Day 55 – Why I Don’t Do Interviews (Usually)

I almost always turn down interview requests. There are a couple of reasons for this, but mostly I don’t do them because they don’t generate sales. I’ve never read an interview with someone and then bought their book afterward. Ever. I’ve asked a lot of people if they have and the answer has universally been no.

Of course, I’m sure there’s someone who will say they have, and that’s great, honestly, but that is the exception, not the rule. Most blogs or author sites just don’t have the traffic necessary to make the interview worthwhile.

That’s not to say hitting the book-blog circuit doesn’t have its uses. When I first started out, I did a lot more interviews than I do now. It was a good way to build a presence online. Did it directly sell books? No. Did it get my name out there? Yes. When you’re first entering the business, that can have its use.

Maybe.

Your time might be better spent working on the next book. Dunno.

The other reason I turn down almost all interview requests, is because they’re fucking boring. I get asked the same ten questions over and over and over and over. If I’m being honest, this is what started me down this no interviews jag over the past few years. Most of the blogs I’ve been on have all asked me a series of generic questions.

They’re rarely about a particular book or character of mine. It’s usually something broad about writing or publishing and not anything specific. It’s uninteresting to me and I can only imagine that it’s uninteresting to the reader. I’ve actually requested more pointed, direct questions, been promised them, and then got the same ol’ crap.

I can’t explain how much I hate it. Every few months (sometimes years), I’ll dive back into the interview pool. After one or two, I give it up again.

So if you want to interview me, make it interesting. Convince me that this one will be different.

This doesn’t apply to podcasts to the same degree. Being able to speak to someone, to interact with them beyond an email or document, makes a big difference. The interview ends up being more personal, which helps a lot. The questions can often be similar in that medium, because people want to ask about Ash and sales figures and things of that nature. I don’t mind that as much though.

Make it interesting.

Today, I started book 6 in The Hunger series. No title yet, but I’ll probably have one in the next week or two. I wrote 1377 words (around 5 pages).

See ya tomorrow.

 

The post Day 55 – Why I Don’t Do Interviews (Usually) appeared first on Jason Brant.