How to Prepare for A Book Interview

How to Prepare for A Book Interview

I have been on a promotion trail since publishing my novel, What Goes Around Comes Around. It is hard to get people to buy your book. The are a lot of reasons for this but I think the biggest is getting people to know you and your book. It is even more difficult for indie publishers such as myself who write, publish and market a book without the backing of a major publisher . In my post 5 Low Cost Ways to Promote Your Book Online I talk about the importance of connecting with websites and blogs to get the word out about your book.

Traditional publishers have an easier time getting into bookstores, contacts with book bloggers, book shows and other major media contacts and the funds to support a book marketing campaign. The indie author must promote on a limited budget with much fewer contacts. They also must set writing and marketing goals.

A great way I have found to get out the word about a book is to do interviews with book shows or other shows related to your book topic. Blog Talk Radio  has resulted in thousands of people hosting their own show and the great news about these shows is that they need content. I would recommend to any author to network to get on these shows. Please check out my tips on how to prepare for these interviews.

  1. Research the show and the host.
    You want to be prepared for the type and questions they might ask. I once did a show and the host was raunchy causing my friends to blow up my cell with texts. Please check MisterDirect’s Real Talk Adult Conversation to listen to that interview but be warned that this is adult content.
  2. Have your book with you during the interview.
    You may be asked during the show to read an excerpt or refer to a particular section and it helps to have the book handy to use as a reference.
  3. Have a glass of water and throat drops near you.
    Talking can dry out your mouth and throat. A quick swig of water can make your voice sound clearer to the audience.
  4. Be prepared to answer questions.
    Try to find out what types of questions you may be asked if possible. You want to sound polished on the show.
  5. Follow-up with the host.
    Make sure you get a link to the show and ask the host if she/he will post the interview on their site. Find out if the host would like to be featured on your blog. This cross promotion can result in bringing new traffic to your site.
  6. Promote the upcoming interview on social media.
    Tell everyone you are going to be on a show. Send out reminder notifications with the link and time of the show. Once the show has aired send out the link to people so they can listen again. I worked with a publicist to promote my interviews and this generated more traffic for my website, book and even helps me get some sales.

I have been on a bunch of shows and I really enjoyed the experience. I took the opportunity to promote my appearance to my social media channel both before the interview and after.  I get feedback from readers any more importantly information about my book to the masses.

Please check out my Off the Shelf interview. 

MisterDirect’s Adult Real Talk Conversation (WARNING!! This show has explicit content so if you are easily offended don’t access this link.)

Next week I will be sharing tips I learned from Off the Shelf host Denise Turney author of several books including Love Has Many Faces.