- mollyfennig
7 Reasons To Do An Author Interview
You’ve written what you think should be the next best-selling novel. Maybe you’ve written more than one. So why should you take time away from marketing/editing/writing to do an interview as an author, especially if you don’t have a lot of time to write? Here are 7 reasons.
[I was inspired to write this post because author Lincoln Farish graciously offered to interview me on his blog. Check it out here (there is a free excerpt from InSomnus as well!)]
Free publicity. Anyone with a blog is likely to have followers, even if its just their mother or pet or half cousin once removed, which means more people who might buy your books, tell their friends about your books, or follow you on social media.
Readers want to know about you and your story. Have you ever read a book so great you immediately Google searched the author, scouring the internet for information like their cat’s name or their favorite color? (Okay, maybe not those details specifically, but the point is if readers know more about you as a person, the more connected to you they’ll feel and the more likely they are to want to buy your books.)
New content to share. An interview creates content not only for the interviewer’s blog, but also content you can share on your social media. It can be hard to come up with ideas for content, but it’s ultimately what draws people to your website/blog/etc.
It’s an excuse to take a break from writing that scene you’re STILL stuck on. Not only will you maybe get more readers doing interviews, you also get to take a break from actually writing without feeling (quite as) guilty.
It’s free. Any other kind of marketing is likely to cost you either to buy ads or promote social network posts or to pay for book copies to give away. (If you’re looking for marketing ideas, also check out A Teen Writer’s Book Marketing Strategy)
It’s a great way to inform readers of upcoming books. Most interviewers will ask a question about other books you’re working on or planning on, so it can be a great way to start the buzz about your next book (even before you’ve written it).
Why not? The worst case scenario is no one reads your interview and no one new buys your books. This can happen when you try other ways to market, but at least you don’t have to spend money (or too much time) on interviews.
Check back soon for my upcoming interview by author Stephanie Churchill, author of The Scribe’s Daughter.
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