I have conducted hundreds of interviews with local authors. By local author I mostly mean people who live in SW Ohio, but I am generous with my interpretation. I consider guests who live as far away as Cincinnati, or Columbus to be local.
Book publicists often contact me about authors doing events in Cleveland, they’ll emphasize the “local author” angle. I explain Ohio is large — Cleveland isn’t my local.
People expect me to interview local authors. Why is that? Because they are local! Local authors are wonderful, but there is no way I can ever talk to them all.
For every one I interview there are a dozen I don’t. I feel bad about that. I do what is possible.
One thing I comprehend is every local author’s book is the most important thing in the world. At least to them. I am sure there are local authors reading this column who wanted to appear on my radio show, perhaps they even sent me their books, but I never interviewed them.
They have probably disliked me ever since.
Well, if you are one of them, I am sorry it didn’t work out. I get dozens of emails each week from local authors pitching their books for reviews and/or interviews. I cannot begin to respond to all those emails-I average more than 100 emails a day about every kind of book, local as well everything else. Perhaps I need a secretary?
If you sent me an email and I did not reply, don’t take it personally. Did you send me another? Here’s the thing, many local writers assume when I don’t answer an email I am not interested. Well, possibly I’m not. Mostly I am busy. A follow up email is always a good idea.
If you sent me a book and I did not respond, then why is that? Did you follow up? Did you assume my failure to respond was rejection? It wasn’t. I am swamped, even if I had your book languishing in this pile I needed a follow up email; did you receive my book? Well? Hint, hint.
I feel guilty when I get that follow up and sometimes do interviews when it happens. Can you believe it? Well, it is true. Of course I have also responded by saying that I was going to pass up the interview. But even then, despite that rejection, the author gets some sort of closure, and I do too.
I create a hundred radio shows each year. Twenty-seven out of the 67 programs I have produced so far this year were with what I consider to be local content.
As I say on the radio; thanks, for listening.
Vick Mickunas of Yellow Springs interviews authors every Saturday at 7 a.m. and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO-FM (91.3). For more information, visit www.wyso.org/programs/book-nook. Contact him at vick@vickmickunas.com.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
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