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Doing Radio Interviews From Home

by Terrie Lynn Bittner

Since I am shy, my publisher chose to have me do much of my book promotion at home. This included doing radio interviews about my book by telephone. I was quite shocked to discover this was part of the process, since I’d presumed people became writers because they don’t like to talk. However, it turned out I was expected to do quite a lot of talking in order to promote my new book.

If you’re shy or afraid of interviews, take steps now to prepare for them. This way, when you get the call to do an interview to promote your book —which occasionally comes at a moment’s notice—you’re ready.

Sample Questions—a Shy Author’s Friends

First, prepare a list of sample questions. One thing I learned early on is that most radio interviewers don’t read your book. I prepared a list of commonly asked questions, and nearly everyone used them. The advantage to this, of course, was that I could think through intelligent answers and be ready for them. Choose the things most people want to know and include a few controversial or unexpected questions. If your book is non-fiction, most of the questions should be about your topic. Include a brief bit of information about your credentials for the topic. Then practice answering them. Interview yourself often. Your answers should be between 3-5 sentences, because that is about all people will listen to before wanting someone else to talk. Then pause and let the interviewer follow-up. Practicing short answers helps you to answer the questions better anyway. When you give just the essential part of the answer, you are more interesting.

A Hook

Choose a basic “hook” for your promotion. Is there something unexpected in your point of view, or your book? Is there something that goes against the common grain of knowledge? Is it particularly timely? Try to bring that out in a single sentence and use it when offering your services as an interview subject.
Example: "Common wisdom says candy is bad for kids. But my book suggests…maybe not!"
"This is the 200th anniversary of __________ and my new book reveals a little known secret about the reason this event happened at all."

Getting Interviews

Start small. Smaller stations and programs have a strong need to fill up the time. Look online for stations with streaming broadcasts, and search their sites for programs that use people like you. If they don’t do interviews, don’t waste your time. If they do, send them a note or email with your hook and a brief summary of your book and topic. Send them to any good reviews you’ve received or important publicity. If the story is timely, say so. Don’t forget to include your contact information, including your telephone number.

Be sure to listen to the interviewer before you do the interview, if they have streaming audio. That will give you a sense of who they are. Research the interviewer’s background to look for bias and style.

Doing the Interview

Do some experimenting to see where you want to be during the interviews. I initially decided that since I was so scared, I needed to be cozy. I curled up in my favorite chair, wrapped in a blanket. It didn’t work. My mind shut down, since I never went there to think. I eventually learned I do best interviews when I'm sitting at my desk in front of my computer. Not only is that where my brain is in work mode, but I kept a couple of screens up that had statistics I might get asked for.

Keep a glass of water handy, and make sure nothing can make noise during the interview. If you have children, send them to a friend’s home. Lock the dog away. Cover the doorbell and put up a do-not-disturb sign. If you have other phones, turn them off. You don’t want to be unprofessional. Don’t listen to yourself on the radio during the interview. It interferes with the program and distracts you.
Keep any information you might need nearby, but be able to access them without shuffling or pausing. That means you need to keep only a minimum of material on hand. I only keep a page of statistics handy and reminders of a few complicated answers.

Give precise, brief answers, but don’t give one word answers. Use complete sentences with useful information. Try to screen out ums and uhs. Listen for soft music in the background from the station. This warns you they need you to finish up so they can go to a commercial or end the program. When I hear that, I quickly wrap up my thought.

Contact bookstores in the area of the interview and find out if they carry your book. Tell them you have an interview coming up, so they may want to stock up. Then, when the interviewer asks where your book can be obtained, you’re able to tell them. Giving the name of a local store builds good will with that store, so let them know you plan to do that if asked (and you’re nearly always asked.)

These interviews get easier with practice. The more you do in a short period of time, the better you'll get. The first time I was so scared I forgot the name of my book, but after a while I could get a call saying, "Can you go on the air in five minutes?" and I'd be ready.