Contributing Authors

Working with contributing authors
by Jocelyn Green

http://www.FaithDeployed.com

Working with contributing writers in your book can greatly add to your book’s richness, depth, and breadth of experiences represented. I worked with fourteen contributing writers for my first book, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody Publishers 2008), and without those other writers, my book simply would not have been possible. I also worked with contributing writers for the second book I co-authored: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan (AMG Publishers 2009).
Whether working with published authors or novices, here are some tips that will make the process a whole lot easier.

1) Give clear direction. My co-author on my second book, Jane Hampton Cook, is a master at this. She created a guidelines document for everyone who was interested in contributing. In it, she provided background information on the project, the publisher, and bios of all three of us authors. She outlined who we wanted to contribute to the book, what types of stories we were interested in, topic ideas, deadlines, word counts and format. She even included sample devotions.

2) Allow time for rewrites. Some people really nail it the first time, and others need a little more guidance. Start your project early enough, and give your contributors early enough deadlines so that you have time to edit or ask them to rewrite according to your instructions. For those who need very few edits, be sure to tell them what a great job they did and exactly what you love about their writing.

3) Encourage, encourage, encourage. Tell them how much you appreciate having their perspective din your book. Before asking for changes, tell them what you do like about their contribution and how important it is. They must feel you are a safe person to share their emotional and spiritual journeys with. You’ll never get good content if they are afraid to reveal their true selves.

4) Keep it tight. Stick to the word count limits. Every story can be trimmed and will probably be none the worse for wear. But be sensitive to the fact that many writers, especially new writers, will have a hard time if they open their document and see that you’ve chopped out entire sections. As a courtesy, it may work better if you ask them to cut out x-number of words, but offer to do it yourself if they don’t have time. If you were clear about the word count in the beginning, they really shouldn’t take this trimming personally. But there will always be some who think the word count is more of a suggestion than a rule and go over.

5) Be kind. Be approachable, and encourage them to ask you questions along the way. Respond quickly to their emails, and when following up with them or asking for something that’s late, keep in mind that there may have been a legitimate reason for the delay. One of my writers had a baby close to her deadline for me—but she hadn’t even mentioned she was pregnant yet! Pay them on time, and make sure they get their free copies of the books in a timely manner once it’s published.  Give them credit where it’s due both in the book and in promotional interviews. Encourage them to tell their local news outlets and alma maters about their involvement in the book.

Interviews: What Works

How to get the most out of an interview

by Jocelyn Green

http://www.faithdeployed.com

Most of my writing, whether for magazine articles, Web content or books, depends on me getting great interviews with my sources. Some interview subjects make that job easy, and some make me work for it. Here are a few tips for getting what you want out of any interview.

1) Ask the right people. Before requesting an interview, make sure the potential source has the credentials and experience you are looking for. How do you find good sources?
    a) Do a Google search for your topic plus the word “expert” and see who comes up.
    b) Look up news articles online on your topic and see who those reporters are quoting. They may be good leads for you.
    c) Go to Amazon.com and see who the published authors are on the topic.
    d) Use Profnet.com to find any kind of expert you want. It’s free for writers, and effective.
    e) If you’re looking for personal stories or illustrations from the average person, go where they congregate. Contact churches, local chapters of a national organization like MOPS or AmVets, and use social media like Facebook and Twitter. Just be specific about what you’re looking for.

2) Do your homework. Before the interview, read as much background on your person as possible. If they are a published author, ask the publisher for a review copy of their book. If they are not published or quoted in the news already, send them a few preliminary questions they can answer via email before your phone call so you know where to probe.

3) Put them at ease. Some people are naturally more comfortable being interviewed than others. Everyone will be more at ease if you send them a list of questions that you will likely ask them during the interview. If your editor/publisher agrees, tell them up front that you will send them your draft of their story before sending it to the editor so they can make corrections for accuracy.

4) Ask the right questions. Of course you’ll need to get the facts, but dig deeper for the emotional, human element of the story.
    a) Ask about the thoughts that were never spoken. “What went through your mind at that moment?”
    b) Ask about surprises, expectations, emotions. For example, ask “What surprised you about____?” Ask, “When was the last time you cried, and why?” to get a glimpse of his or her heart.
    c) Ask them to paint a picture for you. For instance, “What was the view from that mountaintop where you had that conversation with God?” The details you get could take your story from good to great.
    d) Ask follow-up questions if they aren’t giving you what you want.

5) Don’t interrupt. When your interview subject pauses, don’t quickly jump in. He or she may be thinking. Many times if you just let the silence hang for a moment, your source will keep going. Whether or not it’s just to fill the silence, you may get some deeper stuff than if you had gone on to your next question.