7 Interview Tips for Authors

I’ve had an exciting time since the launch of Out of Control in mid-March.

My bestseller flag!

The Kindle version achieved one of those little orange bestseller flags in the UK Kindle Parenting and Family Humour chart! Quite a niche chart, I admit, and the flag might not still be there when you read this but, for a short while at least, I basked in the glory of being a bestselling author!

Also, over the past month I’ve chatted on two radio shows, West Wilts Radio with Chris Penhall and Black Country Xtra with Lee Benson (to air 18/5/25). I featured in a quickfire video interview with Joffe Books and was invited to write a guest post on publishing for the Pounds and Sense personal finance blog, which is aimed at the over 50s and therefore fits very nicely with Fiona, the new retiree in Out of Control.

The prospect of being interviewed, either for radio or video, strikes fear into the heart of many of us! So I’ve listed below the strategies that helped me sound reasonably (I hope!) coherent rather than gabbling. Full disclosure: The interviews that I did were all pre-recorded so I knew anything that did go wrong could be edited away.

Ask in advance if there are any particular questions or topics that the interviewer would like to cover and get your material ready.

Prepare (and practise!) the elevator pitch for your latest book or whatever you are publicising. People won’t be persuaded to buy from an author who can’t succinctly describe his plot and characters.

If you are asked to choose music as part of a radio show, have a reason why you’ve chosen a particular track. Does it remind you of a particular event or person? Do the words of the song mean something special to you? Does a character in your book dance to this tune?

If you are being interviewed remotely via a video conferencing app (as I was) ensure that the house will be quiet (ideally empty!). Close windows and doors to avoid a sudden siren or traffic noise spoiling things. Put your mobile on silent and take any landline off the hook.

If it is a video interview be aware of your background. It might be appropriate to have a bookshelf in the background with a display of your books. I had a canvas of my cover art on the wall behind me.

If you have ‘iffy’ wi-fi, position yourself where you get the strongest signal. And make sure your laptop camera and microphone are working.

Enjoy yourself! It’s rare to get the opportunity to talk about yourself and your books to your heart’s content.