For me, the heart of research has always been the ability to elicit information from others. For years, it never occurred to me to go to the library or rummage through magazines or official documents. If I wanted to know about something, I found experts on that subject and tried to crawl inside their minds, to cram everything they would tell me in whatever time they would give … [Read more...]
Conducting Interviews
Recently I got a call from a PR agent who had set up an interview for me with one of her clients. She wanted to let me know how much the client had "enjoyed" the interview -- a rare experience, apparently. She also wanted to let me know that if I needed more information, I had only to ask. My first reaction was "Gee, what did I do?" My second was to wonder what other writers … [Read more...]
Author Blogging Interview on Authors Access
Last week, Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman interviewed me about author blogging for their Authors Access podcast. Listen and learn whether blogging really sells books, the best way to set up a blog (and what you should never do), blog ideas for fiction and non-fiction authors, how to find the time to blog, guest blogging and much more. You can listen to the podcast, … [Read more...]
How to Prepare for a Media Interview
Write down the five main points you want to cover. List anecdotes, facts, or jokes that help you make each point effectively. Anticipate the questions interviewers are likely to ask and prepare answers that include your main points. It helps to study the host's prior interviews to find his/her favorite questions and approaches so you'll know what to expect and how to … [Read more...]