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.