How to prepare an author for an interview
The other day a freelancer called to schedule an interview with an author. I asked some questions — as I usually do — about the length of the piece, when it would run, and what exactly it was about. He refused to email much information and was cagey over the phone, so I contacted the editor. As it turned out, the editor was put out at being asked these questions and reacted by promptly canceling the piece. Que sera.
But this is quite odd because part of a book publicist’s job is to try to get journalists interested in interviewing authors; part is to make sure authors are prepared for these interviews so they don’t waste journalists’ — and their own — time. So it’s important that publicists brief authors on the interviewer, the media outlet and the story. Last week the Bad Pitch Blog, a popular PR blog, posted about this in The Interview Brief.
Realistically, most book publicists won’t prepare “interview briefs” as extensive as the ones described by the Bad Pitch Blog, but it’s still important to review the basics with authors (and authors should ask for details if they are not provided) including:
– When is the deadline for the piece?
– When is the piece expected to run?
– Has the piece been assigned or is the writer “on spec,” i.e., still attempting to pitch the story to editors?
– How long is the interview? (And for radio, is it live or taped?)
– What is the story angle (and who else is being interviewed)?
– What is the show (media outlet) like?
Journalists can help by providing this information in their initial query — even if the message doesn’t reach the right person the first time, it will get the ball rolling when the book’s publicist does get the query.
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What else do you as a publicist make sure to tell your authors? (And authors — what else do you need to know about a journalist / media outlet that helps you give a good interview?)
