Preparing For A Video Interview

In this blog we are going to be discussing getting reading for a video interview - from the POV of the interviewer and the individual being interviewed. 

For the individual doing the interview, you will want to make sure that you have a high speed Internet connection that you can count on, and that your microphone/headset are working properly. Contact the individual that you want to interview, and block out a good thirty mnutes of time. (Generally speaking, the video itself will only be about fifteen minutes long.) Confirm that they have Skype, and get their Skype contact info. Take the time to read the book that the individual you will be interviewing wrote, and develop 7-10 questions about them and the book. Have these questions where you can see them during your interview. Send the questions to the author (I don't want to blindside anyone, and I do want their feedback), and confirm the date and time of the interview. Call the author using Skype, tape the interview (make sure that you are actually taping so that the interview does not have to be redone), edit the interview, upload the interview to YouTube (or your site, wherever you are placing it), check to make sure the video is running well, then set it to live. Imbed a link to the video in your blog (if the video is not on your blog), and send the link to the individual that you interviewed so that they can share it out to their audience.   

For the individual being interviewed, you will want to come across as yourself. You have a wonderful chance here to widen your audience - they need to be able to connect with you as a real person, someone that they like, as well as connect with your writing. Make eye contact, so that your audience will feel that you are looking directly at them. Also, be very concise in your responses - don't ramble on!

For both the interviewer, and the individual bring interviewed, take care of the details! Make sure that you have a high speed internet connection that you can count on, that your webcam is at eye level, and that the lighting is flattering. Common sense says don't leave this until the last minute!  Make sure that your microphone and headset are working well, and that you have a backup number to contact the interviewer at if things go south!   

In my next blog I will be talking about what goes into creating a character for your book.

(c) May 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproducton prohibited without written consent from the author.

Interview Questions - Giving Focus To An Interview

We want to look at formatting questions for an author interview from two different prespectives: that of the interviewer, and that of the indivdual being interviewed. As authors, we want to be interviewed, because we can place the links on our site, and it shows that other people are interested. A bit of blatant self-promotion. We can also be viewed by a larger audience, and gather new readers.

When I was doing interviews, it was because I had found an individual whose work I felt would appeal to my audience. I wanted to showcase them, and their work, in the best possible light (as well as showcasing my skills as an interviewer). The majority of my interviews were written, because that is my forte. I made sure to go over the work that the individual(s) I was interviewing had done, and what I felt they might want to get out there. When I sent them the questions,I gave them the opportunity to (1) delete any questions they felt inappropriate, (2) reword questions, and/or (3) add their own questions. Very seldom did someone that I was interviewing take any of these actions. I gave them the option so that they would feel that their work was being presented in the best possible light. From the POV if the individual being interviewed, they have a certain amount of information that they want to get out there. 

Questions that you might want to ask an author include:

1. How long have you been writing?
2. Why do you write?
3. When do you write? What is your writing schedule like?
4. Where do you gt your ideas for your books?
5. How important do you consider grammar in your books?
6. Is doing research important to you?
7. What would you like us to know about your characters?
8. Do you have a set number of words or pages that you aim to complete each day?
9. Have you ever experienced writer's block? How did you deal with it?
10. What is the importance of a good title?
11. Do covers matter?
12. What advice do you have to give other author's?
13. How much of yourself is in your books?
14. Do you write what you are passionate about, or what you think will sell?
15. How do you handle proofreading and editing? Do you do it yourself, or do you have someone else do it.

In my next blog, I will be talking about how to prepare for a video interview (both as an interviewer, and as the individual being interviewed).

(c) May 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written consent of the author.

The Importance of Author Interviews

Author interviews can be an integral part of promoting books, whether brick and mortar or self-published. In the "way back when" days I did a lot of reviewing for Tarot/Divination books and decks, as well as self-help books. My interviews were always in written form, and I placed them on my professional blog (with links on my professional site), as well as placing the Tarot/Divination interviews on a well know Tarot/Divinaton site. I have also done audio interviews, and been the recipient of both written and audio interviews.

What purpose does an author interview serve? 

1. It helps connect us to other authors - when we network like this, we can help other authors, and they can help us.

2. It widens our reader audience, as we are introduced to the fans of other authors.

3. It helps promote name recognition.

4. It will help drive the sales of our books.

5. This is a sneaky reason - interviews help an author get a wider perspective of their own book!

What types of author interviews are there?

1. Written

2. Audio

3. Video

4. In person - as in live in front of an audience.

Where can we listen to/view author interviews? (Note: If you want to read/listen to an interview of a specific author - Google them!)

1. Writer's Digest  

2. NPR 

3. Good Reads

4. Huffington Post 

5. Online College 

6. Writer's Write 

In my next blog, I will be talking about interview questions, and giving focus to an interview.

(c) May 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author. 

Promoting Self-Published Books

I don't know about other authors, but promoting my books is not one of my favorite activities. I was very naive when I published my first brick and mortar book - the publishing company was very easy to work with, but it came as a complete surprise to me that I had to do the promotional work along with my pubisher! What the heck? 

I self-publish now, so I know that I have to do the promotional work myself (or hire a company/individual to do it for me). I don't have a lot of money to devote to this, so I do the promotions myself. They really aren't doing all that well. I know more about what I don't want to do than what I do want to do. Number one on my "Don't want to do this" list is blog hopping, or being featured on someone else's blog. 

My biggest quibble about posting on another author's blog is the time involved - you need to vet the blog, see what he style of writing is, who their audience is, and write for them. You will need to interact - i.e. respond to any comments left on your article. There are pro's to working with other authors and their blogs, though, including placing your book as part of a "swag" pack, allowing other authors to gift their followers with ARC's (Advanced Reader Copies) of your book, participating in a joint give-away, enhancing your reputation through association with another well known author, and gaining access to a larger audience for your work.

Next week I am going to talk about author interviews, and why they are important.

(c) May 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited iwthout written permission of he author.