Part of promoting your book might be appearing on some morning shows, or being interviewed about your book on-camera in some way. Maybe it’s Zoom, maybe it’s in-studio, maybe it’s in another location, but the general idea is the same: talk about your book and the issues it deals with. The network will likely be more interested in a tie-in with a current theme (ex/ talking to an LGBTQ+ author about their new LGBTQ+ novel during Pride Month or talking about epilepsy during Epilepsy Awareness Month), so keep that in mind when submitting your pitch.

For some people, the idea of being on-camera is beyond scary, and I find that things are much less frightening when you know what to expect, so here is what I have learned/seen over the past six months of doing different interviews about Uncontrollable, and some tips to help you perform your best.

1. The studios aren’t enormous, and, if you get nervous talking in public, you can pretend that it’s just you and the anchor talking. Except for the cameras that the anchor reads from, the room is pretty dark. The lights will be on you and the anchor, so take a deep breath, and pretend that you are just talking to a friend. A friend you just met, but still a friend.

2. Different shows deal with questions differently. I had a show that wanted me to submit the actual questions, which made it very easy to prepare. I had a show that sent a form for me to fill out with a general idea of questions, and I was able to look over the anchor’s questions quickly before I went on, so there were no big surprises. Then, I had a show where I didn’t hear from them about the script until I got there, the producer handed it to me three minutes before I went on with a “This good?” Sure. If it’s good for you guys, I can wing it.

3. The anchor might surprise you with a question you didn’t expect. I’ve had a couple of surprise questions - even from the anchor who showed me the list of questions. One answer went well, the other answer didn’t go as well, but now I have an answer to any varation of that “surprise” question that may come up in the future, so surprises can be good!

4. On local shows, you will likely have five minutes max. So, talk fast. Know what you want to say. Have the answer to “What is your book about?” down to 30-45 seconds. If you have time to look at the questions before the interview put together a 3-4 sentence answer for each that you can work from.

5. Wear something that makes you feel good. If you feel like you look good, you’re ahead of the game. There is something true behind that “Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good” theory that doesn’t only apply to athletes. When I go on camera, I like to wear a dress, have my make-up done, and a blowout. That makes me feel good. And when I feel good, I generally do well. Wear what makes you look good and feel confident because, as the wise Deion Sanders once said, “If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play good.” I find that’s actually true.

However your interview goes, you can be proud that you have done it, and I bet you will walk away with a “that-wasn’t-as-bad-as-I-thought-it-would-be” feeling.