The Biggest Mistakes Authors Make in Interviews

By Rick Frishman - Aug 08 , 2008

1. Not serving the show. Joel Roberts believes that, “The biggest mistake authors make is not serving the needs of the show they’re on. A lot of authors get nervous; they want to mention their book as many times as possible and at all costs, which is not the way to go. The way to get bookings and to be kept on the air is to be in the moment with the host. Respond sincerely and credibly to whatever you’re asked at the time. If you’re on for four minutes with Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, Charlie Gibson, or Matt Lauer, you don’t want to sound like a machine; you don’t want to sound like a robot. You want to really interact and be in the moment with them.”

2. Saying too much. They try to include their entire body of knowledge in answers. They want to show the interviewer that they know a lot, so they jump around from topic to topic and put too many messages out there. In print interviews, journalists can go and pick whatever message or messages they want. When authors give too many messages, interviewers can pick less important messages, which can take away from the results that the interview could have produced. So, it’s important to know your most important points and work them into your answers quickly.

3. Giving interviewers too much control. An interview is an exchange of questions and answers; it’s an opportunity to deliver your message. Hosts or interviewers often stray; they may ask about points that have nothing to do with your message or your book. When this occurs, authors must know how to turn questions to make their points; they must bring the interview back to their message and keep it on track. When you know the essential message points you must make in every interview, it becomes easier to work them gracefully into your answers.

Joel Roberts suggests that guests control interviews by judiciously asking questions. For example, after replying to an inquiry question regarding what he or she did, the guest can ask, “Can I tell you how I did it?” The host can’t say no, and the guest has opened the door to give information that he or she wants to emphasize.

4. Not distinguishing between messages and hooks. Most authors and many publicists don’t understand and overlook this critical distinction. Although your message and your hooks are related, in most cases, they’re not the same. Your message is what you want to share with humanity, but your media hooks are the strategies that get you the interviews, coverage, and appearances that you need to convey your message.

5. Not realizing the need for interview/media training. You have a lot riding on the success of your book. Writing and getting it published took an enormous amount of hard work. So don’t stop now; don’t take the chance of becoming a media flop and squandering the time and effort you invested. Remember, the analogy to driving lessons that we’ve made before: protect your investment, all your hard work. Get interview and media training before you start promoting your book.