The Larry King Author Interview

May 7, 2012 | Writing A Book

Larry King is a big deal. Today, he’s best known as the premier interviewer of celebrities on cable television. When King moved to television he adjusted his program to the audience. That’s just smart. But I remember when he did a late night radio talk show and the best author interviews ever.

Every other interviewer prepared to interview an author by learning about the author’s book. Not Larry. He asked the questions you would ask if you wanted to know if the book was worth buying and worth reading.

“What’s this book about?” Larry would ask. That was just the start. There were other simple, but powerful questions, too.

“Who should read this book?”

“Why should anyone read this book?”

“What will I get out of it?”

The great thing was that Larry asked the questions an ordinary reader would ask. By the end of the interview, you knew if a book was for you and, if so, why you should read it.

If you’re an author, you’ll write a better book if you can answer those Larry King questions crisply and clearly. You’ll also do better at marketing the book. Here’s my version of the basic Larry King-type questions you should ask and answer about your book.

Who should read the book?

Why? What will they get out of it?

Why are you qualified to write it?

Can you sum up the core of the book in a sentence or two?

That’s it. Now go imagine your own Larry King interview and write a better book.