Author Interviews

Professional freelance writing is like any other profession in some ways. The more exposure you have, the more likely new clients are to find you. An author interview not only gives your name exposure, but it gives your audience some insight into who you really are.

A well done interview does a couple of things for you. It puts your name in front of people who may never have heard it before. It allows a glimpse into the personality behind the screen and it lends you some form of credit, depending on who is doing the interview. If a well known or well liked writer does the interview, then there is an underlying statement from that writer that your position as a professional freelance writer holds some respect with the one doing the interview.

There are also a variety of ways to do author interviews. If you're interviewing an author, make sure that your own personality shines through as you develop the interview. For instance, I did an interview with Peter Straub that shared a bit of insight into who I am while letting his personality flourish. On the other hand, Suzanne Alicie did an interview with me that gave me the front stage while demonstrating her prolific writing and interviewing skills.

While you might be tempted to really put yourself out there, there are some topics you should stay away from during the interview. Some of those topics include religion, politics and sexual themes. You might want to wait until you have reached some level of popularity before broaching those themes. For instance, Anne Rice decided to quit being called a Christian, though she still believes in Christ. For a new author to do that could mean professional death if such a statement were played out poorly. For Anne Rice in particular, she has a history of religious ups and downs that her viewing audience is aware of and has followed along with.