I’ve featured many interviews in SORMAG Digital over the last 17 years and I wanted to share a few mistakes that I’ve experienced and I hope you will take heed to these mistakes and make sure you don’t do them when you are invited to do an interview.
- Author Picture Issues
No Picture
Picture too Small
Use an Advatar instead of real picture
Not a good picture
Solution: Invest in a good headshot – 300 DPIs.
If a photoshoot is not in the picture, you can get a friend to take a nice picture of you. Selfies in the bathroom are not nice pictures.
If you don’t want to show your face, you might want to rethink the interview. Readers want to see what you look like.
- Book Cover Issues
Not a good picture,
Picture too small – can’t expand
Front/back together
Solution: 300 DPI front cover only
Most magazines don’t need the back cover
- Don’t respond to email
Solution: Make sure you have email just for business, that way you don’t miss the email
Magazines understand life happens, but if you don’t respond to an email we have to move on to the next person.
- Don’t return the info on time
Solution: Make sure you make the deadline, if you can’t make the deadline, let the editor know. You don’t want to be the author who holds up an magazine production.
- Submit info the wrong way.
Solution: Make sure you submit info the way it is requested. If they ask for a word doc, send a word doc not a PDF, don’t make the work harder for the editor.
- Submit info they didn’t ask for
Solution: Make sure you submit what they ask for. Again don’t have the editor working harder than they need. They shouldn’t have to come back to you for the correct info.
- Book Is Not Available
Solution: Make sure your book is available to purchase. Nothing like a reader who ready to purchase and the book isn’t available for presale or sale.
I know it’s exciting to get an interview, but if your book isn’t published, you might want to save the interview for when your book releases or is about to release.
Also make sure you have a place to buy it – online or online book store or bookstore.
Editors like to work with people who don’t give them issues. If you plan on this being your career, make sure your interaction with the editors are smooth and easy so they can invite you back. Don’t be the problem child they wished they never contacted.
Bonus Tip – Don’t keep bugging the editor when the issue is coming out. If there is a problem they will let you know.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR TODAY:
Find 5 online magazines that cater to your genre. Read their guidelines to see how they accept interview request, then pitch you and your book to them.
Good luck with your promotion.
