The Story is About   +  happy

Dear Story Siren,

I was wondering if you have any advice about contacting authors for guest blogs or interviews. Contact directly or go through a publisher? Is there any place that lists author email addresses? Any advice on how to approach them other than the standard, be professional? I am hoping to incorporate more author interaction on my blog in 2010 and I'm not quite sure how to take that first step.

-J

Most of the authors I've contact have been very happy to provide an interview. The only time I have even went through a publisher to get an interview, is if they had contacted me first. It's almost impossible to know what publicist to contact to get the author that you want, but some do have it listed on their author websites. However, I find that it's the easiest to contact the author directly. Usually you can find a way to contact the author via their website, such as a contact form or an email address. Just know that authors usually have a full inbox, but I'm sure they will contact you as soon as possible.

As far as how to approach an author, it's always safe to go the professional route, I find it easier to be more personable with authors, but I suggest using the approach you are most comfortable with.

Good luck!

-SS