I just finished two publicity zoom calls with two very different authors where we went over their Author Questionnaire. It is CRITICAL for a publicity manager like me to get good information from authors this way. One author's books is about a "friendtrip roadtrip" around Arizona and oh! she just happens to be friends with the former Governor of Arizona and will ask him for a blurb! The other author, an indigenous poet, is friends with all these other indigenous poets (who I don't know) and she will ask them for blurbs. The poet also knows about Navajo book clubs and knows the owners of a couple small bookstores in Arizona and New Mexico where I can send ARCs. Yes! Be as detailed as possible in your AQ, think of everyone who could help you get the word out about your book, and don't be afraid to think big! from author with book publicity day job :)
You captured the emotions one runs through when faced with an Author Questionnaire. I had one with my first publisher, and I'm so glad they sent it to me. It helped with the info given to the book cover designer and the in-house marketer. Thinking through my answers also helped me, especially when writing articles for School Library Journal and other outlets. This contrasts with my second publisher, who did not send or ask me for input. The book cover suffered from that lack of info. Who knows how the marketing will be but I'll find out in late May.
It's like those high-profile championship althetes say: pressure is a privilege. Likewise, the tedium of filling out an author questionnaire is its own privilege, because it means *you're an author with a book a publisher will be publishing*! I eagerly await the chance to be assigned this homework assignment.
This blog post offers a different perspective on the Author Questionnaire. By elaborating on the content, its benefits for authors, and strategies for completing it, the author can create a more helpful and insightful resource for other writers going through the publishing process. https://unoonline.io
Kate, Thank you SO much for this post! I deeply appreciate your honesty with a behind the scenes view of how the publicity angle works. You have one of the best newsletters for authors 🤗
Oooh, saving this for future use! I have a memoir coming out in 2025 so this sounds like a very wise voice from my future. Thank you for sharing, and congratulations to getting to (and through!) this point in your publication journey.
Loved and saved this in my emails! Thank you so much for sharing this info, I didn't even know this was a thing :)) Hopefully one day I get to write down a list of people I'd want to ask for blurbs
Honestly, if I ever get to that point, I will drag out every D list friend of a friend of a second cousin once removed I can if it helps me. And thanks for the heads-up on Lee's book! Hoping to catch him at my fave bookstore in Louisville tonight, and just saw another writer I love will be there this month too - appreciate the connections since I'm waaay out in the KY country. :)
Me too. I’d love a sample typical author’s questionnaire. In some ways it would be a good outline for “how to.” If the questionnaire focuses on how many bookshop owners and comp authors i know then i should add that to my to-do list.
Looking forward to filling out my first author questionnaire. No agent yet—so it won’t be tomorrow—but I’ll have a good attitude about it when it happens. Thanks, Kate.
How interesting. Didn't know this was a thing since I never traditionally published. Hoping novel I'm currently writing will be. I'll remember this post if I get an suthor questionnaire down the road and have a good attitude about it. Lo9king forward to your book :)
I too usually take a few days to do these, dipping in here and there. As far as shooting high for endorsements, for my book I included an author who I felt like was a serious reach and he did it!!!!! For my niche, having his name on the back of my book will be a big win! So, if the person is actually RELEVANT, I say include them!
I just finished two publicity zoom calls with two very different authors where we went over their Author Questionnaire. It is CRITICAL for a publicity manager like me to get good information from authors this way. One author's books is about a "friendtrip roadtrip" around Arizona and oh! she just happens to be friends with the former Governor of Arizona and will ask him for a blurb! The other author, an indigenous poet, is friends with all these other indigenous poets (who I don't know) and she will ask them for blurbs. The poet also knows about Navajo book clubs and knows the owners of a couple small bookstores in Arizona and New Mexico where I can send ARCs. Yes! Be as detailed as possible in your AQ, think of everyone who could help you get the word out about your book, and don't be afraid to think big! from author with book publicity day job :)
Oh to be at that stage... Sigh…
Is this your first post with no shrug emoji?!
Oh no! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You captured the emotions one runs through when faced with an Author Questionnaire. I had one with my first publisher, and I'm so glad they sent it to me. It helped with the info given to the book cover designer and the in-house marketer. Thinking through my answers also helped me, especially when writing articles for School Library Journal and other outlets. This contrasts with my second publisher, who did not send or ask me for input. The book cover suffered from that lack of info. Who knows how the marketing will be but I'll find out in late May.
It's like those high-profile championship althetes say: pressure is a privilege. Likewise, the tedium of filling out an author questionnaire is its own privilege, because it means *you're an author with a book a publisher will be publishing*! I eagerly await the chance to be assigned this homework assignment.
This blog post offers a different perspective on the Author Questionnaire. By elaborating on the content, its benefits for authors, and strategies for completing it, the author can create a more helpful and insightful resource for other writers going through the publishing process. https://unoonline.io
Kate, Thank you SO much for this post! I deeply appreciate your honesty with a behind the scenes view of how the publicity angle works. You have one of the best newsletters for authors 🤗
Oooh, saving this for future use! I have a memoir coming out in 2025 so this sounds like a very wise voice from my future. Thank you for sharing, and congratulations to getting to (and through!) this point in your publication journey.
Loved and saved this in my emails! Thank you so much for sharing this info, I didn't even know this was a thing :)) Hopefully one day I get to write down a list of people I'd want to ask for blurbs
I'm just laughing to myself because I didn't get an author questionnaire, which explains a lot. I didn't even know it was a thing 🤣 Thank you.
Thank you Kate! Magical timing with this post!
Honestly, if I ever get to that point, I will drag out every D list friend of a friend of a second cousin once removed I can if it helps me. And thanks for the heads-up on Lee's book! Hoping to catch him at my fave bookstore in Louisville tonight, and just saw another writer I love will be there this month too - appreciate the connections since I'm waaay out in the KY country. :)
Hi Kate. Could you share the actual questionnaire? It could be super useful for thinking of stuff to highlight in a book proposal.
Unfortunately I can’t but let me see if there’s one I can find and link to
https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/a-sample-author-questionnaire
Me too. I’d love a sample typical author’s questionnaire. In some ways it would be a good outline for “how to.” If the questionnaire focuses on how many bookshop owners and comp authors i know then i should add that to my to-do list.
Looking forward to filling out my first author questionnaire. No agent yet—so it won’t be tomorrow—but I’ll have a good attitude about it when it happens. Thanks, Kate.
Troy A. Thompson M.D.
How interesting. Didn't know this was a thing since I never traditionally published. Hoping novel I'm currently writing will be. I'll remember this post if I get an suthor questionnaire down the road and have a good attitude about it. Lo9king forward to your book :)
I kind of like the exercise. I agree taking a few days (and long walks) helps tremendously to craft answers that are actually something useful.
I too usually take a few days to do these, dipping in here and there. As far as shooting high for endorsements, for my book I included an author who I felt like was a serious reach and he did it!!!!! For my niche, having his name on the back of my book will be a big win! So, if the person is actually RELEVANT, I say include them!