Mastering Author Interviews: The 2 Key Questions Every Writer Must Answer

In this episode of Author's Edge, host Allison Lane emphasizes the importance of mastering two key questions that are crucial for every author: 'What is your book about?' and 'How long did it take to write?' Allison explains how to answer these questions succinctly to build visibility and authority, offering tips on reframing responses to turn dull interview moments into engaging conversations. She also highlights the value of clarity in communication and shares her free guide "Essential Author Bio" package at https://lanelit.com/package to help authors craft strong, effective messages.

In this episode, Allison discusses:

• [00:00] Why these two questions matter
• [01:00] The simple book description formula
• [04:00] The real reason readers lose interest
• [07:00] How to avoid the timeline trap
• [09:00] Why clarity strengthens your author brand

Resources Mentioned:

• Grab the free resource: Essential Author Bio Package: https://www.lanelit.com/package
• Visit the website: https://www.lanelit.com
• Connect with Allison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonlanelit/ 

If this episode helped you, rate and review The Author’s Edge. Your support helps more authors build visibility with clarity.

Get Allison's free guide 7 Shifts to Build Real Authority - and get recognized for your expertise (not your follower count): https://lanelit.com/authority   

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Transcript

0:50

Welcome back to the Author's Edge. I am your host, Allison Lane, and I'm here because I want you to get your work and your message into the world in the way that works for you. Whether you are already an author working on your book, or your book is just noodling around in your head, the first step is being able to answer two questions. There are two questions every author needs to be ready for. They show up in every interview, every podcast, every panel, every book talk, most authors treat them like small talk, but they're not. These questions are visibility tools. When you answer them well, you are clear and confident about what people want to know about you. And today, I am going to walk you through how to answer both questions in a way that actually builds your authority. We're also going to talk about how to use these as an anchor for everything you do. if you don't have strong anchor messaging. Grab my free essential Author bio package at lanelit.com/package, it'll save you from rambling ever again. Let's get to it. Here's why these two questions matter. Most authors think interviews are about information. They're not. They're about positioning and they're about showing people why your work and your book matters to them and why you are the person they've been looking for. These two questions are your chance to make your message, your insights, your story, connect with people. Question number one, tell us about your book. You would think this is a landmine. It's not. But somehow it becomes that. This place where authors start summarizing their entire plots, naming every character or every research study explaining backstory that no one asked for. This is not a place you want to be. When you start explaining all the contents of your book, then no one needs your book anymore. And they don't understand how the book relates to them. I've seen many brilliant authors talk for five minutes and never say one thing the listener needed. Here's the fix, answer in 10 to 20 seconds and hit three things clearly. What's it about? Who's it for? And what do people walk away with? The book is about this. It's for people who fill in the blank so that they walk away with, fill in the blank. It's pretty simple, but. You have to plan this ahead. if we were going to talk about ADHD for Smart Ass Women written by my client Tracy Otsuka, if we asked her, what is your book about? She would say, ADHD for Smart Ass Women helps women understand their ADHD with clarity and strength and even humor. This is for anyone who feels unstoppable, but also overwhelmed. You'll walk away knowing how your brain works. What makes you powerful, and how to build systems that finally support you. She didn't go into, chapter seven, ADHD and relationships. Nobody wants you to dive that deep, but simple, direct and elevated. This is the same clarity you share in your author bio. Your first line should answer the question, what does she write about? That's why your bio needs to say exactly, what you write about, who you write for, and what people walk away with. If you don't have that yet, go and download the free resource. I have the Essential Author Bio package at lanelit.com/package. It gives you seven ready to use formats, so you're never guessing. I did hear someone really fumble this question recently. It was so cringey, here's what happened. At a recent event, a Women in Publishing event. I did the keynote and afterward, one of the organizers was going around to authors who weren't speakers and asking them, what is your book about? I heard an author say something that shut everyone's interest down. It was so notable that I wrote it down because I don't want you to do this. She was asked, what is your book about? she took a big gulp of air and she said, Ooh, that's hard. Really? It is not calculus. You are in charge of your book. You need to know what it's about because if you don't know what it's about and we have to listen to you ramble. Then, not only are we not interested, it looks like you don't have your poop in a group. Because you can't even impart to us why your book matters or what it's about. And this is the simplest question you're going to get. What's your book about? Or what do you write about? You have to know this. Which means you have to practice. So, start with this. Answer the question in 10 or 15 seconds. Hit three things clearly, what it's about? Who it's for? What people walk away with? That's it. What it's about from a high level? Who it's for? From a high level. And what readers walk away with? Question number two that you must be prepared for. This is the most boring question that you should never answer directly. People love to ask, how long did it take you to write this? This question helps no one. It reduces your work to a timeline. It forces you to answer the question. in a way that's either that reveals that you either wrote it too quickly or too slowly. So, don't answer it. Instead, reframe it into something meaningful. And that's your job. You have to be prepared for this boring question because the interviewer doesn't know anything about your book. Especially, if you're at an event where there are multiple authors, they have not read your book, they just met you. Even if you're bumping into someone at the mailbox, they haven't read anything, so don't think that they're already going to know. So, when people say, how long did it take? You can help them by reframing the question. It's your job to turn a dull question into a moment of clarity. Show the thinking behind the work so that you can give the listener something they can use. And position yourself as someone who knows exactly what they're doing. Here's how you pivot. I call this a bridge in My speaker training, which you can get by joining my Visible Authority program and you can learn all about it on my website, lane lit.com. You can learn to bridge away from a boring question or even a question you just don't want to answer. And instead restate the question that sets you up for success. So, here's what you say. A lot of people want to know how a book comes to life. And what I wanted to spend time on was making sure the reader felt seen and capable and not confused. I wanted her to understand her brain and finally feel like she wasn't the problem. That intention guided every choice I made from the research I conducted to the interviews I led, and the deep dives I had to take to build this book to what it is. What started as an educational guide really became a book about identity and strength. That's just a more interesting response than the book took four months or nine months, or 10 years.'cause who cares? Here's why reframing the question works because you give the listener something they can use, and position yourself as someone who knows exactly what they're doing. Because you do. Your answers to these questions. Rely on the same foundational messaging that your bio should have. Your website should have, your main speaking points should have. You should keep all of this in one place. And that gives you repeatable power language that keeps you clear in every interaction and interview. Everything becomes easier with clarity. Here's one extra tip. If you go to any book description on any retailer site you will see every book has one line that says what this book is about. And it's not about the plot. It's usually the first line, sometimes bold or the last line. It's really empowering and it's answering the question, why should we care about this? That's really the question you're answering. So, prepare these two questions. What's your book about? And how long did you take to write this, which is really, tell us more about what this book is about. Keep your responses short because when you're concise, you're clear. Record yourself, listen back, or you can record yourself on Zoom or loom. Both of these things are free. And you can take a look at what really lands. And what's easy for you to say, especially if you have a Maryland accent like I do. Sometimes I need to practice something before it really lands. This becomes your anchor language. You can do this. You've got this. I would love to see what you're doing. And learn what you're writing about? What your book is about? And why people need to care about it?