By Athena Dean

Television interviews are more demanding than radio and print interviews because they usually require travel time and expenses. But they are great ways to generate publicity for your book.

When my first book, Consumed by Success, was released, I was traveling quite a bit, speaking at Christian writers’ conferences across the country. At that time, I did not have an in-house publicist, so I hired a freelance publicist to book my radio and TV interviews.

I gave her the list of all the speaking engagements I had scheduled for the year and asked her to book as many TV interviews as she could at each stop, scheduling them for the day before the conference (and sometimes, even during the conference, during times I knew I wouldn’t be needed). That way I didn’t incur the added expense of traveling to the television studio.

One of my first interviews was with Dr. Karen Hayter, of Family Net (based in Fort Worth, TX).

“You’re the first author I’ve interviewed in a long time who not only wrote your own book but read it as well!” Karen exclaimed after we finished.

Many big-time authors don’t write their own books (they hire ghost writers) and they often don’t take the time to read their book before an interview… which leads me to my first piece of advice:

Re-read your book before doing a TV interview. Since the camera is on you, it will catch any hesitancy or “deer in the headlights” look you may display if a question comes that you’re not ready for! It’s not like radio where no one can see the look on your face.

Provide the producer/host with your list of suggested interview questions ahead of time (rehearse short responses to each question until you know them inside out).

Give the producer the ordering information for your book. If you have an 800 number, make sure the host has it before show starts so they can refer to it.

Don’t wear black, white, stripes, plaids, hounds-tooth, or bold patterns.

Apply makeup a little heavier than usual, since the lights will wash you out and you’ll need the extra color. (Ask whether you should come fully made up or whether they have a makeup artist who will be doing your makeup).

Arrive early, well rested, prepared, and at peace. Keep a scripture in your heart so your dependence is on the Lord and not on your host or on yourself.

Athena Dean is a Solutions Advisor for the Pleasant Word division. She works with new authors who need to test the market for their book using custom print on demand technology.

Related article:

• How Fiction Authors Can Land Radio and TV Interviews