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Email and Video Interviews: Easy and Fast

For the intimate thrill of the experience, in-person personal interviews can’t be beat. But how do you interview experts who are out of your travel area? You have at least two options: email and video interviews. Email Interviews For simplicity and convenience on both ends, go for the email interview when you can. They’re easier to set up; easier to conduct; and easier for interviewees to answer questions clearly and at their own convenience (though give a deadline by when you need the answers). And you don’t need to transcribe them. Likely you’ll receive answers that are longer and more detailed than you need. They’ll include typos, repetition, and extraneous anecdotes. You can edit them. Get rid of puff. Delete redundancy. Shape the answer to fit your space. But never […]

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Inspire Quotable Quotes for Your Interview

You finally nabbed the interview you want because you approached your subject professionally and did your background research. You’ve been granted a precious hour. Don’t wing it and risk getting sidetracked. The mind seeks order. Help it out. Organize your questions so they inspire quotable quotes. Here’s how: Quotable Quotes Start with a Freewrite List every question that comes to mind. Don’t worry about wording – yet. Don’t censor your thoughts: Is it a stupid question? Think of the journalistic Five W’s and an H — Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? — and fashion questions around them. Your final list will cover the complete range of your questions, in no logical order. Now put them in order. Find Related Questions and Group Them Find questions on similar topics […]

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Preparing Your Interview Questions

In “Securing Your Personal Interview” I taught you how to approach experts for your personal interview. Congratulations on approaching one and getting a “Yes.” Now you’ve got to prepare your interview questions. This is your time to shine. Do the research to find out all you can in advance. If your interviewee belongs to an organization that is pertinent to your book, read literature on the organization. Read articles the person has written on your subject. Study biographical information. You don’t want to ask “How old are you?” or “Where are you from?” when that information is readily available on the Internet. Answer those Level A interview questions in advance and begin the interview at Level B. Let your questions rise to the level of your expert’s expertise. I Panic […]

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Securing Your Personal Interview

You can find no better way to give credibility to your dearest esoteric theory than by quoting an expert who agrees with you. But how do you approach the expert to grant you a personal interview? It’s easy – if you are polite, persistent, and patient. Set up Your Personal Interview in Advance In other words, don’t expect to be greeted with an open bar when you show up for an unannounced hour interview. You have two main ways to set up your personal interview, each with its benefits and disadvantages. Email Email is my first choice. It’s easy if you have an address. Be personable and friendly. Show passion and respect. Here’s a sample outline for your introductory letter. In well-developed paragraphs, say: Who you are Why you desire […]

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Ken Wachsberger's "You've Got the Time: How to Write and Publish That Book in You"

Make Your Book Title Count

Start thinking of your book title as soon as you start conceptualizing your book. If you’re writing a nonfiction book, it should have two parts: the main title and the subtitle. The title is a catchy phrase that relates to the theme of the book and will attract your readers. The subtitle explains what the title means. Often the subtitle will be your working title while you’re writing the book before you’ve come up with the right catchy phrase. Then suddenly the catchy phrase jumps out at you. Book Title Not Obvious until the End For example, I wrote a World War II book about Bernard Mednicki, a Belgian Jew who fled the country with his wife and children when the Nazis invaded, moved to southern France, posed as a […]

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