The opportunity to give a personal interview about your book is the gold standard of book marketing opportunities. Not only do you have the chance to create interest in your book, you have the ability to give the interviewing audience a look at the story behind the book and your creative process. While the execution of radio, TV and print interviews varies widely, here are just a few tips to help you deliver an effective interview.

Practice makes the perfect interview. Recruit a friend or family member to ask questions about your work, and practice crafting your answers in ways that are direct, meaningful and brief.

Speak to your customer. The point of the interview is to create excitement for your work and an urgency to purchase your book. Don't just tell your audience about your book; tell them how the book will ultimately benefit their lives. Make sure you convey key messages at the beginning and end of the interview, leaving time in the middle to discuss the details.

Remember to K.I.S. (Keep It Simple!) During your interview, avoid using jargon or terminology that your audience may not understand. The audience for the interview may be unfamiliar with the subject matter of your title, so try to answer questions without using technical language.

Nothing is off the record. In today’s media, anything you say is fair game to be printed, quoted or reported, so choose your words carefully. A good rule of thumb to follow is to avoid saying anything you wouldn’t want printed on the front page of the paper.

For even more media training tips and tricks, view our web seminar “You’re On the Air: How to Perform on TV and Radio Shows.”

Holidays are a great way to cross-promote your book through event-related tie-ins and personal sales opportunities. Check local, regional and national calendars for holidays or events that appeal to your book's target audience and seek out promotional and personal selling opportunities. Give books away in themed contests or find events near you to reach your audience in a new way. Here are just a few holidays that are perfect for genre-specific book marketing.

August

Romance Awareness Month – Celebrate love through the end of this summer by promoting a romance title to end-of-season vacationers. How? Promote your title in airport bookstores and specialty romance-related stores, such as flower shops.

Family Fun Month – Rally families around fantasy and fiction works this month and encourage them to have fun together through reading. How? Promote your title at a local family-oriented festival.

National Back to School Month – Drive book sales by sending children of all ages back to school with your title tucked into their schoolbag. How? Contact a school to see if your title is suitable to add to their recommended reading lists.

September

Self-Improvement Month – Promote self-help or how-to titles through the month of September to make a difference in a reader’s life. How? Schedule a signing or reading at a local fitness center or health-food store.

International Literacy Day – Join the fight for literacy for all in your hometown. How? Donate copies of your book to your local library.

October

National Children's Book Week – Encourage families to pick up a children’s, illustrated or young adult title during the first week of this month. How? Do a reading at a local school or library.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month – October is awareness month for many diseases, including breast cancer and AIDS. Consider promoting a women’s fiction book, memoir or health title at local awareness events. How? Contact organizers of fundraising races in your area to donate copies of your title as give-aways for participants.

Halloween – Promote your mystery, thriller or horror book through events and parties leading up to this spooky holiday. How? Host a late-night reading from your book at a nearby coffee shop.

The key to successful themed promotions such as these is creativity, so think outside the boxes of your calendar to create selling opportunities for your title.