your topic and your audience. What do they want to know about you, your book, the subject? Typically, you will share your story—just the highlights, please; talk a little about your book—think ahead of time about what makes your project interesting or unusual; offer your audience some benefit of your knowledge of experience. And be sure to lead interested audience members back to you for more. Tell them where to purchase your book, where they can get more information about your subject (hopefully, you have a blog and/or material and resources at your website) and how you can help them to accomplish what you have—write a book, become an expert in your field, etc.
If you aspire to be a published author, you’d better also prepare to be interviewed numerous times by a variety of interviewers asking you some common and some off-the-wall questions. Learn more about the interview process and almost everything else you want/need to know about publishing and book promotion in The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html I also have some articles posted at my site that reference the interview process: http://www.matilijapress.com/articles.htm#promotion