My next novel, For the
Love of Parvati: An Anita Ray Mystery, will be published in May 2014, so of
course I’m thinking about promotion and events. A mainstay of the writer’s life
is the interview, especially on a blog or in a newspaper. We are used to the
long list of questions about how we write, where we get our ideas, how do we do
research, what are our goals, favorite characters, and how did we get our agent
or publisher. Then come the questions on favorite colors or vacation spots or
clothing that are meant to reveal something about our personal character and
quirks. The questions leave room for answers about our pets and families. I’ve
answered and asked variations on these questions dozens of times, but there is
another interview that we hear less about.
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New writers may get their first exposure through an
interview on cable TV. This may not go farther than the hometown but it can be
excellent practice for something bigger. After appearing on a number of local
shows and watching other writers and speakers on various topics, I have a few
suggestions.
First, keep your hands in your lap. Many of us are
expressive, enthusiastic types and our hands fly up at the first hint of
something interesting. We wave our hands, spread out our fingers, turn our
palms upward our outward, all in tune with our words. Our hands are the baton
of the speaker, leading the audience in response. But they are a distraction.
Hold your hands loosely together and keep them in your lap.
Second, come prepared with questions. I expect the
interviewer to have done his or her job, but many don’t get a chance to read
the book you’ve written or research the social issue you want to talk about, or
even care about the charity event you’re promoting. If you don’t come prepared
with solid questions for the interviewer to ask, you may face a very
uncomfortable fifteen minutes or even longer. I generally come with a fact
sheet or some printed material I can give the interviewer, just to make her job
easier. She’ll thank you and she’ll remember you the next time you call to ask
for a segment of her show.
Third, know how to move the interview along. I once faced an
interviewer I knew and liked but he wanted to know exactly where my novel was
set. I explained that the relevant part of South India was subtropical, very
close to the equator, but that wasn’t enough for him. Was it like Florida? No,
hotter. How hot? I gave a few temperatures. But every time I thought we were
done with this, he asked another question about weather. I was sucked into a downward
spiral. I still look back on that interview with confusion. I don’t know what
more I could have done to answer the question, but I do know I could have come
prepared to change the direction of the discussion.
Fourth, experienced interviewers will tell you that when you
are ready to make a direct pitch, look straight into the camera, and talk face
to face, so to speak, to the audience, the person sitting at home and watching.
It felt very odd to me to do this, but I figured the interviewer knew his
business. After all, it was his show. So, when the time came, I swallowed my
nervousness, looked directly into the camera, and asked the people watching me
to make a donation. (I wasn’t promoting a book this time; I was asking for
support for a charity.) If you prepare for this, you’ll look less uncomfortable
to the audience, and they will be more likely to respond positively.
Fifth, keep in mind that your audience can be people who
have little or no interest in you or your book or your cause. I imagined the
audience of cable TV shows or off-hours local commercial TV shows to be sitting
at home watching TV while someone made dinner, folded the laundry, or waited
for a better show to come on. This was my audience. I was wrong. A friend who
was taking a writing class at night told me that she and her fellow students
were hanging out in a bar when my interview was scheduled to run. They
persuaded the bartender to turn the channel to the show and the entire crowd in
the waterfront bar watched me talk about a novel set in India. I can’t vouch
for the level of attention but it certainly taught me an unexpected lesson.
Your words will be heard in the oddest places. Choose them carefully.
Check out my books at www.susanoleksiw.com
or on Amazon.
