Author Guides: Interviewing

The point of your interview calls is very simple; get all the knowledge of your book topic out of your head, and onto an audio recording, so your Scribe can help you turn your ideas into a great book.

Given this goal, here are a few best practices for authors to keep in mind:

1) YOU’VE GOT THIS: All you need to do here is talk about things you already know about. This is the time to let your excitement and passion about your topic come out. You don’t need to worry about getting things wrong, we will make sure you look your best.

2) LET IT ALL OUT: More is almost always better than less, so please feel free to say everything that comes to mind, especially anything you think is relevant to either answering the Scribe’s questions or to your book topic.

Don’t worry about phrasing things eloquently, explaining everything perfectly on your first try, or not rambling. Substance matters more than style, and you only need to worry about getting the substance right.

The Scribe will be working from the transcripts of your interviews, so always elaborate, even more than you think is necessary. It’s much easier for them to cut words than to add to words in places where you don’t explain enough.

3) TELL STORIES AND GIVE EXAMPLES: Stories and examples are one of the best ways to make a point. Your Scribe will prompt you for these, but if another story comes to mind, or another example, please tell it. It’ll make your book better.

4) ASSUME YOU’RE TALKING TO AN 8-YEAR-OLD: You know how kids always ask you “why” and it drives you nuts? That’s actually the job of the Scribe in these interviews. Their job is to pull as much information as they can out of you to go in your book, so they’re going to ask you “why” a lot, and they’re going to ask things that might seem obvious to you.

We know this because their interviewing instructions are to “ask questions like an 8-year-old would.”

It may seem condescending to pretend you’re explaining things to an 8-year-old when you’re actually talking to an intelligent adult. Obviously we don’t mean this literally. This is just a mental device we tell you and the Scribe to use to ensure that you’re very clear in explanations, and that you make no assumptions about what your audience knows.

It is actually an empirical fact that when people are in the mindset of talking to a totally inexperienced audience (i.e., an 8-year-old), that they give their best, most clear explanations.

And if you feel like you’re being too obvious, always remember this quote by author Nina Paley, “Don’t be original; be obvious. When you state the obvious, you actually seem original.”

5) FOLLOW THE SCRIBE’S DIRECTIONS: Your Scribe’s job is to make sure your book accomplishes your objectives, and provides value to the reader. They are experts in book writing, and have done this for years, so listen to them and trust their instincts. Their job is to help you and make you look good.

That’s it. Your Scribe (and Publishing Manager) will handle all the details; you just need to get on the call, talk about what you know, and have fun!