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.

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.