Do you subscribe to Brian Jud’s Book Marketing Matters eNewsletter? You should—it’s a good newsletter for any author with a book to promote. Check the October 28, 2013 issue and you’ll find several very good articles, including one of mine on the author interview.
I planned to focus this blog post on things you can do to promote your book from the comfort of your home. That’s actually the theme of the talk I’ll be giving soon at the Cat Writer’s Association Conference near Dallas. And being interviewed is one thing you can do without venturing out into the weather and traffic.
So who’s going to want to interview you and why?
If you have a nonfiction book—let’s say a how-to, self-help or informational book on a topic of interest to a large audience, there are plenty of people who will be eager to interview you for their radio show, newsletter, magazine or blog site, for example. And your book probably is of interest to a large audience or a strong niche audience. Why else would you go to the trouble of producing it?
Here are a few steps to help you land and successfully participate in interviews:
1: Locate newsletters, blog sites, radio shows, Internet radio/blog radio, magazines and so forth where the hosts/editors typically run interviews on topics similar to your book. Study them so you understand the type of interviews this individual typically conducts.
2: Contact the interviewer/editor/host with your resume/bio and let them know you are interested in being interviewed. You might even give them a couple of ideas for the type of material you can provide. For example, let’s say your book covers overseas travel. Offer to respond to questions on travel tips, how to avoid the tourist crowds, money-saving travel tips or a list of the best sights to visit abroad. For a book on web design, come up with the 10 things you should know before you build your website or the 10 best ways to promote a website, for example.
3: Make it easy for the interviewer. In other words, be easy to contact and respond promptly with the exact information/material he or she wants.
4: Always keep your audience in mind as you respond to the questions. Remember, you will be tuned out if you spend too much time in promotion mode. Sure, you want to talk about your book—but the focus of your interview should be to provide value to your audience. The best way to turn listeners into customers or clients is to demonstrate your credibility rather than talking about it. Show, don’t tell.
Tomorrow, we’ll talk about landing and conducting interviews for authors of fiction.
In the meantime, you’ll learn tons more about how to participate in interviews as well as everything you ever wanted to know about personal appearances for authors in Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More. It’s in print, Kindle and audio at Amazon and at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here– http://www.matilijapress.com/TalkUpYourBook.html
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