Author Interview
June 13, 2010 5:09 PM Subscribe
What is the best way to approach an author for an interview? I'm assuming I go through the publisher, although this author has published just one book. Since I'm a student/independent journalist, I'm wondering whether my email is likely to be forwarded along to the author. My feeling is the author may be interested, but since it's a student piece it's unlikely to sell more books. Should I worry about catering to the publisher in any way in my correspondence -- and if so, how? T
Does the author have a website? The contact form there is your best bet. The publisher is fine as a way to get correspondence to the author, but if you contact the publisher specifically asking about an interview, they will ask you a few questions about who you are and why you want the interview and then probably go ahead and decide for the author whether he or she is interested.
So, here's what I would try in this order:
1. Website/facebook/twitter or other firsthand contacts
2. Letter to the author sent via the publisher
3. Request for an interview via publisher.
posted by hermitosis at 5:20 PM on June 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
So, here's what I would try in this order:
1. Website/facebook/twitter or other firsthand contacts
2. Letter to the author sent via the publisher
3. Request for an interview via publisher.
posted by hermitosis at 5:20 PM on June 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you. That would be my inclination, certainly. However, this is an autobiography written by someone who experienced something huge, and was not previously a writer. My guess is she may not write anything else (this was co-written). No contact information for her is given. So I think I'm stuck going through the publisher and wondering how to word things. Should I mention how my interview will be different from the many others she's given to big news orgs?
posted by brynnwood at 5:22 PM on June 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by brynnwood at 5:22 PM on June 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
No. Write some variant of the below to the publisher, via email prefably or contact form if they don't have an obtainable email:
Just as publicists/publishers sell their book when promoting it, you must sell your magazine. Don't lie, but don't make it look crap either.
You will be surprised how easy it is to get author interviews, particularly if you are in the UK or Australia. The US is a little bit harder in my experience, but still quite easy. A word of advice: read the book, and ask real questions that demonstrate you have read it, and researched the author/subject a bit. Typically most interviewers don't do this and authors (in my experience) are almost uniformly surprised, even touched, and very responsive when you demonstrate you have spent some time and effort on this, and are interested in their work and looking for responses a little deeper than typical.
I have interviewed many authors ranging from Booker Prize winners to genre nobodies. The publisher is generally speaking the best way to approach this. They are the ones who stand to gain most from promotion after all.
posted by smoke at 5:50 PM on June 13, 2010
- Hi, my name is XXXX and I write for XXXXX, a weekly/monthly/whatever magazine [hyperlink it if possible] that focuses on arts, x, y and z and has a circulation of XXXXX [if it's in the low hundreds don't put the circulation]. We would love to have an interview with so-and-so in our July [or whatever] issue, talking about the [title of book].
Is so-and-so be available for interview? Thanks very much for your time,
Regards
Me.
Just as publicists/publishers sell their book when promoting it, you must sell your magazine. Don't lie, but don't make it look crap either.
You will be surprised how easy it is to get author interviews, particularly if you are in the UK or Australia. The US is a little bit harder in my experience, but still quite easy. A word of advice: read the book, and ask real questions that demonstrate you have read it, and researched the author/subject a bit. Typically most interviewers don't do this and authors (in my experience) are almost uniformly surprised, even touched, and very responsive when you demonstrate you have spent some time and effort on this, and are interested in their work and looking for responses a little deeper than typical.
I have interviewed many authors ranging from Booker Prize winners to genre nobodies. The publisher is generally speaking the best way to approach this. They are the ones who stand to gain most from promotion after all.
posted by smoke at 5:50 PM on June 13, 2010
Response by poster: It's great to have a cut and dried way to write to the publisher -- very easy to see what I should do there. A couple more questions. Will the author read the request herself? The book has been out since 2008 and I know she appreciates a certain level of privacy. She may well feel she's done her media bit and that it is over. I would like to be able to say something in the email that speaks to her, too. Along the lines of, I HAVE read your book. I do have a reason for contacting you that may interest you more than the interviews with you I've read/watched. If I were writing simply to the publisher, I wouldn't include this, but if I have a shot with the author reading this herself, I'd like to make a brief case for why I hope she'd consider coming back into "the spotlight" (a very dim one in my case, given the outlet, but nonetheless). Thanks much.
posted by brynnwood at 6:29 PM on June 13, 2010
posted by brynnwood at 6:29 PM on June 13, 2010
Is there a reason you're not naming the author? With google alerts and such there's a chance that just by doing so you will let her know you would like to just by mentioning her.
This aside, with a specific person some people might have further recommendations.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:36 PM on June 13, 2010
This aside, with a specific person some people might have further recommendations.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:36 PM on June 13, 2010
Best answer: Will the author read the request herself?
If the book is from HarperCollins etc, and you have approached the publisher, the answer is definitely not. If it's via her website, maybe. Really it depends on how big the book is and if she's writing another.
The fact the book came out in 2008 may dampen your chance of success, unless she's about to publish another. It may not, but it probably will. Unless the book is still getting reprinted - especially a special reprint, new foreword etc - the publisher will have pretty much ceased promoting it, it is long done from their perspective, a win or a loss.
I would like to be able to say something in the email that speaks to her, too.
Forget this, please. Trust me, from having worked in this sector on every side of the fence. Everybody thinks they're special snowflake, and that their request is extra special. This is not the time to talk about it; all a publisher and most times an author cares about is publicity. Though a thoughtful interview will make the likelihood of future interviews better, and make the interview itself strong it will in no way increase your chance of getting _this_ interview. What it will do is make you look amateurish, fan-ish, more small fry than you may be or certainly than you wish to appear.
Fans write to authors and publishers all the time, journalists not so much. You've got to pick which one you want to be. Fans get a form letter or a short personal note; journalists get interviews.
Given that the book came out in 2008, if the publisher does not have one, you may wish to play up an angle that will garner it attention two-year old books may not always get - is there a local event or that's relevant to this book? Has something happened to make it more relevant? Has a local figure mentioned something relating to the book or its themes? If so, make passing reference to this at the start of the email.
Though this may feel personal to you, don't make it personal, make it professional. You can save the personal for the interview.
posted by smoke at 6:46 PM on June 13, 2010
If the book is from HarperCollins etc, and you have approached the publisher, the answer is definitely not. If it's via her website, maybe. Really it depends on how big the book is and if she's writing another.
The fact the book came out in 2008 may dampen your chance of success, unless she's about to publish another. It may not, but it probably will. Unless the book is still getting reprinted - especially a special reprint, new foreword etc - the publisher will have pretty much ceased promoting it, it is long done from their perspective, a win or a loss.
I would like to be able to say something in the email that speaks to her, too.
Forget this, please. Trust me, from having worked in this sector on every side of the fence. Everybody thinks they're special snowflake, and that their request is extra special. This is not the time to talk about it; all a publisher and most times an author cares about is publicity. Though a thoughtful interview will make the likelihood of future interviews better, and make the interview itself strong it will in no way increase your chance of getting _this_ interview. What it will do is make you look amateurish, fan-ish, more small fry than you may be or certainly than you wish to appear.
Fans write to authors and publishers all the time, journalists not so much. You've got to pick which one you want to be. Fans get a form letter or a short personal note; journalists get interviews.
Given that the book came out in 2008, if the publisher does not have one, you may wish to play up an angle that will garner it attention two-year old books may not always get - is there a local event or that's relevant to this book? Has something happened to make it more relevant? Has a local figure mentioned something relating to the book or its themes? If so, make passing reference to this at the start of the email.
Though this may feel personal to you, don't make it personal, make it professional. You can save the personal for the interview.
posted by smoke at 6:46 PM on June 13, 2010
Trust me, they will usually be delighted *anyone* is interested. Go through publisher or if you see the name of the agent in acknowledgments and can find agent online or can find direct author email online-- any of these are legitimate journalistic ways to reach an author and they are usually happy to help students. We all want to sell books and reach people: that's the point of writing.
-- signed, author of 5 books who is almost always happy to talk about my books, especially with young journalists. Especially those who have actually read it!!!
posted by Maias at 6:57 PM on June 13, 2010
-- signed, author of 5 books who is almost always happy to talk about my books, especially with young journalists. Especially those who have actually read it!!!
posted by Maias at 6:57 PM on June 13, 2010
As an author who just published his first book, my answer is: Contact the author directly. Getting the publisher in the mix just fucks things up. Seriously. Authors are willing (and usually able) to spend one-on-one time with you without a lot of crap. Publishers want to add crap. Can't find the author's e-mail address? Be industrious. Look for a personal website. Scour the publisher's site. Look in other locations. My publisher has forwarded exactly zero interview requests. But I've fielded several via personal e-mail, and have been happy to comply.
posted by jdroth at 7:10 PM on June 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jdroth at 7:10 PM on June 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
When I wrote for a student newspaper (this was almost ten years ago), I had great luck getting interviews by contacting authors through their websites. At the time, I didn't realize it wasn't the "right" way of going about things, but my ignorance worked to my advantage.
posted by drezdn at 7:40 PM on June 13, 2010
posted by drezdn at 7:40 PM on June 13, 2010
Response by poster: Many thanks to everyone. I will be sending this out tonight.
posted by brynnwood at 8:01 PM on June 13, 2010
posted by brynnwood at 8:01 PM on June 13, 2010
Response by poster: The postscript is this: The interview was accepted nearly instantly (through the publisher, since I wasn't able to find any contact info for the author). It went reasonably well and will be the basis of an audio project to be produced this month.
I'm sure the sound advice I received here, particularly that encouraging me to be businesslike and avoid any personal appeal, had a lot to do with why this worked out.
Thank you again to all who weighed in.
posted by brynnwood at 3:54 PM on August 3, 2010
I'm sure the sound advice I received here, particularly that encouraging me to be businesslike and avoid any personal appeal, had a lot to do with why this worked out.
Thank you again to all who weighed in.
posted by brynnwood at 3:54 PM on August 3, 2010
Fantastic news! I would love a memail when your project is completed, I'm sure it's going to be great. :)
posted by smoke at 6:19 AM on August 7, 2010
posted by smoke at 6:19 AM on August 7, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by monkeydluffy at 5:14 PM on June 13, 2010 [2 favorites]