How to Answer Interview Questions: 3 Tips for Both Pros and Newbies

Sunrise on the Ortiz Mountains the other day created dramatic and crisp pink highlighting on the fresh snow of the peaks. Quite spectacular.

Our topic this week at the SFF Seven is an interesting one:Remedies for Stale Interview/Podcast Questions.

It's timely for me because just yesterday I did a signing with my good friend Darynda Jones at Page 1 Books in Albuquerque for our brand new releases. These are fun events for us, because signings are always more fun with a friend, and we have a lot of enthusiastic readers who are excited to see us. (Mostly her, but hey!) It was standing room only (albeit in a small space), with the final count at 48 people. Which is pretty nice for a small bookstore signing.

This is the... fourth? signing we've done together. Something like that. And quite a few people who attend are regulars. Or they see us at other regional events. As usual, Darynda and I didn't plan any particular program. We asked the audience what they wanted and they called out, "Anything!" And, "You  guys are always great - whatever!"

Which doesn't really help, but makes for a nice shiny.

Then the events coordinator calls out in this fake, high-pitched voice from the other side of the stacks, "Talk about your books!"

Oh. Yeah. Right!

The thing is, we tend to forget a key truth doing events and interviews: for most of the people reading or listening, this is their first time hearing anything about us or our stories.

For me, in particular, when I started talking about my new release, THE EDGE OF THE BLADE, I had to recall that most of the people there had come to see Darynda and hadn't read any of my Twelve Kingdoms or Uncharted Realms books. Yes, some of my die-hard readers attended, but they love talking about the books regardless. Just because *I* feel like I have talked about the books a lot, that's not true of the people listening.

So that's Rule #1:

1. There are no stale questions. They're only familiar to YOU.

This is that syndrome where it's easy for kids to remember their one teacher's name, but less easy for her to memorize all thirty of theirs. So, even though it made be frustrating or eye-rolling to get the exact same question for the 4,739th time, the person asking hasn't heard the answer before. Respect that and give them your fresh and sincere reply. I find - very interesting, too - that my answers to some of them have changed over time. I discover new aspects of my self and my process that way.

2. Limit the types of interviews you do.

One thing I've asked for so far as blog tours online, etc., is that I prefer not to answer "canned" interview questions. A lot of sites and bloggers do this, because it's much less work. I don't blame them a bit! They make up a list of questions and send that to be filled in. However, once I've answered a particular site's questions, then I've done them. There's not much sense in doing them again, particularly since they're already discoverable online. Instead I ask for questions related to the book I'm releasing. Yes, this dramatically cuts down on the number of interviews I do, but it also focuses my own efforts.

3. Keep notes as you draft and revise a book

I try to do this, and do better on some books than others, but any time I ask a question online, crowd-sourcing information, or something amusing happens, I note it in a running document for that book. This provides a treasure trove of anecdotes to tell about the book. There always seems to be interest in the process of writing the book, what was difficult, what you might have borrowed from real life, etc., and this document will refresh your memory when you feel you've said everything there is to say. Even you newbies can start doing this and, believe me, later on you'll be glad you did!

So, old pros - what tips do you have? Readers, what do you love best in hearing authors answer?

What to Do When They Aren't Lining Up for You

Most authors share the fear of setting up signings or readings and having no one show up. Common fear. Common occurrence. So many signings where I stood there with my books while endless lines of excited readers queued up - for someone else. Lots of someone elses. How do you make it bearable?

You engage as much as humanly possible (without getting creepy.) My suggestions, which I do use and which have yet to result in a restraining order, are these:

1. Goodies - stock an endless pile of individually wrapped candies prominently on your signing table. Be assertive and friendly. Wave anyone and everyone over with "Please help yourself to the goodies! They cannot go home with me!" People will dart in, grab a candy and most of 'em will dart back out like you mean to carve them up for supper. BUT a few will take one of your cards/bookmarks/promo thingie as they do. Fewer still, will actually ask what you write and pick up your book to read the back cover. This is doubly effective if someone else's signing line snakes past your table. Those folks in line are BORED.

2. Talk to the people wandering by, not to the authors next to you. Focus out. Into the aisles. Not to yell 'come look at my stuff!' You're goal is to ask these people who they're here to see. What do they like to read. Who are they buying. That sort of thing. Chances are really good they don't read what you write, but let's say I hook someone with a 'what do you read' question and the answer is 'historical'. I immediately ask if they've read authors x, y, or z - especially if those authors are at the signing and I can direct said readers straight to them. Naturally, my preference is to send readers to authors I know and/or read, too. Thing is if I manage to turn someone on to a new-to-them author, they usually take note of what I do and say 'oh hey, my boyfriends' cousin thrice removed reads SFR!' There goes another one of my promo bits.

3. Stand up. No looming. No towering. You're standing up, at your ease, talking to the readers who stop, if not at your table, at the table next to you, complimenting the jacket, the bag, the whoa where did you find those shoes - whatever it is. The point is to be interested and involved and to look like you're having fun even if you're dying a tiny bit inside because no one is buying your books. Or asking you to sign anything.

4. Take the pressure off. A book signing needn't be about selling books - make it about being accessible. Make it about  getting out of your imaginary worlds for two hours or so and looking at the rest of humanity with a compassionate eye. You can retreat to your ivory tower after. And will likely need to - but for the duration of the signing, you are engaged in character study. Not in a sales pitch.

Signings and readings are lovely stuff, but for me to survive them without wanting to drown myself in my tea, it has to be about doing something for readers - not for me. If I make these events about me, then it's about how many widgets sold. Ego gets tangled up with that. Self-valuation becomes contingent on how many books went out the door - and you know - there are just going to be days when no one is in a buying mood. We've all been there, eating 10 for a buck ramen until the next payday. So the final point is:

5. Make it fun. If that means a costume, go for it. Silly hats? Beautiful. Only you know what will make a signing/reading fun for you. Just don't get arrested.

PS: If you're interested in exploring a ton of SFR for FREE check out PORTALS - a collection of first chapters from an array of authors. All different styles and levels of heat. The first volume is available now. More on the way. Brought to you by the SFRBrigade.


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Perils of the Writer: Readings and Signings

On some level, the problem of "having" to do a reading or a signing is a minor one for a writer.  If you even have the opportunity, in general things are going well for you.
That said, taking the opportunity is something you should do judiciously.  Especially in bookstores.
See, when you do a reading or signing event in a bookstore, they'll naturally order a large chunk of your books, in anticipation of having many on hand to sell.  So what happens if they order 60 books and you only get five people there?  You'll get a lot of returns.  Do that too much, and you get A TON of returns.
See, readings and signings aren't really good events to find new readers.  They are for your existing, dedicated fans.  If you're not even sure if you have a fans in some other city, you shouldn't make a point of traveling there just to do a bookstore signing.
There is a next-level thing where the publisher sends you on a book tour.  I'm not there yet.  Very few writers are.  I'm of the mindset to trust that they'll know when it ought to happen.  To try to make it happen on your own can cause more damage than not.  I met one writer who nearly scuttled his career by trying to do events in every bookstore up and down California. All he accomplished was give himself a ton of returns, making his name toxic.  He had to reboot his career under a pseudonym.
Now, if you're at a con, and they give you a reading or signing time, I say take it and make the most of it.  Even if you only get one person.  There it's not hurting you: you're already there, and there isn't the same risk-of-return.  Getting one new reader, if that's all you get, is worth your time.
Well, it's worth your time if you enjoy doing it.  Personally, I like it a lot, and I think I do it pretty well.  But that's me.  I know plenty of writers who would rather gnaw off their own foot, and only do readings out of a sense of obligation.
So, hey, if we're at the same event, come hear me read, ask me to sign something.  You'll have a good time.
Speaking of, another reminder: I'll be at ArmadilloCon in July, where I'm running the Writers' Workshop.   Registration for the workshop goes until June 15th, so there's still plenty of time to polish that short story or novel chapter and send it in.  Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions about it.
Now, back to the word mines.  See you all down there.

When You're Reading to an Empty Room

Welcome!

Today's photo does double-work. This is the first post to the NEW and rebranded blog, formerly the Word Whores and now the SFF Seven!

For those who don't know, "SFF" stands for Science Fiction & Fantasy - a good umbrella term for this group.

As I write this post, it looks a little empty around here. That's what happens when you move out all the silk reclining chaises and red velvet curtains. The new furniture is on order. At least we kept the wet bar from the old Bordello.

Some things never change.

This week's topic is Tips for Book Signings and Readings. I immediately thought of my friend, Bishop O'Connell, who snapped the photo above at his first big con reading.

Bishop (yes, that's really his given name - good thing he didn't go into the clergy, huh?) is a fellow member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, motto: yes, we know there should be another "F"). He writes super cool fairy tale retellings and the first of his American Faerie Tale series came out in late 2014. He's still getting accustomed to being an author at cons and so forth. So when he attended a con and had his first "50 minutes with..." session, he came to the SFWA chat room to ask for advice.

This is something that SFF conventions do pretty typically, so far as I can tell. If you're willing to read, they set you up with an hour time slot (minus a ten-minute passing period), so all of your fans can hang with you exclusively. This is great if you actually HAVE fans. Who are also at the con. And who aren't going to "50 minutes with George R.R. Martin" instead.

The first time I got this on MY con schedule - and yes, opposite George - I freaked, too. I totally got where Bishop was coming from. Some of his major questions:

1) How do I fill the time?

There were four or five of us hanging in the chat room at the time, so he got varying answers. That's one of the great things about SFWA - you get people at all stages of their careers weighing in. At any rate, I suggested chatting with the audience first, finding out if they're mostly readers or aspiring writers and tailoring from there. An audience of mostly aspiring writers will always want to hear the "how I got published" story - and it's really helpful for them to hear, as every writer takes a different path. If the audience is mostly readers, they want to hear about the books. If you strike gold, they've already read some and will have questions. I like to do a blend of talking about my process, the books, answering questions and only read for ~20 minutes.

2) What to read and for how long?

I like to keep the reading part short, as I mentioned above. Some authors sit there and read for 50 minutes solid and I've seen rapt audiences for that. I find it dull myself, but that could be me. I suggested picking a scene that can be read in its entirety at that length, and that's either funny or action-packed. If I have established fans there, I ask them to pick the scene and it's interesting how often they agree on the choice. Then I'll use that scene for readings from that book in the future.

3) What if nobody shows up?

This is the eternal question. And, when I saw Bishop tweet the photo above, I winced for him. It's really hard when no one shows up. The only consolation is that IT'S HAPPENED TO EVERY ONE OF US. Quite a few fellow authors saw Bishop's tweet and chimed in with empathy of been there, done that, burned the t-shirt. If you can, you seed the room with plants - promise to buy your friends drinks if they'll come. Food can work to lure in the hungry con-goer.

In the end though, sometimes you're talking to an empty room. And that's okay, too. It means nothing, except that you'll have a great photo to share when you're Guest of Honor at a con someday. Maybe you'll walk across the hall to the newbie author slotted against you, show them the pic, and say hi.

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