Many writers hope to attain enough recognition for our writing to be called upon for interviews about our works; even for people who make a living with words and communication, an interview can be an uncomfortable situation.

For those of us who have had to interview subjects for articles, sitting on the other side of the interview can be a dreaded experience. We worry if we will be asked about an inflammatory subject the same way we went after another subject to get our story. We worry that we won’t have the answer and will wind up (feeling like) looking stupid. The worst possibility (in my opinion at least) is that my words will be accidentally (or even purposely) twisted and come out meaning something else all together!

People will call on published writers to be experts in our book’s subject – which can actually be quite humorous if we have written fiction about some strange or controversial topic. As a romance writer, I have had people come up to me and actually ask for relationship advice. Just think of your favorite science fiction novel, murder mystery or spy adventure and picture the authors as “experts”. For non-fiction writers, proficiency in the subject is even more expected. When the relatively recent hoopla about Dr. Phil’s involvement with Britney Spears broke, reporters showed up on the doorstep of writer Sophia Dembling seeking her perspective. Dembling was one of the authors of The Making of Dr. Phil (2005)

Giving interviews can be a terrific form of promotion for your work, especially for a newly released book. A little bit of preparation can make the interview “less painful” and certainly more profitable. Blog interviews are terrific opportunities as you have the time to actually think about your responses and review them before submitting for the entire world to see. Guest blogging is another form of fun and easy type of interview where you generally control the subject; I recently got the opportunity to do that on Fumbling With Fiction .

Prepare for online podcasts and radio interviews by sending the interviewer a list of suggested questions to ask you; many interviewers will appreciate the preparation and often do stick to your list – in which case you have determined the points you want to communicate. For that face-to-face interview, don’t be afraid to bring a few index cards with pertinent notes with you (such as publication dates, editors’ names, and research references).

Before the interview take a long and honest look at yourself – is there something you don’t want to talk about, something that you may not be very proud of? If the taboo subject could sell headlines, the interview might try to talk about it; prepare a non-toxic response beforehand to save yourself from a flustered and embarrassing moment. And smile.

If you have been on the interviewing side of the table before, you know how difficult it can be to get that terrific story from your subject, so be kind. Besides, if you gain a reputation as being difficult, then reporters will look to “get you”. Make sure that you know what points you want to emphasize so that you can steer the conversation if need be. Don’t be afraid to ask the reporter for an idea of questions they want to ask before hand – I often email my interview subjects a list of generic questions beforehand just to help break the ice.