Participating in interviews is an interesting way to get exposure for your books or your other work. It’s an opportunity to talk about your book and accomplishments and demonstrate your level of knowledge within your field or genre. Often bloggers invite authors to respond to interview questions. Sometimes freelance writers or columnists conduct interviews for their publications. And others might do interviews to post at their websites.
There are two ways to get involved in interviews related to the topic or theme of your book. If you have been promoting far and wide, you’re probably becoming known in your field or genre and interviewers will seek you out. But you should also be researching interview opportunities.
When you find an opportunity, contact the potential interviewer and ask to be interviewed. Provide your extended bio and, perhaps, some topics you would like to discuss. You might even suggest a couple of direct questions.
When you become well-known in your field or genre, you’ll be asked to participate in books on your subject. Again, the author will most likely interview you in order to learn more about you and to encourage you to come out with the type of pertinent information and great quotes they are seeking for their project.
There are also oral interviews conducted via podcast, etc. Some interviewers create webinars from your telephone interview, for example.
If you have never been asked to do an interview related to the theme, topic or genre of your book, start searching today for some opportunities. I’ve almost always gained a new client, reader, customer or blog/twitter follower from the interviews I’ve done.
I did an email interview this morning. Some of the questions took a lot of thought and consideration. I’ve been told by some of the people I’ve interviewed for inclusion in my books that they appreciated the chance to do some deep thinking about the subjects in some of the questions. It’s always good to step back from your work occasionally and review—perhaps regroup. And participating in interviews can certainly help you do that.
I’ll let you know when the interview I did today goes live. In the meantime, for more about how to conduct an interview and do personal appearances in order to promote your book, read “Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” It’s at amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio and at most other online and downtown bookstores.