See on Scoop.it – Writing and reading fiction
A fun yet uncomfortable author interview: The Questions with Robert Chazz Chute: Writer on dSavannah Rambles
Most author interviews don’t get read. If they are read, they are lightly scanned. Too often, the same questions are asked and worse, the same answers squeak out to an audience that does not care. There are people who care about where you get your ideas or how you started writing. Those people are your mom (maybe) and the fans who are already into your books. No conversions for you!
Regular Interviews Don’t Create New Readers
Regular interviews bore old readers. They convert no one. Some author interviews make me wish they’d preserved the mystery and shut up. Mostly, I just delete, ignore and move on to see if the Internet has any playful cat videos (like you). Author interviews as they are generally practiced are lousy promotional tools. If you’re going to bother with an arduoous guest blog tour for your book, break the old paradigm.
The Solution is Umbilical Lint
Writers should avoid cliches, so enough about (slurp) how much coffee we drink. Tell us about the Hunter S Thompson acid trip you took in Juarez at spring break. Tell us about your hilarious colonoscopy (I did on the All That Chazz podcast). Share news. News is new. Be entertaining and don’t go for the standard questions and useless answers.
This week, in my post “Author Armand Rosamilia Hates Canada” we got a lot of hits, retweets and comments. People had a good time with Armand’s fun answers to my silly questions about his secret life as a belly button lint sculptor. We made people laugh and intrigued them. Getting read, whether it’s in your books or for your book tour, starts with getting people interested. Don’t lead with “How long have you been writing?” Who cares? Those sorts of questions are for authors who are already on the NYT bestseller list. (And even them, yech.)
Don’t be Afraid to be Bizarre…or Honest
In my latest interview with dSavannah (at the link below) I give honest answers and some of them are funny but uncomfortable. Some answers involve time travel to save my childhood and career. I give an honest answer that involves my mother’s death. (I didn’t kill her. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) Be honest, informative, helpful, make jokes and use more imagination. You do that when you’re writing your books. Do that when you talk about your work, too. Just don’t be so earnest! To sell art, be more artful.
If You Want Nice Fans with a Sense of Humor, Be One of Them
Another example? Listen in to my giggly interview with cool Jessica McHugh at CoolPeoplePodcast.com. You might hate me but you’ll fall in love with her and you’ll want to check out her books. Our books are extensions of our personalities. Have one. That gives a reader hope they’ll like your books.
Read Armand Rosmilia’s audacious Fatty Arbuckle reference in his post here. Armand looks like a death metal biker dude, acts like a teddy bear and is a fun guy. We got such great feedback on “Author Armand Rosamilia Hates Canada”, he told me that in his next interview he plans to bomb Alaska. I think that’s something we can all get behind.
Entertainment is the first step to engagement. Are you not entertained?
If not, the author interview failed.
See on dsavannah.com
Related articles
- Author Armand Rosamilia hates Canada (chazzwrites.com)
- Cool People Podcast – We Are the Droids You’re Looking for (chazzwrites.com)
- Self-publishing: The stuff that isn’t the core work is still important (chazzwrites.com)
- Why isn’t my new book selling? (chazzwrites.com)
Filed under: author platform, author Q&A, authors, My fiction, publishing, Author, author interviews, book, interview, Jessica McHugh, Robert Chazz Chute, writing
C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m 
HEY! Thanks for including a link to my site and your interview! When creating The Questions, I wanted them to be different… and, quite honestly, something I would *want* to read. After all, I have to spend time coding them and promoting them. And reading them, for that matter.
I’m glad you enjoyed rambling along with me.
P.S. Thanks to this article, I’m now going to add a question about “Belly Button Lint”. 🙂
Glad, to. Thanks for asking interesting questions so I could play. Sometimes I hear authors say we should act “professional”. I think they mean us to look more like the establishment. I am a professional. I’m a professional brain tickler and Internet word clown. Ooh! My next business card!
Ooooh! I like your new titles!
“Professional” for a creative being is faaar different than “professional” for a non-creative (i.e. establishment) being. Here’s to clowning and tickling!
Great post – made me think and had given me some ideas for future interviews!
*has* given me – stupid autocorrect!
Reblogged this on Armand Rosamilia and commented:
Robert Chazz Chute and Boring Interviews
I absolutely agree, sometimes author interviews are so boring it makes me rethink buying their books. If you can’t entertain me with a short interview, even if it’s just with snarky answers, how are you going to keep my interest throughout a book!
I’ve added Armand’s books to my Audible to-do list because of your interview with him : )
nice work!
See, I knew doing this interview wasn’t a waste of my precious time!
Armand
I look forward to reading your work! I do have a tenancy to filter all zombie books through what I call my ‘Tufo filter’ but I know he speaks very highly of your work so I have a feeling you’ll make the cut. LOL
i’m just sayin… : )
Tufo might be a better writer, but… I have cooler facial hair!
Armand
lmao
I do like the facial hair… Gotta give you that
Then I’ve already won, even if you think my zombie stories suck! Sweet!
Armand
Oh, i doubt that your zombies suck but I will tell you if I change my mind on that.
: )
I…uh… appreciate it.
Armand
I will be nice, i promise ; )
I couldn’t agree more … most author interviews are bland and banal. But I think it has as much to do with uninspired questions from the host as with boring answers from the interviewee. I prefer guest blogs to interviewees, as they allow to explore new ideas and travel down new avenues.
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