Afraid of Interviewing?
I gather that many writers view this career as one in which they can kind of keep to themselves and be solitary. Did you know Edgar Allen Poe wrote in a dank basement and eschewed interaction? But I don't think freelancers can do that. I see freelancing as marketing, socializing, interviewing, and so on. Sure, a lot of it can be done from your home, but not all of it, right? Are there any freelancers out there who avoid interaction and get away with it? I'd love to hear from you. How do you pull that off? What is your niche area?
For the rest of us, be sure to read all about how to conduct an interview, how to get over the fear of interviewing, and whether or not to send your subject the interview questions ahead of time (do you? I do).
Here's to a great Monday!
Regarding sending questions ahead of time, no matter whether I anticipate a friendly or hostile interview, I try to keep things as friendly as possible for as long as possible. That builds trust and rapport which can only help, even if it does turn hostile at some point. I’d say especially if it turns hostile, so the subject is caught off guard.
So I would say always go ahead and email questions ahead of time, so that the subject can pull together the right statistics and talking points and whatever. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to send ALL the questions ahead of time, and I’m never afraid to go off script.
EXCELLENT perspective, Rob. Thanks for helping out other readers.