Interviewing: If You Use This Technique, You Can Write Your Book Faster Than You Ever Dreamed Possible

Before you begin, the first step is to create an outline – more on that in another post. Once that’s done, you’ll be ready for an interview.?

Interviewing Methods

There are two methods that I recommend. One is to interview the person over the phone; the other is to interview them by email. Both have their pros and cons.

For telephone interviews, make sure you have all your questions written down so you can refer to them over the course of the interview. Nothing is worse than losing your train of thought, then not being able to find your way back.

When possible, I recommend that you stick to your list, which allows for digressions and surprises. You will find that you can record most of what you want in 20-30 minutes. Be aware that some interviews can turn into marathons of 60 minutes or more (which are a real pain to transcribe).?

Also, be aware that some interviewees love the sound of their own voice and when they are interviewed, they want to tell you EVERYTHING, whether you want to hear it or not. In this case, having pre-formed questions is necessary to keep them on track. You might also need to interrupt them, as well.

The email interview is excellent for two reasons. It allows the interviewee to think about their responses and to compose a well-thought-out answer. Often, the writing is clear, and you can use it without the need to edit it.?

The other reason for using the email interview is if you are short on time. All you have to do is to compose a message to the interviewee with the questions you want to ask and send it off. It is that simple.

The major downside is waiting for the response, which could take time. Sometimes it helps to let the interviewee know that you have a deadline.?

Another downside is losing the spontaneity of a live interview, where often the unexpected takes place and something magical can happen.

If a “red flag” pops up in an interview, pursue it. You never know where it will lead.?

Additional Notes

When working with interviewees, I like to go over the questions you want to ask beforehand. The interviewee can give some thought to what they would like to say.?

This can help make the interview go smoothly. (Some interviewers disagree with this approach and prefer to ask the questions live.)

Spend time talking with your subject before the interview if possible, getting to know them. Genuine friendliness, interest and compassion works wonders.?

It relaxes both you and your subject and creates an open atmosphere where the interview is likely to flow well. If you come across as someone who can be trusted, you are likely to get material that might have been difficult or impossible to obtain under other circumstances.?

Initially, learning how to interview people can be challenging due to being nervous, unsure of yourself, etc. Fortunately, many people are quite receptive if you tell them you are new to the process or are nervous, etc. Eventually you will become more comfortable with the process and the words will flow naturally.

When you want to record an interview, always let the interviewee know in advance that you are planning to tape the call. Never tape a call without permission; that can have potentially serious consequences later. If necessary, ask for written permission. Consent on tape has always been enough.

When interviewing, learn how to ask the hard questions. It is important to discern the real facts, not what the information is on a white paper (otherwise known as hype).??

Be open to the unexpected. Sometimes it will yield unsuspected dividends. Let your enthusiasm show. Nobody wants to listen to a dry interview.

Sample Interview Questions

Here is a sample list of questions that I use (usually no more than 10 questions):

Opening Questions

? Can you give us some background on your company?

? How did you get started?

? What made you decide _______________?

? What is the most important thing that you want to share today?

? Can you give us a quick overview of what we will be learning about today?

? What need did you see that was not being fulfilled and how did you address that issue?

During the Interview, use Questions Like These:

? For someone starting out in ______________ what advice would you give?

? Do you have a favorite method of ___________?

? When evaluating a new opportunity, what do you look for??

? What is your biggest business regret?

? How do you stand out from your competition?

? Would you be willing to share a few of your favorite online resources with our audience today?

? How did you develop this idea/approach?

? How do you control ______________?

? What are the benefits to businesses/consumers??

? Is there a special secret _____________________ in your industry?

? Did you have any mentors? Who inspired you the most?

? What tools are necessary in order to succeed as a _______________?

? What do you see as the future of _________________?

? How will ______________ meet that challenge?

? What are the biggest problems with customer support?

?Who is making money with your ____________? How is it changing people’s lives??

? What are the three top things that your customers want?

? What _______________ hurdles did you have to overcome??

? What was your most successful idea?

? What have you found to be the greatest benefit of marketing ____________ (that you would not want your competitors to know)?

? What developmental challenges did you encounter? How did you overcome them?

Closing Questions

? If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

? What advice would you give anyone trying to use the Internet to market goods or services?

? Is there anything you would like to add that I have not covered with my questions?

? Is there anything you would like to give away to those who have been listening today?

? What is your Web Site address? Are there any other points of contact that you would share?

Transcribing

There are several approaches here. The obvious one is to do it yourself, though that can be time intensive.?

A 20-minute interview could take up to an hour to transcribe.?

If time is short, I recommend CabbageTree (https://www.cabbagetreesolutions.com/audio-transcription-services/conference-call-transcription/)?

Another way is to use machine transcriptions. One solution is otter.ai. It works, but you will need to go over the recording and make sure you hear the words correctly. The program is good, but it’s not perfect.??

Editing

After transcribing is editing. We might get lucky and the interview will be perfect. Most likely it won’t and we’ll have to go back and forth a time or two to get the content right. One thing is for sure, it will be far faster than the traditional way of writing a book.?

Formatting

The last step is formatting the text for the book. Once that’s done, your book will be ready to go.?

And that’s it. Questions? Write to me.?